This book is a translation of 'Dizigui', a book of maxims that was written by ancient Chinese sages. Memorised by children when they were young, the book provided guidelines that would enable them to learn how to become good children and students and, later, good parents, friends and citizens.
In the translation, we endeavoured to remain as faithful as possible to the Chinese text. At times, we chose to be less literal to make the ancient text more relevant for a modern and universal readership. Therefore, ink blocks and brushes became writing tools, and horses became bicycles, but the underlying principles did not change.
To the casual reader, the maxims can appear to be straightforward and easy to carry out. But when trying to put them into practice, one discovers that they are anything but easy or simple. Neither are they just for children. These principles for behaviour can guide us the rest of our lives.
