1。    
人 之 初， 性 本 善。
rén zhī chū xìng běn shàn
(Man 's beginning, nature fundamentally good.)

At birth, everyone is morally good.

2。    
性 相 近， 习 相 远。
xìng xiāng jìn xí xiāng yuǎn
(Nature each other near, practice each other far.)

Initially, their characters are very similar; as time goes on, their characters become different.

3。    
苟 不 教， 性 乃 迁。
gǒu bù jiào xìng nǎi qiān
(Negligently not taught, character therefore changes.)

Lack of proper teaching makes peoples' characters become bad.

4。   
教 之 道， 贵 以 专。
jiào zhī dào guì yǐ zhuān
(Teaching 's way; valuable take special.)

The proper way to teach is with the utmost thoroughness.

5。    
昔 孟 母， 择 邻 处。
xí mèng mǔ zé lín chǔ
(Formerly Mencius' mother chose neighbor place.)

The thoroughness extends even to where a family lives.1  (Mengzi (Mencius)) TL

6。    
子 不 学， 断 机 杼。
zǐ bù xué duàn jī zhù
(Child not study, break machine shuttle.)

Learning without thoroughness is like trying to weave with a broken thread.2 (Meng's mother)  

7。   
窦 燕 山， 有 义 方。
dòu yàn shān yǒu yì fāng
(Dou Swallow Mountain had correct way.)

A man named Dou from the Swallow Mountain knew the right way to teach.3  (Dou)  TL
 
8。   
教 五 子， 名 俱 扬。
jiào wǔ zǐ míng jū yáng
(Taught five sons, reputation all raised.)

He raised five sons and each of them increased the family's reputation.

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1 The "Meng" in the raw translation refers to the philosopher Meng Zi, known in the West, thanks to Jesuit missionaries, as Mencius. His mother was a widow who was said to be very concerned that her son be very diligent in his studies. Learning that he was influenced in his behaviors and goals by his surroundings, she moved their household several times, to try to find the best locality for his studies, their eventual destination being near an academy of scholars.

2 Once, Mencius returned home for a rest from his studies. Mencius' mother was disappointed with this lack of diligence in studying and illustrated her point in a graphic way. She had been weaving some cloth; she took a knife and severed the thread, thereby ruining the cloth, signifying that interruptions in continuity can be as disastrous in weaving as in scholarship.

3 The Dou referred to here is Dou Yu Jun. His five sons became high officials, thanks, it is said, to his extreme severity in the conduct of his family life and his sons' education.