【原文】信也者，民信之；忠也者，民怀之；严也者，民畏之；礼也者，民美之。语曰，泽命不渝，信也；非其所欲，勿施于人，仁也；坚中外正，严也；质信以让，礼也。《小问》

【汉解】守信用，人民就相信；行仁政，人民就怀德；严肃，人民就敬畏；有礼，人民就赞美。常语说，舍掉性命而不肯食言，就是信；非其所欲不强加于人，就是仁；内心坚定而仪表端正，就是严；诚信而谦让，就是礼。

【英译】If you are trustworthy, the people will believe in you. If you are humane, they will cherish you. If you are majestic in your deportment, they will stand in awe of you. If you posses rules of propriety, they will praise you. According to old saying, to give up one’s life rather than to violate a promise is what is meant by trustworthiness. Never to inflict on others what one would not wish for one’s self is what is meant by humaneness. To be firm within while outwardly correct is what is meant by being majestic in one’s deportment. To be completely trustworthy and self-effacing is what is meant by having rules of propriety.