12-1
君子之道费而隐。
The way which the superior man pursues, reaches wide and far, and yet is secret.
第12章Chapter 12
12-2
夫妇之愚，可以与知焉，及其至也，虽圣人亦有所不知焉；夫妇之不肖，可以能行焉，及其至也，虽圣人亦有所不能焉。天地之大也，人犹有所憾。故君子语大，天下莫能载焉；语小，天下莫能破焉。
Common men and women, however ignorant, may intermeddle with the knowledge of it; yet in its utmost reaches, there is that which even the sage does not know. Common men and women, however much below the ordinary standard of character, can carry it into practice; yet in its utmost reaches, there is that which even the sage is not able to carry into practice. Great as heaven and earth are, men still find some things in them with which to be dissatisfied. Thus it is that, were the superior man to speak of his way in all its greatness, nothing in the world would be found able to embrace it, and were he to speak of it in its minuteness, nothing in the world would be found able to split it.
12-3
诗云：「鸢飞戾天，鱼跃于渊。」言其上下察也。
It is said in the Book of Poetry, "The hawk flies up to heaven; the fishes leap in the deep." This expresses how this way is seen above and below.
12-4
君子之道，造端乎夫妇；及其至也，察乎天地。
The way of the superior man may be found, in its simple elements, in the intercourse of common men and women; but in its utmost reaches, it shines brightly through heaven and earth.