Groaning Words·Chinese Classic

Groaning Words (Shen Yin Yu) is a collection of aphorisms by the Ming-dynasty scholar-official Lü Kun (1536–1618), distilled over some thirty years. The title — the low groans of one who is ill — points to reflections wrung from a life of care and unflinching self-examination. Piercing on human nature and worldly affairs, it has long been treasured as a bedside book for self-cultivation.

This app presents 57 curated passages across ten sections — Nature & Destiny, Guarding the Heart, Self-Cultivation, Inquiry & Learning, Handling Affairs, Discoursing on the Way, Ethics, Governance, Human Feeling and Broad Analogies — each with original text, plain-language commentary, a down-to-earth modern example, and lifelike line-by-line narration.

Why you'll love it • Text + commentary: authoritative source text with plain-language translation, line-by-line notes and real-life examples — accessible to everyone. • Lifelike narration: a natural voice reads line by line, with lock-screen & control-center playback, speed control and a sleep timer. • 9 languages: Simplified & Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Spanish and French. • Offline reading: all content is built in — read on the subway, a plane or a mountain, with no connection. • Favorites & resume: your progress is saved; bookmark the lines you love and return to them again and again.

“Enlarge your mind to embrace all things; empty it to receive all that is good.” A mind made large can hold much; a mind kept empty can receive much — let these four-hundred-year-old reflections steady your days.