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Mozi, Canon A (經上): the endpoint and the cut

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Source: Chinese Wikisource; local HTML rendering Mozi_Canons_A_JingShang_zh_wikisource.html, retrieved 2026-09-08 with action=render. Metadata: Mozi, the Mohist Canons and Explanations (Mo Jing), received text, about the fourth to third century BCE; chapter as titled. Extraction: pandoc -f html -t gfm-raw_html on the rendered page. Rights: public-domain text; Wikisource transcription CC BY-SA.

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The chapter supplies the definitions of the endpoint (端，體之無序而最前者也) and of the interval (有閒，中也). Together the four chapters give the Mohist treatment of the cut: a line cut in half repeatedly ends at an endpoint that has no half and cannot be cut, the Chinese answer to the halved stick and, by the same construction, to Democritus’s sections. For this project, this is the most explicit ancient statement that refinement of cuts terminates in an endpoint rather than continuing indefinitely.

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Coverage and limits

Reading level passage for the cited canons; no pre-1901 English exists, so the Chinese stands alone.

Transcription

[TABLE]

[TABLE]

故，所得而後成也。體，分於兼也。知，材也。慮，求也。知，接也。智，明也。仁，體愛也。義，利也。禮，敬也。行，爲也。實，榮也。忠，以爲利而强低也。孝，利親也。信，言合於意也。佴，自作也。誚，非嗛也。廉，非作也。令，不爲所非也。任，士損己而益所爲也。勇，志之所以敢也。力，刑之所以奮也。生，刑與知處也。卧，知無知也。夢，卧而以爲然也。平，知無欲惡也。利，所得而喜也。害，所得而惡也。治，求得也。譽，明美也。誹，明惡也。舉，擬實也。言，出舉也。且，且言然也。君，臣萌通約也。功，利民也。賞，上報下之功也。罪，犯禁也。罰，上報下之罪也。同，異而俱於之一也。久，彌異時也。宇，彌異所也。窮，或有前不容尺也。盡，莫不然也。始，當時也。化，徵易也。損，偏去也。大益。儇，俱秪。庫，易也。動，或徙也。止，以久也。必，不已也。平，同高也。同長，以正相盡也。中，同長也。厚，有所大也。日中，正南也。直，參也。圜，一中同長也。方，柱隅四讙也。倍，爲二也。端，體之無序而最前者也。有閒，中也。閒，不及㫄也。纑，閒虛也。盈，莫不有也。堅白，不相外也。攖，相得也。似，有以相攖，有不相攖也。次，無閒而不攖攖也。法，所若而然也。佴，所然也。說，所以明也。彼，不可兩，不可也。辯，爭彼也。辯勝，當也。爲，窮知而𠐴於欲也。已，成、亡。使，謂、故。名，達、類、私。謂，移、舉、加。知，聞、說、親。名，實、合、爲。聞，傳、親。見，體、盡。合，正、宜、必。欲正權利，且惡正權害。爲，存、亡、易、蕩、治、化。同，重、體、合、類。異，二、不體、不合、不類。同異交得，放有無。聞，耳之聰也。循所聞而得其意，心之察也。言，口之利也。執所言而意得見，心之辯也。諾，不一利用。服執誽巧轉，則求其故。法同，則觀其同。法異，則觀其宜。止，因以別道。正，無非。

此作品在全世界都属于公有领域，因为作者逝世已经超过100年，且作品于1931年1月1日之前出版。

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