The Three?Character a Line Chant（The Three）contains over 1 000 characters?Every 3 characters form a line，or a sentence?It came into being approximately 700 years ago during the Song dynasty，which began in 960 and ended in 1279?Ever since it came into being，The Three has been used as an enlightenment text book，and has been very popular among children；it is easy to remember for it rhymes at the end of each line?Its rich content covers history，education，nature，ethics and morality，and so on?
《三字经》有1 000多字。它三字一行，出现在700多年前的宋代。宋朝在公元960年建立，1279年灭亡。《三字经》自从问世，就一直是一本启蒙教材，很受儿童们的欢迎。由于行行押韵，它便于记忆。其囊括了历史、教育、自然、伦理和道德等方面的内容。
We don?t know who the author was?But some people believe it was Wang Yinglin（王应麟，12231296），who was an official in the Song dynasty?The highest position he had was a fourth ranking? After he was deposed from office，he accomplished much in his studies and produced over 20 titles with more than 600 volumes of books?It is believed that The Three was in one of them?
我们不知道谁是这本书的作者。一些人认为作者是王应麟（1223―1296）。他是宋朝人，官位最高做到四品。他被解职后专心著书，共写了20多本书，长达600多卷。有人认为《三字经》就在其中。
Its first foreign language version was in Latin，done by Michele Ruggieri（罗明坚，15431607）（teacher of Matteo Ricci）in 1581?As an Italian Jesuit priest，he was the founding father of the Jesuit China Missions and a co?author of the first Portuguese?Chinese dictionary；he has been regarded as the first European Sinologist?Nikita Yakovlevich Bichurin（俾丘林，17771853）published a Russian?Chinese version?Nowadays you can find a copy of it in the residence of Pushkin?
《三字经》最早的外文版是拉丁语版本，是利玛窦的老师罗明坚（1543―1607）于1581年翻译的，他还与别人一起编著了第一本葡汉字典。他是中国耶稣会的创始人，被认为是欧洲第一位汉学家。俾丘林（1777―1853）出版了于1829年推出《三字经》汉俄对照本。现在，在普希金的故居可以看到该版本的副本。
Its first English version was produced by Robert Morrison（马礼逊），who was born on January 5，1782 in the United Kingdom?He was an Anglo?Scottish evangelist and the first Christian Protestant missionary in China?During his 25?year stay in China，he compiled the first ever English?Chinese Dictionary?He was also the first to translate the Bible into Chinese?He set up the first Sino?West clinic in Macau?The version he produced was named as The Three?Character Classic?Its first French version was produced by Stanislas Julien（17971873，儒莲）.It might be useful to know that after an English version was produced in Singapore，the UNESCO listed it as “Children?s Series on Moral Education?”
第一个英文文本出自马礼逊之手。他于1782年1月5日出生在英国。他是盎格鲁苏格兰的福音传教士，是基督教新教第一位到中国的传教士。在中国的25年里，他编写了第一部《华英字典》，是将《圣经》译成中文的第一人。他在澳门建立了第一个中西医的诊所。他所译的《三字经》的英文名称是“The Three?Character Classic”。《三字经》的第一个法语文本是由儒莲（1797―1873）翻译的。你或许应该知道，在新加坡所译的英文文本问世后，联合国教科文组织将《三字经》列入“儿童道德教育系列丛书”。
By reading The Three，you would acquire “common knowledge” in China?s society?For instance，the concepts of “filial duty and fraternal love are of first and foremost importance”“people are born benign?hearted”“three compositions of the world―the heaven，the earth and the men”“the three cardinal duties in Confucianism” and “Five Perpetual Virtues”，and so on?You would learn what the most important works in the Confucian school are?You would have a rough understanding of other masters such as Mozi（墨子），Laozi（老子），Zhuangzi（庄子），representatives of the Legalists and the Logicians?You would also master a trunk line of China?s history?You can also find out how children in ancient China were encouraged to study?
读了《三字经》后，你会了解中国社会的常识。譬如“首孝悌”“性本善”“构成世界的三个部分：天、地、人”的概念，以及儒学中的“三纲”“五常”等。你会了解儒学中最重要的著作，会大致了解其他著名的思想家如墨子、老子、庄子以及法家和名家的代表人物等，还会掌握中国历史发展的主线。此外，你还会了解古代的中国是如何激励孩子学习的。
The writer will give a full text of The Three in its original characters，and go through it by a group of four lines at a time and show how these characters are read in Chinese phonetic alphabet．Then，a literal translation of these lines is provided，and then necessary explanations are given?At the end of the book，a translation in English by the translator in the form of sonnet will be presented?
笔者会将《三字经》的原文列出，每四句成一个段落，然后给出这四句汉语拼音的读法，再给出这四句的英文翻译，进而做出必要的解释。在书的最后，笔者以莎士比亚十四行诗的形式翻译出了《三字经》的英文。
Let?s now go through the chant！
现在就让我们通读一遍经文吧！
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