The Word "Jin" in Di Zi Gui's Verses 2 and 121 Means "Being Reverent"
Original Text: Di Zi Gui with English Translation
or: Plus Mandarin Pinyin & Cantonese Pronunciation
I translate jin^ (谨) in jin^ xin` (谨信) as “being reverent” and not as as “being careful” or “being cautious” the way most Di Zi Gui websites have it. That’s because I believe the jin being used here means gong- jin^ (恭谨) and not jin^ shen` (谨慎). Indeed, if one looks carefully at the verses in the section on jin in Di Zi Gui (verses 57-86), one can see that they are about living life reverently: being clean, being neat, being tidy, being careful with possessions, adhering to standards in one’s movements, being respectful when saluting people, and so forth.
Living one’s life reverently includes living one’s life carefully, but it is much more than that. While living one's life carefully doesn't necessarily involve being good to others, living one's life reverently always does. Moreover, it involves being good to oneself. Living life revently means always maintaining, in whatever how small or everyday a thing we do, a high degree of respect for all around us as well as a high degree of respect for ourselves. Maintaining a high degree of respect for ourselves is not an exhortation to be arrogant, but is in the spirit of the traditional Chinese exhortations to never abuse oneself and to never give up on oneself, but to value and love oneself and thus to strive to reach ever higher (切勿自暴自棄，必 須自重自爱，力爭上游).
So Di Zi Gui is teaching a very lofty state of mind indeed, one that is far above simply being "careful".
The first four verses (v. 57-60) in Di Zi Gui talk about being reverent to one's youth and body. Then the next six verses (v. 61-66) talk about being reverent to one's attire. The next sixteen verses (v. 67-82) talk about being reverent to one's body, bearing and movements and being reverent to the surrounding things and matters. Then the next four verses (v. 83-86) talk about being reverent to people around one. Right after that, with the verse on "when borrowing other people’s things" (v. 87), Di Zi Gui switches to the section on "Being Trustworthy (Xin)", which is one of the most important aspects of being respectful to people around oneself.
- Feng Xin-ming《弟子規》的「謹」是「恭謹」的意思
（見第二句：「首孝悌，次謹信」，第121句：「右謹而信」）
《弟子規》原文見 《弟子規》英語譯 或
兼附拼音及粵音
我把「謹」段（第57－86句）的「謹」字翻譯為 "being reverent"（恭謹）而不是其他《弟子規》網站所譯的 "being careful" 或 "being cautious"（謹慎），是因為我認為這裡「謹」的意思，不是「謹慎」而是「恭謹」。仔細地閱讀，就可以看到，「謹」段裡面的句子，都是關於怎樣恭謹地做日常事情的：要清潔、裝束要整齊、對東西要小心、動作要遵循規範、對人行禮要恭敬等等。
恭謹地過日常生活包括了但遠遠超越了謹慎地過生活。謹慎地過生活未必要對他人好，但是恭謹地過生活就一定要對他人好，也包括了對自己好。恭謹地過生活就是要對自己和對自己周圍所有的人和物都要保持高度尊重的態度。對自己高度尊重不是要驕傲，而是要好像中華傳統的訓勉那樣，切勿自暴自棄，必須自重自愛，力爭上游。
所以，《弟子規》所教授的，是一個很崇高的心態，遠遠超越了「謹慎」。
「謹」段的頭四句，從「朝起早」到「輒淨手」（第57－60句），就是說怎樣對自己的青春和身體尊重。然後，從「冠必正」到「下稱家」的六句（第61－66句），就是說怎樣對自己的裝束尊重。之後，從「對飲食」到「絕勿聲」的十六句（第67－82句），就是說怎樣對自己的身體、儀態、動作和對周圍的事和物尊重。繼續，從「將入門」到「不分明」的四句（第83－86句），就是說怎樣對周圍的人尊重。緊接著下來，剛說完了對周圍的人尊重，就從「借人物」（第87句）開始，進入「信」段，說對周圍的人尊重的最主要方面之一：信。
- 馮欣明
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