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Book I, Part II: King Hûi of Liang 
How the love of music may be made subservient to good government, and to
a prince's own advancement.
1. Chwang Pâ'o, seeing Mencius, said to him, 'I had an interview with
the king. His Majesty told me that he loved music, and I was not prepared
with anything to reply to him. What do you pronounce about that love of
music?' Mencius replied, 'If the king's love of music were very great, the
kingdom of Ch'î would be near to a state of good government!'
2. Another day, Mencius, having an interview with the king, said, 'Your
Majesty, I have heard, told the officer Chwang, that you love music;-- was
it so?' The king changed colour, and said, 'I am unable to love the music
of the ancient sovereigns; I only love the music that suits the manners of
the present age.'
3. Mencius said, 'If your Majesty's love of music were very great,
Ch'î would be near to a state of good government! The music of the
present day is just like the music of antiquity, as regards effecting
that.'
4. The king said, 'May I hear from you the proof of that?' Mencius asked,
'Which is the more pleasant,-- to enjoy music by yourself alone, or to enjoy
it with others?' 'To enjoy it with others,' was the reply. 'And which is
the more pleasant,-- to enjoy music with a few, or to enjoy it with many?'
'To enjoy it with many.'
5. Mencius proceeded, 'Your servant begs to explain what I have said about
music to your Majesty.
6. 'Now, your Majesty is having music here.-- The people hear the noise of
your bells and drums, and the notes of your fifes and pipes, and they all,
with aching heads, knit their brows, and say to one another, "That's how
our king likes his music! But why does he reduce us to this extremity of
distress?-- Fathers and sons cannot see one another. Elder brothers and
younger brothers, wives and children, are separated and scattered abroad."
Now, your Majesty is hunting here.-- The people hear the noise of your
carriages and horses, and see the beauty of your plumes and streamers, and
they all, with aching heads, knit their brows, and say to one another,
"That's how our king likes his hunting! But why does he reduce us to this
extremity of distress?-- Fathers and sons cannot see one another. Elder
brothers and younger brothers, wives and children, are separated and
scattered abroad." Their feeling thus is from no other reason but that you
do not allow the people to have pleasure as well as yourself.
7. 'Now, your Majesty is having music here. The people hear the noise of
your bells and drums, and the notes of your fifes and pipes, and they all,
delighted, and with joyful looks, say to one another, "That sounds as if
our king were free from all sickness! If he were not, how could he enjoy
this music?" Now, your Majesty is hunting here.-- The people hear the noise
of your carriages and horses, and see the beauty of your plumes and
streamers, and they all, delighted, and with joyful looks, say to one
another, "That looks as if our king were free from all sickness! If he
were not, how could he enjoy this hunting?" Their feeling thus is from no
other reason but that you cause them to have their pleasure as you have
yours.
8. 'If your Majesty now will make pleasure a thing common to the people
and yourself, the royal sway awaits you.'
How a ruler must not indulge his love for parks and hunting to the
discomfort of his people.
1. The king Hsüan of Ch'î asked, 'Was it so, that the park of
king Wan contained seventy square lî?' Mencius replied, 'It is so
in the records.'
2. 'Was it so large as that?' exclaimed the king. 'The people,' said
Mencius, 'still looked on it as small.' The king added, 'My park contains
only forty square lî, and the people still look on it as large. How
is this?' 'The park of king Wan,' was the reply, 'contained seventy square
lî, but the grass-cutters and fuel-gatherers had the privilege of
entrance into it; so also had the catchers of pheasants and hares. He
shared it with the people, and was it not with reason that they looked on
it as small?
3. 'When I first arrived at the borders of your kingdom, I inquired about
the great prohibitory regulations, before I would venture to enter it; and
I heard, that inside the barrier-gates there was a park of forty square
lî, and that he who killed a deer in it, was held guilty of the same
crime as if he had killed a man.-- Thus those forty square lî are a
pitfall in the middle of the kingdom. Is it not with reason that the people
look upon them as large?'
How friendly intercourse with neighboring kingdoms may be maintained,
and the love of valour made subservient to the good of the people, and the
glory of the prince.
1. The king Hsüan of Ch'î asked, saying, 'Is there any way to
regulate one's maintenance of intercourse with neighbouring kingdoms?'
Mencius replied, 'There is. But it requires a perfectly virtuous prince to
be able, with a great country, to serve a small one,-- as, for instance,
T'ang served Ko, and king Wan served the Kwan barbarians. And it requires
a wise prince to be able, with a small country, to serve a large one,-- as
the king T'âi served the Hsün-yü, and Kâu-ch'ien
served Wû.
2. 'He who with a areat State serves a small one, delights in Heaven. He
who with a small State serves a large one, stands in awe of Heaven. He who
delights in Heaven, will affect with his love and protection the whole
kingdom. He who stands in awe of Heaven, will affect with his love and
protection his own kingdom.
3. 'It is said in the Book of Poetry, "I fear the Majesty of Heaven, and
will thus preserve its favouring decree."'
4. The king said,'A great saying! But I have an infirmity;-- I love
valour.'
5. I beg your Majesty,' was the reply, 'not to love small valour.
If a man brandishes his sword, looks fiercely, and says, "How dare
he withstand me?"-- this is the valour of a common man, who can be the
opponent only of a single individual. I beg your Majesty to greaten it.
6. 'It is said in the Book of Poetry,
"The king blazed with anger,
And he marshalled his hosts,
To stop the march to Chü,
To consolidate the prosperity of Châu,
To meet the expectations of the nation."
This was the valour of king Wan. King Wan, in one
burst of his anger, gave repose to all the people of the kingdom.
7. 'In the Book of History it is said, "Heaven having produced the
inferior people, made for them rulers and teachers, with the purpose that
they should be assisting to God, and therefore distinguished them
throughout the four quarters of the land. Whoever are offenders, and
whoever are innocent, here am I to deal with them. How dare any under
heaven give indulgence to their refractory wills?" There was one man
pursuing a violent and disorderly course in the kingdom, and king Wû
was ashamed of it. This was the valour of king Wû. He also, by one
display of his anger, gave repose to all the people of the kingdom.
8. 'Let now your Majesty also, in one burst of anger, give repose to all
the people of the kingdom. The people are only afraid that your Majesty
does not love valour.'
A ruler's prosperity depends on his exercising a restraint upon himself,
and sympathizing with the people in their joys and sorrows.
1. The king Hsüan of Ch'î had an interview with Mencius in the
Snow palace, and said to him, 'Do men of talents and worth likewise find
pleasure in these things?' Mencius replied, 'They do; and if people
generally are not able to enjoy themselves, they condemn their
superiors.
2. 'For them, when they cannot enjoy themselves, to condemn their
superiors is wrong, but when the superiors of the people do not make
enjoyment a thing common to the people and themselves, they also do
wrong.
3. 'When a ruler rejoices in the joy of his people, they also rejoice in
his joy; when he grieves at the sorrow of his people, they also grieve at
his sorrow. A sympathy of joy will pervade the kingdom ; a sympathy of
sorrow will do the same:-- in such a state of things, it cannot be but that
the ruler attain to the royal dignity.
4. 'Formerly, the duke Ching of Ch'î asked the minister Yen,
saying, "I wish to pay a visit of inspection to Chwan-fû, and
Cbâo-wû, and then to bend my course southward along the shore,
till I come to Lang-yê. What shall I do that my tour may be fit to be
compared with the visits of inspection made by the ancient sovereigns?"
5. 'The minister Yen replied, "An excellent inquiry! When the Son of
Heaven visited the princes, it was called a tour of inspection, that is, be
surveyed the States under their care. When the princes attended at the
court of the Son of Heaven, it was called a report of office, that is, they
reported their administration of their offices. Thus, neither of the
proceedings was without a purpose. And moreover, in the spring they
examined the ploughing, and supplied any deficiency of seed; in the autumn
they examined the reaping, and supplied any deficiency of yield. There is
the saying of the Hsiâ dynasty,-- If our king do not take his ramble,
what will become of our happiness? If our king do not make his excursion,
what will become of our help? That ramble, and that excursion, were a
pattern to the princes.
6. '"Now, the state of things is different.-- A host marches in
attendance on the ruler, and stores of provisions are consumed. The hungry
are deprived of their food, and there is no rest for those who are called
to toil. Maledictions are uttered by one to another with eyes askance, and
the people proceed to the commission of wickedness. Thus the royal
ordinances are violated, and the people are oppressed, and the supplies of
food and drink flow away like water. The rulers yield themselves to the
current, or they urge their way against it; they are wild; they are utterly
lost:-- these things proceed to the grief of the inferior princes.
7. '"Descending along with the current, and forgetting to return,
is what I call yielding to it. Pressing up against it, and forgetting to
return, is what I call urging their way against it. Pursuing the chase
without satiety is what I call being wild. Delighting in wine without
satiety is what I call being lost.
8. '"The ancient sovereigns had no pleasures to which they gave
themselves as on the flowing stream; no doings which might be so
characterized as wild and lost.
9. '"It is for you, my prince, to pursue your course."'
10. 'The duke Ching was pleased. He issued a proclamation throughout his
State, and went out and occupied a shed in the borders. From that time he
began to open his granaries to supply the wants of the people, and calling
the Grand music-master, he said to him-- "Make for me music to suit a
prince and his minister pleased with each other." And it was then that the
Chî-shâo and Chio-shâo were made, in the words to which
it was said, "Is it a fault to restrain one's prince?" He who restrains his
prince loves his prince.'
True royal government will assuredly raise to the supreme dignity, and
neither greed of wealth, nor love of woman, need interfere with its
exercise.
1. The king Hsüan of Ch'î said, 'People all tell me to pull
down and remove the Hall of Distinction. Shall I pull it down, or stop the
movement for that object?'
2. Mencius replied, 'The Hall of Distinction is a Hall appropriate to
the sovereigns. If your Majesty wishes to practise the true royal
government, then do not pull it down.'
3. The king said, 'May I hear from you what the true royal government
is?' 'Formerly,' was the reply, 'king Wan's government of Ch'î was as
follows:-- The husbandmen cultivated for the government one-ninth of the
land; the descendants of officers were salaried; at the passes and in the
markets, strangers were inspected, but goods were not taxed: there were no
prohibitions respecting the ponds and weirs; the wives and children of
criminals were not involved in their guilt. There were the old and
wifeless, or widowers; the old and husbandless, or widows; the old and
childless, or solitaries ; the young and fatherless, or orphans:-- these
four classes are the most destitute of the people, and have none to whom
they can tell their wants, and king Wan, in the institution of his
government with its benevolent action, made them the first objects of his
regard, as it is said in the Book of Poetry,
"The rich may get through life well;
But alas! for the miserable and solitary!"'
4. The king said, 'O excellent words!' Mencius said, 'Since your Majesty
deems them excellent, why do you not practise them?' 'I have an infirmity,'
said the king; 'I am fond of wealth.' The reply was, 'Formerly,
Kung-lîu was fond of wealth. It is said in the Book of Poetry,
"He reared his ricks, and filled his granaries,
He tied up dried provisions and grain,
In bottomless bags, and sacks,
That he might gather his people together, and glorify his State.
With bows and arrows all-displayed,
With shields, and spears, and battle-axes, large and small,
He commenced his march."
In this way those who remained in their old seat had
their ricks and granaries, and those who marched had their bags of
provisions. It was not till after this that he thought he could begin his
march. If your Majesty loves wealth, give the people power to gratify the
same feeling, and what difficulty will there be in your attaining the royal
sway?'
5. The king said, 'I have an infirmity; I am fond of beauty.' The reply
was, 'Formerly, king T'âi was fond of beauty, and loved his wife. It is
said in the Book of Poetry,
"Kû-kung T'an-fû
Came in the morning, galloping his horse,
By the banks of the western waters,
As far as the foot of Ch'î hill,
Along with the lady of Chiang;
They came and together chose the site for their settlement."
At that time, in the seclusion of the house, there were
no dissatisfied women, and abroad, there were no unmarried men. If your
Majesty loves beauty, let the people be able to gratify the same feeling,
and what difficulty will there be in your attaining the royal sway?'
Bringing home his bad government to the king of Ch'î.
1. Mencius said to the king Hsüan of Ch'î, 'Suppose that one
of your Majesty's ministers were to entrust his wife and children to the
care of his friend, while he himself went into Ch'û to travel, and
that, on his return, he should find that the friend had let his wife and
children suffer from cold and hunger;-- how ought he to deal with him?' The
king said, 'He should cast him off.'
2. Mencius proceeded, 'Suppose that the chief criminal judge could not
regulate the officers under him, how would you deal with him?' The king
said, 'Dismiss him.'
3. Mencius again said, 'If within the four borders of your kingdom there
is not good government, what is to be done?' The king looked to the right
and left, and spoke of other matters.
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The care to be employed by a prince in the employment of ministers; and
their relation to himself and the stability of the kingdom.
1. Mencius, having an interview with the king Hsüan of Ch'î,
said to him, 'When men speak of "an ancient kingdom," it is not meant thereby
that it has lofty trees in it, but that it has ministers sprung from
families which have been noted in it for generations. Your Majesty has no
intimate ministers even. Those whom you advanced yesterday are gone to-day,
and you do not know it.'
2. The king said, 'How shall I know that they have not ability, and so
avoid employing them at all?'
3. The reply was, 'The ruler of a State advances to office men of talents
and virtue only as a matter of necessity. Since he will thereby cause the
low to overstep the honourable, and distant to overstep his near relatives,
ought he to do so but with caution?
4. 'When all those about you say,-- "This is a man of talents and
worth," you may not therefore believe it. When your great officers all
say,-- "This is a man of talents and virtue," neither may you for that
believe it. When all the people say,-- "This is a man of talents and
virtue," then examine into the case, and when you find that the man is
such, employ him. When all those about you say,-- "This man won't do,"
don't listen to them. When all your great officers say,-- "This man won't
do," don't listen to them. When the people all sav,-- "This man won't do,"
then examine into the case, and when you find that the man won't do, send
him away.
5. 'When all those about you say,-- "This man deserves death," don't
listen to them. When all your great officers say,-- "This man deserves
death," don't listen to them. When the people all say,"This man deserves
death," then inquire into the case, and when you see that the man deserves
death, put him to death. In accordance with this we have the saying, "The
people killed him."
6. 'You must act in this way in order to be the parent of the
people.'
Killing a sovereign is not necessarily rebellion or murder.
1. The king Hsüan of Ch'î asked, saying, 'Was it so,
that T'ang banished Chieh, and that king Wû smote Châu?'
Mencius replied, 'It is so in the records.'
2. The king said, 'May a minister then put his sovereign to death?'
3. Mencius said, 'He who outrages the benevolence proper to his nature,
is called a robber; he who outrages righteousness, is called a ruffian. The
robber and ruffian we call a mere fellow. I have heard of the cutting off
of the fellow Châu, but I have not heard of the putting a sovereign
to death, in his case.'
The absurdity of a ruler's not acting according to the counsel of the
men of talents and virtue, whom he calls to aid in his government, but
requiring them to follow his ways.
1. Mencius, having an interview with the king Hsüan of Ch'î,
said to him, 'If you are going to build a large mansion, you will surely
cause the Master of the workmen to look out for large trees, and when he
has found such large trees, you will be glad, thinking that they will
answer for the intended object. Should the workmen hew them so as to make
them too small, then your Majesty will be angry, thinking that they will
not answer for the purpose. Now, a man spends his youth in learning the
principles of right government, and, being grown up to vigour, he wishes to
put them in practice;-- if your Majesty says to him, "For the present put
aside what you have learned, and follow me," what shall we say?
2. 'Here now you have a gem unwrought, in the stone. Although it may be
worth 240,000 taels, you will surely employ a lapidary to cut and polish
it. But when you come to the government of the State, then you say,-- "For
the present put aside what you have learned, and follow me." How is it that
you herein act so differently from your conduct in calling in the lapidary
to cut the gem?'
The disposal of kingdoms rests with the minds of the people.
1. The people of Ch'î attacked Yen, and conquered it.
2. The king Hsüan asked, saying, 'Some tell me not to take
possession of it for myself, and some tell me to take possession of it. For
a kingdom of ten thousand chariots, attacking another of ten thousand
chariots, to complete the conquest of it in fifty days, is an achievement
beyond mere human strength. If I do not take possession of it, calamities
from Heaven will surely come upon me. What do you say to my taking
possession of it?'
3. Mencius replied, 'If the people of Yen will be pleased with your taking
possession of it, then do so.-- Among the ancients there was one who acted on
this principle, namely king Wû. If the people of Yen will not be pleased
with your taking possession of it, then do not do so.-- Among the ancients
there was one who acted on this principle, namely king Wan.
4. 'When, with all the strength of your country of ten thousand
chariots, you attacked another country of ten thousand chariots, and the
people brought baskets of rice and vessels of congee, to meet your
Majesty's host, was there any other reason for this but that they hoped to
escape out of fire and water ? If you make the water more deep and the fire
more fierce, they will in like manner make another revolution.'
Ambition and avarice only make enemies and bring disasters. Safety and
prosperity lie in a benevolent government.
1. The people of Ch'î, having smitten Yen, took possession of it,
and upon this, the princes of the various States deliberated together, and
resolved to deliver Yen from their power. The king Hsüan said to
Mencius, 'The princes have formed many plans to attack me:-- how shall I
prepare myself for them?' Mencius replied, 'I have heard of one who with
seventy lî exercised all the functions of government throughout the
kingdom. That was T'ang. I have never heard of a prince with a thousand
lî standing in fear of others.'
2. 'It is said in the Book of History, As soon as T'ang began his work
of executing justice, he commenced with Ko. The whole kingdom had
confidence in him. When he pursued his work in the east, the rude tribes on
the west murmured. So did those on the north, when he was engaged in the
south. Their cry was-- "Why does he put us last?" Thus, the people looked
to him, as we look in a time of great drought to the clouds and rainbows.
The frequenters of the markets stopped not. The husbandmen made no change
in their operations. While he punished their rulers, he consoled the
people. His progress was like the falling of opportune rain, and the people
were delighted. It is said again in the Book of History, "We have waited
for our prince long; the prince's coming will be our reviving!"
3. 'Now the ruler of Yen was tyrannizing over his people, and your
Majesty went and punished him. The people supposed that you were going to
deliver them out of the water and the fire, and brought baskets of rice and
vessels of congee, to meet your Majesty's host. But you have slain their
fathers and elder brothers, and put their sons and younger brothers in
confinement. You have pulled down the ancestral temple of the State, and
are removing to Ch'î its precious vessels. How can such a course be
deemed proper? The rest of the kingdom is indeed jealously afraid of the
strength of Ch'î; and now, when with a doubled territory you do not
put in practice a benevolent government;-- it is this which sets the arms
of the kingdom in in motion.
4. 'If your Majesty will make haste to issue an ordinance, restoring
your captives, old and young, stopping the removal of the precious vessels,
and saying that, after consulting with the people of Yen, you will appoint
them a ruler, and withdraw from the country;-- in this way you may still be
able to stop the threatened attack.'
The affections of the people can only be secured through a benevolent
government. As they are dealt with by their superiors, so will they deal
by them.
1. There had been a brush between Tsâu and Lû, when the duke
Mû asked Mencius, saying,'Of my officers there were killed
thirty-three men, and none of the people would die in their defence. Though
I sentenced them to death for their conduct, it is impossible to put such a
multitude to death. If I do not put them to death, then there is the crime
unpunished of their looking angrily on at the death of their officers, and
not saving them. How is the exigency of the case to be met?'
2. Mencius replied, 'In calamitous years and years of famine, the old
and weak of your people, who have been found lying in the ditches and
water-channels, and the able-bodied who have been scattered about to the
four quarters, have amounted to several thousands. All the while, your
granaries, 0 prince, have been stored with grain, and your treasuries and
arsenals have been full, and not one of your officers has told you of the
distress. Thus negligent have the superiors in your State been, and cruel
to their inferiors. The philosopher Tsang said, "Beware, beware. What
proceeds from you, will return to you again." Now at length the people have
paid back the conduct of their officers to them. Do not you, 0 prince,
blame them.
3. 'If you will put in practice a benevolent government, this people
will love you and all above them, and will die for their officers.'
A prince should depend on himself, and not rely on, or try to propitiate,
other powers.
1. The duke Wan of T'ang asked Mencius, saying, 'T'ang is a small
kingdom, and lies between Ch'î and Ch'û. Shall I serve
Ch'î? Or shall I serve Chû?'
2. Mencius replied, 'This plan which you propose is beyond me. If you will
have me counsel you, there is one thing I can suggest. Dig deeper your
moats; build higher your walls; guard them as well as your people. In case
of attack, be prepared to die in your defence, and have the people so that
they will not leave you;-- this is a proper course.
A prince, threatened by his neighbors, will find his best defence and
consolation in doing what is good and right.
1. The duke Wan of T'ang asked Mencius, saying, 'The people of
Ch'î are going to fortify Hsieh. The movement occasions me great
alarm. What is the proper course for me to take in the case?'
2. Mencius replied, 'Formerly, when king T'âi dwelt in Pin, the
barbarians of the north were continually making incursions upon it. He
therefore left it, went to the foot of mount Ch'î, and there took up
his residence. He did not take that situation, as having selected it. It
was a matter of necessity with him.
3. 'If you do good, among your descendants, in after generations, there
shall be one who will attain to the royal dignity. A prince lays the
foundation of the inheritance, and hands down the beginning which he has
made, doing what may be continued by his successors. As to the
accomplishment of the great result, that is with Heaven. What is that
Ch'î to you, 0 prince? Be strong to do good. That is all your
business.'
Two courses open to a prince pressed by his enemies;-- flight or death.
1. The duke Wan of T'ang asked Mencius, saying, 'T'ang is a small State.
Though I do my utmost to serve those large kingdoms on either side of it,
we cannot escape suffering from them. What course shall I take that we may
do so?' Mencius replied, 'Formerly, when king T'âi dwelt in Pin, the
barbarians of the north were constantly making incursions upon it. He
served them with skins and silks, and still he suffered from them. He
served them with dogs and horses, and still he suffered from them. He
served them with pearls and gems, and still he suffered from them. Seeing
this, he assembled the old men, and announced to them, saying, "What the
barbarians want is my territory. I have heard this,-- that a ruler does not
injure his people with that wherewith he nourishes them. My children, why
should you be troubled about having no prince? I will leave this."
Accordingly, he left Pin, crossed the mountain Liang, built a town at the
foot of mount Ch'î, and dwelt there. The people of Pin said, "He is a
benevolent man. We must not lose him." Those who followed him looked like
crowds hastening to market.
2. 'On the other hand, some say, "The kingdom is a thing to be kept
from generation to generation. One individual cannot undertake to dispose
of it in his own person. Let him be prepared to die for it. Let him not
quit it."
3. 'I ask you, prince, to make your election between these two
courses.'
A man's way in life is ordered by heaven. The instrumentality of other
men is only subordinate.
1. The duke P'ing of Lû was about to leave his palace, when his
favourite, one Tsang Ts'ang, made a request to him, saying, 'On other days,
when you have gone out, you have given instructions to the officers as to
where you were going. But now, the horses have been put to the carriage,
and the officers do not yet know where you are going. I venture to ask.'
The duke said, 'I am going to see the scholar Mang.' 'How is this?' said
the other. 'That you demean yourself, prince, in paying the honour of the
first visit to a common man, is, I suppose, because you think that he is a
man of talents and virtue. By such men the rules of ceremonial proprieties
and right are observed. But on the occasion of this Mang's second mourning,
his observances exceeded those of the former. Do not go to see him, my
prince.' The duke said, 'I will not.'
2. The officer Yo-chang entered the court, and had an audience. He said,
'Prince, why have you not gone to see Mang K'o?' the duke said, 'One told
me that, on the occasion of the scholar Mang's second mourning, his
observances exceeded those of the former. It is on that account that I have
not gone to see him.' 'How is this!' answered Yo-chang. 'By what you call
"exceeding," you mean, I suppose, that, on the first occasion, he used the
rites appropriate to a scholar, and, on the second, those appropriate to a
great officer; that he first used three tripods, and afterwards five
tripods.' The duke said, 'No; I refer to the greater excellence of the
coffin, the shell, the grave-clothes, and the shroud.' Yo-chAng said, 'That
cannot be called "exceeding." That was the difference between being poor
and being rich.'
3. After this, Yo-chang saw Mencius, and said to him, 'I told the prince
about you, and he was consequently coming to see you, when one of his
favourites, named Tsang Ts'ang, stopped him, and therefore he did not come
according to his purpose.' Mencius said, 'A man's advancement is effected,
it may be, by others, and the stopping him is, it may be, from the efforts
of others. But to advance a man or to stop his advance is really beyond the
power of other men. My not finding in the prince of Lû a ruler who
would confide in me, and put my counsels into practice, is from Heaven. How
could that scion of the Tsang family cause me not to find the ruler that
would suit me?'
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Book II, Part I: Kung-sun Ch'au
While Mencius wished to see a true royal government and sway in the
kingdom, and could easily have realized it, from the peculiar circumstances
of the time, he would not, to do so, have had recourse to any ways
inconsistent with its ideas.
1. Kung-sun Ch'âu asked Mencius, saying, 'Master, if you were to
obtain the ordering of the government in Ch'î, could you promise
yourself to accomplish anew such results as those realized by Kwan Chung
and Yen?'
2. Mencius said, 'You are indeed a true man of Ch'î. You know
about Kwan Chung and Yen, and nothing more,
3. 'Some one asked Tsang Hsî, saying, "Sir, to which do you give
the superiority,-- to yourself or to Tsze-lû?" Tsang Hsî looked
uneasy, and said, "He was an object of veneration to my grandfather."
"Then," pursued the other, "Do you give the superiority to yourself or to
Kwan Chung?" Tsang Hsî, flushed with anger and displeased, said, "How
dare you compare me with Kwan Chung? Considering how entirely Kwan Chung
possessed the confidence of his prince, how long he enjoyed the direction
of the government of the State, and how low, after all, was what he
accomplished,-- how is it that you liken me to him?"
4. 'Thus,' concluded Mencius, 'Tsang Hsî would not play Kwan Chung,
and is it what you desire for me that I should do so?'
5. Kung-sun Ch'âu said, 'Kwan Chung raised his prince to be the
leader of all the other princes, and Yen made his prince illustrious, and
do you still think it would not be enough for you to do what they did?'
6. Mencius answered, 'To raise Ch'î to the royal dignity would be
as easy as it is to turn round the hand.'
7. 'So!' returned the other. 'The perplexity of your disciple is hereby
very much increased. There was king Wan, moreover, with all the virtue
which belonged to him; and who did not die till he had reached a hundred
years:-- and still his influence had not penetrated throughout the kingdom.
It required king Wû and the duke of Châu to continue his
course, before that influence greatly prevailed. Now you say that the royal
dignity might be so easily obtained:-- is king Wan then not a sufficient
object for imitation?'
8. Mencius said, 'How can king Wan be matched? From T'ang to
Wû-ting there had appeared six or seven worthy and sage sovereigns.
The kingdom had been attached to Yin for a long time, and this length of
time made a change difficult. Wû-ting had all the princes coming to
his court, and possessed the kingdom as if it had been a thing which he
moved round in his palm. Then, Châu was removed from Wû-ting by
no great interval of time. There were still remaining some of the ancient
families and of the old manners, of the influence also which had emanated
from the earlier sovereigns, and of their good government. Moreover, there
were the viscount of Wei and his second son, their Royal Highnesses
Pî-kan and the viscount of Ch'î, and Kâo-ko, all men of
ability and virtue, who gave their joint assistance to Châu in his
government. In consequence of these things, it took a long time for him to
lose the throne. There was not a foot of ground which he did not possess.
There was not one of all the people who was not his subject. So it was on
his side, and king Wan at his beginning had only a territory of one hundred
square lî. On all these accounts, it was difficult for him
immediately to attain to the royal dignity.
9. 'The people of Ch'î have a saying-- "A man may have wisdom and
discernment, but that is not like embracing the favourable opportunity. A
man may have instruments of husbandry, but that is not like waiting for the
farming seasons." The present time is one in which the royal dignity may be
easily attained.
10. 'In the flourishing periods of the Hsiâ, Yin, and Châu
dynasties, the royal domain did not exceed a thousand lî, and
Ch'î embraces so much territory. Cocks crow and dogs bark to one
another, all the way to the four borders of the State:-- so Ch'î
possesses the people. No change is needed for the enlarging of its
territory: no change is needed for the collecting of a population. If its
ruler will put in practice a benevolent government, no power will be able
to prevent his becoming sovereign.
11. 'Moreover, never was there a time farther removed than the present
from the rise of a true sovereign: never was there a time when the
sufferings of the people from tyrannical government were more intense than
the present. The hungry readily partake of any food, and the thirsty of any
drink.'
12. 'Confucius said, "The flowing progress of virtue is more rapid than
the transmission of royal orders by stages and couriers."
13. 'At the present time, in a country of ten thousand chariots, let
benevolent government be put in practice, and the people will be delighted
with it, as if they were relieved from hanging by the heels. With half the
merit of the ancients, double their achievements is sure to be realized. It
is only at this time that such could be the case.'
That Mencius had attained to an unperturbed mind; that the means by
which he had done so was his knowledge of words and the nourishment of his
passion-nature; and that in this he was a follower of Confucius.
1. Kung-sun Ch'âu asked Mencius, saying, 'Master, if you were to be
appointed a high noble and the prime minister of Ch'î, so as to be able
to carry your principles into practice, though you should thereupon raise
the ruler to the headship of all the other princes, or even to the royal
dignity, it would not be to be wondered at.-- In such a position would your
mind be perturbed or not?' Mencius replied, 'No. At forty, I attained to an
unperturbed mind.'
2. Ch'âu said, 'Since it is so with you, my Master, you are far
beyond Mang Pan.' 'The mere attainment,' said Mencius, 'is not difficult.
The scholar Kâo had attained to an unperturbed mind at an earlier
period of life than I did.'
3. Ch'âu asked, 'Is there any way to an unperturbed mind?' The
answer was, 'Yes.
4. 'Pî-kung Yû had this way of nourishing his valour:-- He
did not flinch from any strokes at his body. He did not turn his eyes aside
from any thrusts at them. He considered that the slightest push from any
one was the same as if he were beaten before the crowds in the
market-place, and that what he would not receive from a common man in his
loose large garments of hair, neither should he receive from a prince of
ten thousand chariots. He viewed stabbing a prince of ten thousand chariots
just as stabbing a fellow dressed in cloth of hair. He feared not any of
all the princes. A bad word addressed to him be always returned.
5. 'Mang Shih-shê had this way of nourishing his valour:-- He
said, "I look upon not conquering and conquering in the same way. To
measure the enemy and then advance; to calculate the chances of victory and
then engage:-- this is to stand in awe of the opposing force. How can I
make certain of conquering? I can only rise superior to all fear."
6. 'Mang Shih-shê resembled the philosopher Tsang. Pî-kung
Yû resembled Tsze-hsiâ. I do not know to the valour of which of
the two the superiority should be ascribed, but yet Mang Shih-shê
attended to what was of the greater importance.
7. 'Formerly, the philosopher Tsang said to Tsze-hsiang, "Do you love
valour? I heard an account of great valour from the Master. It speaks
thus:-- 'If, on self-examination, I find that I am not upright, shall I not
be in fear even of a poor man in his loose garments of hair-cloth? If, on
self-examination, I find that I am upright, I will go forward against
thousands and tens of thousands.'"
8. Yet, what Mang Shih-shê maintained, being merely his physical
energy, was after all inferior to what the philosopher Tsang maintained,
which was indeed of the most importance.'
9. Kung-sun Ch'âu said, 'May I venture to ask an explanation from
you, Master, of how you maintain an unperturbed mind, and how the
philosopher Kâo does the same?' Mencius answered,'Kâo says,--
"What is not attained in words is not to be sought for in the mind; what
produces dissatisfaction in the mind, is not to be helped by
passion-effort." This last,-- when there is unrest in the mind, not to seek
for relief from passion-effort, may be conceded. But not to seek in the
mind for what is not attained in words cannot be conceded. The will is the
leader of the passion-nature. The passion-nature pervades and animates the
body. The will is first and chief, and the passion-nature is subordinate to
it. Therefore I say,-- Maintain firm the will, and do no violence to the
passion-nature.'
10. Ch'âu observed, 'Since you say-- "The will is chief, and the
passion-nature is subordinate," how do you also say, "Maintain firm the
will, and do no violence to the passion-nature?"' Mencius replied, 'When
it is the will alone which is active, it moves the passion-nature. When it
is the passion-nature alone which is active, it moves the will. For
instance now, in the case of a man falling or running, that is from the
passion-nature, and yet it moves the mind.'
11. 'I venture to ask,' said Ch'âu again, 'wherein you, Master,
surpass Kâo.' Mencius told him, 'I understand words. I am skilful in
nourishing my vast, flowing passion-nature.'
12. Ch'âu pursued, 'I venture to ask what you mean by your vast,
flowing passion-nature!' The reply was, 'It is difficult to describe
it.
13. 'This is the passion-nature:-- It is exceedingly great, and
exceedingly strong. Being nourished by rectitude, and sustaining no injury,
it fills up all between heaven and earth.
14. 'This is the passion-nature:-- It is the mate and assistant of
righteousness and reason. Without it, man is in a state of starvation.
15. 'It is produced by the accumulation of righteous deeds; it is not to
be obtained by incidental acts of righteousness. If the mind does not feel
complacency in the conduct, the nature becomes starved. I therefore said,
"Kâo has never understood righteousness, because he makes it
something external."
16. 'There must be the constant practice of this righteousness, but
without the object of thereby nourishing the passion-nature. Let not the
mind forget its work, but let there be no assisting the growth of that
nature. Let us not be like the man of Sung. There was a man of Sung, who
was grieved that his growing corn was not longer, and so he pulled it up.
Having done this, he returned home, looking very stupid, and said to his
people, "I am tired to-day. I have been helping the corn to grow long." His
son ran to look at it, and found the corn all withered. There are few in
the world, who do not deal with their passion-nature, as if they were
assisting the corn to grow long. Some indeed consider it of no benefit to
them, and let it alone:-- they do not weed their corn. They who assist it
to grow long, pull out their corn. What they do is not only of no benefit
to the nature, but it also injures it.'
17. Kung-sun Ch'âu further asked, 'What do you mean by saying that
you understand whatever words you hear?' Mencius replied, 'When words are
one-sided, I know how the mind of the speaker is clouded over. When words
are extravagant, I know how the mind is fallen and sunk. When words are
all-depraved, I know how the mind has departed from principle. When words
are evasive, I know how the mind is at its wit's end. These evils growing
in the mind, do injury to government, and, displayed in th government, are
hurtful to the conduct of affairs. When a Sage shall again arise, he will
certainly follow my words.'
18. On this Ch'âu observed, 'Tsâi Wo and Tsze-kung were
skilful in speaking. Zan Niû, the disciple Min, and Yen Yüan,
while their words were good, were distinguished for their virtuous conduct.
Confucius united the qualities of the disciples in himself, but still he
said, "In the matter of speeches, I am not competent."-- Then, Master, have
you attained to be a Sage?'
19. Mencius said, 'Oh! what words are these? Formerly Tsze-kung asked
Confucius, saying, "Master, are you a Sage?" Confucius answered him, "A
Sage is what I cannot rise to. I learn without satiety, and teach without
being tired." Tsze-kung said, "You learn without satiety:-- that shows your
wisdom. You teach without being tired:-- that shows your benevolence.
Benevolent and wise:-- Master, you ARE a Sage." Now, since Confucius would
not allow himself to be regarded as a Sage, what words were those?'
20. Ch'âu said, 'Formerly, I once heard this:-- Tsze-hsiâ,
Tsze-yû, and Tsze-chang had each one member of the Sage. Zan
Niû, the disciple Min, and Yen Yüan had all the members, but in
small proportions. I venture to ask,-- With which of these are you pleased
to rank yourself?'
21. Mencius replied, 'Let us drop speaking about these, if you
please.'
22. Ch'âu then asked, 'What do you say of Po-î and Î
Yin?' 'Their ways were different from mine,' said Mencius. 'Not to serve a
prince whom he did not esteem, nor command a people whom he did not
approve; in a time of good government to take office, and on the occurrence
of confusion to retire:-- this was the way of Po-î. To say-- "Whom
may I not serve? My serving him makes him my ruler. What people may I not
command? My commanding them makes them my people." In a time of good
government to take office, and when disorder prevailed, also to take
office:-- that was the way of Î Yin. When it was proper to go into
office, then to go into it; when it was proper to keep retired from office,
then to keep retired from it; when it was proper to continue in it long,
then to continue in it long - when it was proper to withdraw from it
quickly, then to withdraw quickly:-- that was the way of Confucius. These
were all sages of antiquity, and I have not attained to do what they did.
But what I wish to do is to learn to be like Confucius.'
23. Ch'âu said, 'Comparing Po-î and Î Yin with
Confucius, are they to be placed in the same rank?' Mencius replied, 'No.
Since there were living men until now, there never was another
Confucius.'
24. Ch'âu said, 'Then, did they have any points of agreement with
him?' The reply was,-- 'Yes. If they had been sovereigns over a hundred
lî of territory, they would, all of them, have brought all the
princes to attend in their court, and have obtained the throne. And none of
them, in order to obtain the throne, would have committed one act of
unrighteousness, or put to death one innocent person. In those things they
agreed with him.'
25. Ch'âu said, 'I venture to ask wherein he differed from them.'
Mencius replied, 'Tsâi Wo, Tsze-kung, and Yû Zo had wisdom
sufficient to know the sage. Even had they been ranking themselves low,
they would not have demeaned themselves to flatter their favourite.
26. 'Now, Tsâi Wo said, "According to my view of our Master, he
was far superior to Yâo and Shun."
27. 'Tsze-kung said, "By viewing the ceremonial ordinances of a prince,
we know the character of his government. By hearing his music, we know the
character of his virtue. After the lapse of a hundred ages I can arrange,
according to their merits, the kings of a hundred ages;-- not one of them
can escape me. From the birth of mankind till now, there has never been
another like our Master."
28. 'Yû Zo said, "Is it only among men that it is so? There is the
Ch'î-lin among quadrupeds, the Fang-hwang among birds, the T'âi
mountain among mounds and ant-hills, and rivers and seas among rain-pools.
Though different in degree, they are the same in kind. So the sages among
mankind are also the same in kind. But they stand out from their fellows,
and rise above the level, and from the birth of mankind till now, there
never has been one so complete as Confucius."'
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The difference between a chieftain of the princes and a sovereign of the
kingdom; and between submission secured by force and that produced by
virtue.
1. Mencius said, 'He who, using force, makes a pretence to benevolence
is the leader of the princes. A leader of the princes requires a large
kingdom. He who, using virtue, practises benevolence is the sovereign of
the kingdom. To become the sovereign of the kingdom, a prince need not wait
for a large kingdom. T'ang did it with only seventy lî, and king Wan
with only a hundred.
2. 'When one by force subdues men, they do not submit to him in heart.
They submit, because their strength is not adequate to resist. When one
subdues men by virtue, in their hearts' core they are pleased, and
sincerely submit, as was the case with the seventy disciples in their
submission to Confucius. What is said in the Book of Poetry,
"From the west, from the east,
From the south, from the north,
There was not one who thought of refusing submission,"
is an illustration of this.'
1. Mencius said, 'Benevolence brings glory to a prince, and the opposite
of it brings disgrace. For the princes of the present day to hate disgrace
and yet to live complacently doing what is not benevolent, is like hating
moisture and yet living in a low situation.
2. 'If a prince hates disgrace, the best course for him to pursue, is to
esteem virtue and honour virtuous scholars, giving the worthiest among them
places of dignity, and the able offices of trust. When throughout his
kingdom there is leisure and rest from external troubles, let him, taking
advantage of such a season, clearly digest the principles of his government
with its legal sanctions, and then even great kingdoms will be constrained
to stand in awe of him.
3. 'It is said in the Book of Poetry,
"Before the heavens were dark w1th rain,
I gathered the bark from the roots of the mulberry trees,
And wove it closely to form the window and door of my nest;
Now, I thought, ye people below,
Perhaps ye will not dare to insult me."
Confucius said, "Did not he who made this ode
understand the way of governing?" If a prince is able rightly to govern his
kingdom, who will dare to insult him?
4. 'But now the princes take advantage of the time when throughout their
kingdoms there is leisure and rest from external troubles, to abandon
themselves to pleasure and indolent indifference;-- they in fact seek for
calamities for themselves.
5. 'Calamity and happiness in all cases are men's own seeking.
6. 'This is illustrated by what is said in the Book of Poetry,--
Be always studious to be in harmony with the ordinances of God,
So you will certainly get for yourself much happiness;"
and by the passage ofthe Tâi Chiah,-- "When
Heaven sends down calamities, it is still possible to escape from them;
when we occasion the calamities ourselves, it is not possible any longer to
live."'
Various points of true royal government neglected by the princes of
Mencius's time, attention to which would surely carry any one of them to the
royal throne.
1. Mencius said, 'If a ruler give honour to men of talents and virtue
and employ the able, so that offices shall all be filled by individuals of
distinction and mark;-- then all the scholars of the kingdom will be
pleased, and wish to stand in his court.
2. 'If, in the market-place of his capital, he levy a ground-rent on the
shops but do not tax the goods, or enforce the proper regulations without
levying a ground-rent;-- then all the traders of the kingdom will be
pleased, and wish to store their goods in his market-place.
3. 'If, at his frontier-passes, there be an inspection of persons, but no
taxes charged on goods or other articles, then all the travellers of the
kingdom will be pleased, and wish to make their tours on his roads.
4. 'If he require that the husbandmen give their mutual aid to cultivate
the public feld, and exact no other taxes from them;-- then all the
husbandmen of the kingdom will be pleased, and wish to plough in his
fields.
5. 'If from the occupiers of the shops in his market-place he do not exact
the fine of the individual idler, or of the hamlet's quota of cloth, then
all the people of the kingdom will be pleased, and wish to come and be his
people.
6. 'If a ruler can truly practise these five things, then the people in
the neighbouring kingdoms will look up to him as a parent. From the first
birth of mankind till now, never has any one led children to attack their
parent, and succeeded in his design. Thus, such a ruler will not have an
enemy in all the kingdom, and he who has no enemy in the kingdom is the
minister of Heaven. Never has there been a ruler in such a case who did not
attain to the royal dignity.'
That benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and knowledge belong to man
as naturally as his four limbs, and may easily be exercised.
1. Mencius said, 'All men have a mind which cannot bear to see
the sufferings of others.
2. 'The ancient kings had this commiserating mind, and they, as a matter of
course, had likewise a commiserating government. When with a commiserating
mind was practised a commiserating government, to rule the kingdom was as
easy a matter as to make anything go round in the palm.
3. 'When I say that all men have a mind which cannot bear
to see the sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated thus:--
even now-a-days, if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well,
they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress.
They will feel so, not as a ground on which they may gain the
favour of the child's parents, nor as a ground on which they may
seek the praise of their neighbours and friends, nor from a dislike
to the reputation of having been unmoved by such a thing.
4. 'From this case we may perceive that the feeling of commiseration is
essential to man, that the feeling of shame and dislike is essential to
man, that the feeling of modesty and complaisance is essential to man, and
that the feeling of approving and disapproving is essential to man.
5. 'The feeling of commiseration is the principle of benevolence.
The feeling of shame and dislike is the principle of righteousness. The
feeling of modesty and complaisance is the principle of propriety. The
feeling of approving and disapproving is the principle of knowledge.
6. 'Men have these four principles just as they have their four limbs.
When men, having these four principles, yet say of themselves that they
cannot develop them, they play the thief with themselves, and he who says
of his prince that he cannot develop them plays the thief with his
prince.
7. 'Since all men have these four principles in themselves, let them
know to give them all their development and completion, and the issue will
be like that of fire which has begun to burn, or that of a spring which has
begun to find vent. Let them have their complete development, and they will
suffice to love and protect all within the four seas. Let them be denied
that development, and they will not suffice for a man to serve his parents
with.'
An exhortation to benevolence from the disgrace which must attend the
want of it, like the disgrace of a man who does not know his profession.
1. Mencius said, 'Is the arrow-maker less benevolent than the
maker of armour of defence? And yet, the arrow-maker's only fear is lest
men should not be hurt, and the armour-maker's only fear is lest men should
be hurt. So it is with the priest and the coffin-maker. The choice of a
profession, therefore, is a thing in which great caution is required.
2. 'Confucius said, "It is virtuous manners which constitute the
excellence of a neighbourhood. If a man, in selecting a residence, do not
fix on one where such prevail, how can he be wise?" Now, benevolence is the
most honourable dignity conferred by Heaven, and the quiet home in which
man should awell. Since no one can hinder us from being so, if yet we are
not benevolent;-- this is being not wise.
3. 'From the want of benevolence and the want of wisdom will ensue the
entire absence of propriety and righteousness;-- he who is in such a case
must be the servant of other men. To be the servant of men and yet ashamed
of such servitude, is like a bowmaker's being ashamed to make bows, or an
arrow-maker's being ashamed to make arrows.
4. 'If he be ashamed of his case, his best course is to practise
benevolence.
5. 'The man who would be benevolent is like the archer. The archer adjusts
himself and then shoots. If he misses, he does not murmur against those who
surpass himself. He simply turns round and seeks the cause of his failure in
himself.'
How sages and worthies delighted in what is good.
1. Mencius said, 'When any one told Tsze-lû that he had a fault,
he rejoiced.
2. 'When Yü heard good words, he bowed to the speaker.
3. 'The great Shun had a still greater delight in what was good.
He regarded virtue as the common property of himself and others, giving up
his own way to follow that of others, and delighting to learn from others
to practise what was good.
4. 'From the time when he ploughed and sowed, exercised the potter's art,
and was a fisherman, to the time when he became emperor, he was continually
learning from others.
5. 'To take example from others to practise virtue, is to help them in the
same practice. Therefore, there is no attribute of the superior man greater
than his helping men to practise virtue.'
Pictures of Po-î and Hûi of Liû-hsiâ, and
Mencius's judgment concerning them.
1. Mencius said, 'Po-î would not serve a prince whom he did not
approve, nor associate with a friend whom he did not esteem. He would not
stand in a bad prince's court, nor speak with a bad man. To stand in a bad
prince's court, or to speak with a bad man, would have been to him the same
as to sit with his court robes and court cap amid mire and ashes. Pursuing
the examination of his dislike to what was evil, we find that he thought it
necessary, if he happened to be standing with a villager whose cap was not
rightly adjusted, to leave him with a high air, as if he were going to be
defiled. Therefore, although some of the princes made application to him
with very proper messages, he would not receive their gifts.-- He would not
receive their gifts, counting it inconsistent with his purity to go to
them.
2. 'Hûi of Liû-hsiâ was not ashamed to serve an impure
prince, nor did he think it low to be an inferior officer. When advanced to
employment, he did not conceal his virtue, but made it a point to carry out
his principles. When neglected and left without office, he did not murmur.
When straitened by poverty, he did not grieve. Accordingly, he had a
saying,"You are you, and I am I. Although you stand by my side with breast
and aims bare, or with your body naked, how can you defile me?" Therefore,
self-possessed, he companied with men indifferently, at the same time not
losing himself. When he wished to leave, if pressed to remain in office, he
would remain.-- He would remain in office, when pressed to do so, not
counting it required by his purity to go away.'
3. Mencius said, 'Po-î was narrow-minded, and Hûi of
Liû-hsiâ was wanting in self-respect. The superior man will not
manifest either narrow-mindedness, or the want of self-respect.'
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Book II, Part II:
Kung-sun Ch'au
No advantages which a ruler can obtain to exalt him over others are to
be compared with his getting the hearts of men.
1. Mencius said, 'Opportunities of time vouchsafed by Heaven are
not equal to advantages of situation afforded by the Earth, and advantages
of situation afforded by the Earth are not equal to the union arising from
the accord of Men.
2. 'There is a city, with an inner wall of three lî in
circumference, and an outer wall of seven.-- The enemy surround and attack
it, but they are not able to take it. Now, to surround and attack it, there
must have been vouchsafed to them by Heaven the opportunity of time, and in
such case their not taking it is because opportunities of time vouchsafed
by Heaven are not equal to advantages of situation afforded by the
Earth.
3. 'There is a city, whose walls are distinguished for their height, and
whose moats are distinguished for their depth, where the arms of its
defenders, offensive and defensive, are distinguished for their strength
and sharpness, and the stores of rice and other grain are very large. Yet
it is obliged to be given up and abandoned. This is because advantages of
situation afforded by the Earth are not equal to the union arising from the
accord of Men.
4. 'In accordance with these principles it is said, "A people is bounded
in, not by the limits of dykes and borders; a State is secured, not by the
strengths of mountains and rivers; the kingdom is overawed, not by the
sharpness and strength of arms." He who finds the proper course has many to
assist him. He who loses the proper course has few to assist him. When
this,-- the being assisted by few,-- reaches its extreme point, his own
relations revolt from the prince. When the being assisted by many reaches
its highest point, the whole kingdom becomes obedient to the prince.
5. 'When one to whom the whole kingdom is prepared to be obedient,
attacks those from whom their own relations revolt, what must be the
result? Therefore, the true ruler will prefer not to fight; but if he do
fight, he must overcome.'
How Mencius considered that it was slighting him for a prince to call
him by messengers to go to see him, and the shifts he was put to to get
this understood.
1. As Mencius was about to go to court to see the king, the king sent a
person to him with this message,-- 'I was wishing to come and see you. But
I have got a cold, and may not expose myself to the wind. In the morning I
will hold my court. I do not know whether you will give me the opportunity
of seeing you then.' Mencius replied, 'Unfortunately, I am unwell, and not
able to go to the court.'
2. Next day, he went out to pay a visit of condolence to some one of the
Tung-kwoh family, when Kung-sun Ch'âu said to him, 'Yesterday, you
declined going to the court on the ground of being unwell, and to-day you
are going to pay a visit of condolence. May this not be regarded as
improper?' 'Yesterday,' said Mencius, 'I was unwell; to-day, I am better:--
why should I not pay this visit?'
3. In the mean time, the king sent a messenger to inquire about his
sickness, and also a physician. Mang Chung replied to them, 'Yesterday,
when the king's order came, he was feeling a little unwell, and could not
go to the court. To-day he was a little better, and hastened to go to
court. I do not know whether he can have reached it by this time or not.'
Having said this, he sent several men to look for Mencius on the way, and
say to him, 'I beg that, before you return home, you will go to the
court.'
4. On this, Mencius felt himself compelled to go to Ching Ch'âu's,
and there stop the night. Mr. Ching said to him, 'In the family, there is
the relation of father and son; abroad, there is the relation of prince
and minister. These are the two great relations among men. Between father
and son the ruling principle is kindness. Between prince and minister the
ruling principle is respect. I have seen the respect of the king to you,
Sir, but I have not seen in what way you show respect to him.' Mencius
replied, 'Oh! what words are these? Among the people of Ch'î there is
no one who speaks to the king about benevolence and righteousness. Are they
thus silent because they do not think that benevolence and righteousness
are admirable? No, but in their hearts they say, "This man is not fit to be
spoken with about benevolence and righteousness." Thus they manifest a
disrespect than which there can be none greater. I do not dare to set forth
before the king any but the ways of Yâo and Shun. There is therefore
no man of Ch'î who respects the king so much as I do.'
5. Mr. Ching said, 'Not so. That was not what I meant. In the Book of
Rites it is said, "When a father calls, the answer must be without a
moment's hesitation. When the prince's order calls, the carriage must not
be waited for." You were certainly going to the court, but when you heard
the king's order, then you did not carry your purpose out. This does seem
as if it were not in accordance with that rule of propriety.'
6. Mencius answered him, 'How can you give that meaning to my conduct?
The philosopher Tsang said, "The wealth of Tsin and Ch'û cannot be
equalled. Let their rulers have their wealth:-- I have my benevolence. Let
them have their nobility:-- I have my righteousness. Wherein should I be
dissatisfied as inferior to them?" Now shall we say that these sentiments
are not right? Seeing that the philosopher Tsang spoke them, there is in
them, I apprehend, a real principle.-- In the kingdom there are three
things universally acknowledged to be honourable. Nobility is one of them;
age is one of them; virtue is one of them. In courts, nobility holds the
first place of the three; in villages, age holds the first place; and for
helping one's generation and presiding over the people, the other two are
not equal to virtue. How can the possession of only one of these be
presumed on to despise one who possesses the other two?
7. 'Therefore a prince who is to accomplish great deeds will certainly
have ministers whom he does not call to go to him. When he wishes to
consult with them, he goes to them. The prince who does not honour the
virtuous, and delight in their ways of doing, to this extent, is not worth
having to do with.
8. 'Accordingly, there was the behaviour of T'ang to Î Yin:-- he
first learned of him, and then employed him as his minister; and so without
difficulty he became sovereign. There was the behaviour of the duke Hwan to
Kwan Chung:-- he first learned of him, and then employed him as his
minister; and so without difficulty he became chief of all the
princes.
9. 'Now throughout the kingdom, the territories of the princes are of
equal extent, and in their achievements they are on a level. Not one of
them is able to exceed the others. This is from no other reason, but that
they love to make ministers of those whom they teach, and do not love to
make ministers of those by whom they might be taught.
10. 'So did T'ang behave to Î Yin, and the duke Hwan to Kwan
Chung, that they would not venture to call them to go to them. If Kwan
Chung might not be called to him by his prince, how much less may he be
called, who would not play the part of Kwan Chung!'
By what principles Mencius was guided in declining or accepting the
gifts of princes.
1. Ch'an Tsin asked Mencius, saying, 'Formerly, when you were in
Ch'î, the king sent you a present Of 2,400 taels of fine silver, and
you refused to accept it. When you were in Sung, 1,680 taels were sent to
you, which you accepted; and when you were in Hsieh, 1,200 taels were sent,
which you likewise accepted. If your declining to accept the gift in the
first case was right, your accepting it in the latter cases was wrong. If
your accepting it in the latter cases was right, your declining to do so in
the first case was wrong. You must accept, Master, one of these
alternatives.'
2. Mencius said, 'I did right in all the cases.
3. 'When I was in Sung, I was about to take a long journey. Travellers
must be provided with what is necessary for their expenses. The prince's
message was, 'A present against travelling-expenses." Why should I have
declined the gift?
4. 'When I was in Hsieh, I was apprehensive for my safety, and taking
measures for my protection. The message was, "I have heard that you are
taking measures to protect yourself, and send this to help you in procuring
arms." Why should I have declined the gift?
5. 'But when I was in Ch'i, I had no occasion for money. To send a man a
gift when he has no occasion for it, is to bribe him. How is it possible
that a superior man should be taken with a bribe?'
How Mencius brought conviction of their faults home to the king and an
officer of Ch'î.
1. Mencius having gone to P'ing-lû, addressed the governor of it,
saying, 'If one of your spearmen should lose his place in the ranks three
times in one day, would you, Sir, put him to death or not?' 'I would not
wait for three times to do so,' was the reply.
2. Mencius said, 'Well then, you, Sir, have likewise lost your place in
the ranks many times. In bad calamitous years, and years of famine, the old
and feeble of your people, who have been found lying in the ditches and
water-channels, and the able-bodied, who have been scattered about to the
four quarters, have amounted to several thousand.' The governor replied,
'That is a state of things in which it does not belong to me Chü-hsin
to act.'
3. 'Here,' said Mencius, 'is a man who receives charge of the cattle and
sheep of another, and undertakes to feed them for him;-- of course he must
search for pasture-ground and grass for them. If, after searching for
those, he cannot find them, will he return his charge to the owner? or will
he stand by and see them die?' 'Herein,' said the officer, 'I am
guilty.'
4. Another day, Mencius had an audience of the king, and said to him,
'Of the governors of your Majesty's cities I am acquainted with five, but
the only one of them who knows his faults is K'ung Chü-hsin.' He then
repeated the conversation to the king, who said, 'In this matter, I am the
guilty one.'
The freedom belonging to Mencius in relation to the measures of the king
of Ch'î from his particular position, as unsalaried.
1. Mencius said to Ch'î Wâ, 'There seemed to be reason in
your declining the governorship of Ling-ch'iû, and requesting to be
appointed chief criminal judge, because the latter office would afford you
the opportunity of speaking your views. Now several months have elapsed,
and have you yet found nothing of which you might speak?'
2. On this, Ch'î Wâ remonstrated on some matter with the
king, and, his counsel not being taken, resigned his office and went
away.
3. The people of Ch'î said, 'In the course which he marked out for
Ch'î Wâ he did well, but we do not know as to the course which
he pursues for himself.'
4. His disciple Kung-tû told him these remarks.
5. Mencius said, 'I have heard that he who is in charge of an office,
when he is prevented from fulfilling its duties, ought to take his
departure, and that he on whom is the responsibility of giving his opinion,
when he finds his words unattended to, ought to do the same. But I am in
charge of no office; on me devolves no duty of speaking out my opinion:--
may not I therefore act freely and without any constraint, either in going
forward or in retiring?'
Mencius's behavior with an unworthy associate.
1. Mencius, occupying the position of a high dignitary in Ch'î,
went on a mission of condolence to T'ang. The king also sent Wang Hwan, the
governor of Kâ, as assistant-commissioner. Wang Hwan, morning and
evening, waited upon Mencius, who, during all the way to T'ang and back,
never spoke to him about the business of their mission.
2. Kung-sun Ch'âu. said to Mencius, 'The position of a high
dignitary of Ch'î is not a small one; the road from Ch'î to
T'ang is not short. How was it that during all the way there and back, you
never spoke to Hwan about the matters of your mission?' Mencius replied,
'There were the proper officers who attended to them. What occasion had I
to speak to him about them?'
That one ought to do his utmost in the burial of his parents;--
illustrated by Mencius's burial of his mother.
1. Mencius went from Ch'î to Lû to bury his mother. On his
return to Ch'î, he stopped at Ying, where Ch'ung Yü begged to
put a question to him, and said, 'Formerly, in ignorance of my
incompetency, you employed me to superintend the making of the coffin. As
you were then pressed by the urgency of the business, I did not venture to
put any question to you. Now, however, I wish to take the liberty to submit
the matter. The wood of the coffin, it appeared to me, was too good.'
2. Mencius replied, 'Anciently, there was no rule for the size of either
the inner or the outer coffin. In middle antiquity, the inner coffin was
made seven inches thick, and the outer one the same. This was done by all,
from the sovereign to the common people, and not simply for the beauty of
the appearance, but because they thus satisfied the natural feelings of
their hearts.
3. 'If prevented by statutory regulations from making their coffins in
this way, men cannot have the feeling of pleasure. If they have not the
money to make them in this way, they cannot have the feeling of pleasure.
When they were not prevented, and had the money, the ancients all used this
style. Why should I alone not do so?
4. 'And moreover, is there no satisfaction to the natural feelings of
a man, in preventing the earth from getting near to the bodies of his
dead?
5. 'I have heard that the superior man will not for all the world be
niggardly to his parents.'
Deserved punishment may not be inflicted but by proper authority. A
state or nation may only be smitten by the minister of Heaven.
1. Shan T'ung, on his own impulse, asked Mencius, saying, 'May Yen be
smitten?' Mencius replied, 'It may. Tsze-k'wâi had no right to give
Yen to another man, and Tsze-chih had no right to receive Yen from
Tsze-k'wâi. Suppose there were an officer here, with whom you, Sir,
were pleased, and that, without informing the king, you were privately to
give to him your salary and rank; and suppose that this officer, also
without the king's orders, were privately to receive them from you-- would
such a transaction be allowable? And where is the difference between the
case of Yen and this?'
2. The people of Ch'î smote Yen. Some one asked Mencius, saying,
'Is it really the case that you advised Ch'î to smite Yen?' He
replied, 'No. Shan T'ung asked me whether Yen might be smitten, and I
answered him, "It may." They accordingly went and smote it. If he had asked
me-- "Who may smite it?" I would h | |
