text_original: As the thought of having to go a day unwashed would be to the educated Englishman of our age, or as the edge of a precipice is to a nervous man, so was the idea of innovation to the Chinese of that time.
text_transcription: AS THE THOUGHT OF HAVING TO GO A DAY UNWASHED WOULD BE TO THE EDUCATED ENGLISHMAN OF OUR AGE OR AS THE EDGE OF A PRECIPICE IS TO A NERVOUS MAN SO WAS THE IDEA OF INNOVATION TO THE CHINESE OF THAT TIME
phonemes: æz ðə θˈɔːt ʌv hˌævɪŋ tə ɡˌoʊ ɐ dˈeɪ ʌnwˈɑːʃt wʊd biː tə ðɪ ˈɛdʒuːkˌeɪɾᵻd ˈɪŋɡlɪʃmən ʌv ˌaʊɚɹ ˈeɪdʒ, ɔːɹ æz ðɪ ˈɛdʒ əvə pɹˈɛsᵻpˌɪs ɪz tʊ ɐ nˈɜːvəs mˈæn, sˌoʊ wʌzðɪ aɪdˈiə ʌv ˌɪnəvˈeɪʃən tə ðə tʃaɪnˈiːz ʌv ðæt tˈaɪm.