Mencius (Selections)
Translated by Charles Muller, Tōyō Gakuen University
Updated: August 14, 2003
Table of Contents
Translation by Charles Muller. When citing, please refer to the URL of this page: http://www.hm.tyg.jp/~acmuller/contao/mencius.htm
1A. King Hui of Liang (part one)
孟子見梁惠王。王曰，「叟，不遠千里而來，亦將有以利吾國乎？」孟子對曰，「王何必曰利？亦有仁義而已矣。」「王曰：『何以利吾國？』大夫曰：『何以利吾家？』士庶人曰：『何以利吾身？』上下交征利，而國危矣！萬乘之國弑其君者，必千乘之家；千乘之國，弑其君者，必百乘之家。萬取千焉，千取百焉，不爲不多矣；苟爲後義而先利，不奪不饜。」「未有仁而遺其親者也，未有義而後其君者也。」「王亦曰仁義而已矣，何必曰利？」
[1A:1] Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang. The King said: "My good man, since you haven't thought one thousand li too far to come and see me, may I presume that you have something with which I can profit my kingdom?"
Mencius said: "Why must you speak of profit? What I have for you is Humaneness and Rightness, and that's all. If you always say 'how can I profit my kingdom?' your top officers will ask, 'how can we profit our clans?' The elites (shi)1 and the common people will ask: 'How can we profit ourselves?' Superiors and inferiors will struggle against each other for profit, and the country will be in chaos."
"In a kingdom of ten thousand chariots, the murderer of the sovereign is usually from a clan of one thousand chariots. In a thousand-chariot kingdom, the murderer of the sovereign is usually from a clan of one hundred chariots. Now, to have a thousand in ten thousand, or one hundred in a thousand is not really all that much. But if you put due-giving last and profit first, no one will be satisfied unless they can grab something."
"There has never been a humane man who neglected his parents, and there has never been a just man who put his prince last in his priorities. King, can't we limit our conversation to humaneness and due-giving? Why must we discuss profit?"
梁惠王曰：「寡人之於國也，盡心焉耳矣！河內凶，則移其民於河東，移其粟於河內；河東凶亦然。察鄰國之政，無如寡人之用心者；鄰國之民不加少，寡人之民不加多：何也？」
孟子對曰：「王好戰，請以戰喩。填然鼓之，兵刃旣接，棄甲曳兵而走，或百歩而後止，或五十歩而後止；以五十歩笑百歩，則何如？」
曰：「不可。直不百歩耳，是亦走也！」曰：「王如知此，則無望民之多於鄰國也。」
「不違農時，穀不可勝食也；數罟不入洿池，魚鼈不可勝食也；斧斤以時入山林，材木不可勝用也；穀與魚鼈不可勝食，材木不可勝用，是使民養生喪死無憾也；養生喪死無憾，王道之始也。」
「五畝之宅，樹之以桑，五十者可以衣帛矣；雞豚狗彘之畜，無失其時，七十者可以食肉矣；百畝之田，勿奪於時，數口之家可以無饑矣；謹庠序之教，申之以孝悌之義，頒白者不負戴於道路矣；七十者衣帛食肉，黎民不饑不寒；然而不王者，未之有也！」
「狗彘食人食而不知檢，塗有餓莩而不知發；人死，則曰：『非我也，歳也。』是何異於刺人而殺之，曰：『非我也，兵也！』王無罪歳，斯天下之民至焉。」
[1A:3] King Hui of Liang said: "I exert my whole consciousness towards my people. When there is disaster in He-nei, I move the people to He-dong and bring grain to He-nei. When there is disaster in He-dong, I do likewise.2 Now, if you look at the government in neighboring kingdoms, there is no one who is as dedicated to his people as I. Yet why is it that the people don't move from other states and come to mine?"
Mencius replied: "Your majesty, you like war, don't you? Let me make an example with war: The drummers have psyched the soldiers into the battlefield and the battle is engaged. Some soldiers throw off their heavy armor and flee, dragging their weapons. One fellow runs a hundred paces and stops. Another runs fifty paces and stops. What would you think if the one who ran fifty paces laughs at the one who ran a hundred?"
The King said: "No way. Even though he didn't run a hundred paces, he still ran."
Mencius said: "If you realize this, then you shouldn't expect people to move to your kingdom. If you don't interfere with the timing of the farmers, there will be more grain than can be eaten. If fine-mesh nets are kept out of the ponds and lakes, there will be more fish and turtles than you can eat. If loggers are regulated in their woodcutting, there will be more wood than can be used. When there is more grain, more fish and turtles than can be eaten, and more wood than can be used, the people will nourish the living and mourn the dead without resentment. Nourishing the living and mourning the dead without resentment is the beginning of the road to true kingship."
"If mulberry trees are planted around homesteads of an acre, then people fifty years old can be clothed in silk. If, in the raising of fowl, pigs, dogs and swine, their breeding times are not missed, then people seventy years old can eat meat. If you do not upset the farming schedule in a farm of twenty acres, then a large clan will never be hungry. Pay careful attention to education, basing it on the Rightness of filial piety and respect for elders, and the gray-haired people will not be in the streets carrying heavy burdens on their backs. There has never been a case where the people of seventy were eating meat and the black-haired people were free from cold and hunger, where the king was not well regarded."
"But [in your kingdom], dogs and swine eat men's food, and you don't control it. People are dying of starvation in the streets and it doesn't occur to you to distribute grain from the storehouses. People die, and you say: 'It's not my fault; it was a bad harvest.' How is this different from stabbing a man to death and saying, 'It wasn't me, it was the knife.' If you would stop placing the blame on bad harvests, all of the people in the country would come to you."
梁惠王曰：「寡人願安承教。」
孟子對曰：「殺人以梃與刃，有以異乎？」
曰：「無以異也。」
「以刃與政有以異乎？」
曰：「無以異也。」
曰：庖有肥肉，廏 有肥馬，民有飢色，野有餓莩，此率獸而食人也。獸相食，且人惡之；爲民父母行政，不免於率獸而食人，惡在其爲民父母也！仲尼曰：『始作俑者，其無後乎！』爲其象人而用之也，如之何其使斯民饑而死也。」
[1A:4] King Hui of Liang said: "I would like to quietly receive your instruction."
Mencius said: "Is there any difference between killing a man with a stick or a sword?"
The King replied: "No difference."
Mencius said: "Is there any difference between doing it with a sword and doing it with government?"
"No difference" was the reply.
Mencius said: "There are loads of fat meat in your kitchen while the people in the countryside are dying of starvation. Animals are even eating people. Now, men despise animals who feed on each other. And you say you want to be 'the parent of the people.' But in the actual handling of your government, you cannot even prevent animals from feeding on men. How can you be regarded as a 'parent of the people?' "
"Confucius said: 'Wasn't the first fellow who made wooden images for burial with the dead remembered forever?' This is because he made images of men and used them for such a purpose. What memory shall there be of the man who made his people die of starvation?"
梁惠王曰：「普國，天下莫強焉，叟之所知也。及寡人之身，東敗於齊，長子死焉；西喪地於秦七百里；南辱於楚：寡人恥之，願比死者一洒之，如之何則可？」
[1A:5] King Hui of Liang said: "As you know, venerable sir, there is not a stronger state in the country than Chin. Since they attacked me, we have also lost on the east to Ch'i, where my eldest son died. On the west, we have lost one hundred li of territory to Ch'in and on the south we have been embarrassed by Ch'u. I have been shamed by this and would like to clear the slate for my ancestors once and for all. How can I do it?"
孟子對曰：「地方百里而可以王。王如施仁政於民，省刑罰，薄税歛，深耕易耨；壯者以暇日修其孝悌忠信，入以事其父兄，出以事其長上，可使制梃以撻秦楚之堅甲利兵矣！」
Mencius replied: "A territory one hundred li square is enough to constitute a viable kingship. Your majesty should give a humane government to the people, be careful in punishing crime; make the taxes light; plow the fields deeply and hoe them well. Then all the strong and healthy people can in their leisure time cultivate filial piety, sibling affection, loyalty and sincerity. If they do this, then when they are at home they can serve their fathers and elder brothers, and when they are out in the world they can serve their elders and superiors. These people will be able, with [only] sharpened sticks, to give a beating to Ch'in and Ch'u with their hard armor and sharp weapons. "
彼奪其民時，使不得耕耨以養其父母，父母凍餓，兄弟妻子離散。彼陷溺其民，王往而征之，夫誰與王敵！故曰：『仁者無敵。』王請勿疑。」
"Those rulers snatch the people's time so that they are unable to do the plowing and hoeing which is necessary to support their parents. Older and younger brothers, wives and children are separated and scattered. In this way these rulers trap and bury their own people. If you, King, would go and chastise them, who will oppose you? Don't doubt the ancient proverb: 'The Humane man has no one to oppose him.' "
孟子見梁襄王。出語人曰：「望之不似人君，就之而不見所畏焉。卒然問曰：『天下惡乎定？』
[1A:6] Mencius had an audience with King Hsiang of Liang. When he came out, he said to some people: "When I saw him at a distance, he did not look like a king, and when I approached him, there was nothing to be in awe of. Abruptly he asked me: 'How can the situation of the Central Kingdom be settled down?' "
吾對曰：『定於一。』」「孰能一之？」「對曰：『不嗜殺人者能一之。』」「孰能與之？」
"I answered: 'It can be settled down by unification.' "
He said: 'Who can unify it?'
"I replied: 'He who does not like killing men can unify it.' "
"He asked: 'Who has the power to grant someone this ability?' "
「對曰：『天下莫不與也。王知夫苗乎？七八月之間旱，則苗槁矣。天油然作雲，沛然下雨，則苗浡然興之矣。其如是，孰能禦之！今夫天下之人牧，未有不嗜殺人者也。如有不嗜殺人者，則天下之民皆引領而望之矣。試如是也，民歸之，由水之就下，沛然 誰能禦之！』
"I answered again, saying: 'There is no one in the land who would not grant it. Do you know anything about farming? During the seventh and eighth months it gets dry and the plants wither. When there is a sudden downpour of rain, the plants come vibrantly to life. Your situation being like this, who will oppose you? Now, among those who are leaders in this country, there are none who dislike killing men. If there were one who disliked killing men, all the people in the country would stick their necks out merely to get a glimpse of him. If you were really like this, the people would come to you like water running downhill. Who could oppose you?' "
齊宣王問曰：「齊桓普文之事，可得聞乎？」
[1A:7] King Hsüan of Ch'i asked: "Can give me your analysis of what happened between Duke Huan of Ch'i and Duke Wen of Ch'in?3 "
孟子對曰：「仲尼之徒，無道桓文之事者，是以後世無傳焉，臣未之聞也。無以，則王乎？」
Mencius answered: "None of Confucius' disciples talked about Huan and Wen, so I have no significant information on them. So since I can't talk about them, how about discussing kingship?"
曰：「德何如則可以王矣？」曰：「保民，而王莫之能禦也。」
The king said: "What kind of qualities are necessary for real kingship?"
Mencius said: "Take care of the people, and no one can oppose you."
曰：「若寡人者，可以保民乎哉？」曰：「可。」曰：「何由知吾可也？」
The king said: "Is someone like me capable of taking care of the people?"
Mencius said: "Sure."
The king said: "How do you know?"
曰：「臣聞之胡齕曰：『王坐於堂上，有牽牛而過堂下者；王見之，曰：「牛可之？」對曰：「將以釁鐘。」王曰：「舍之；吾不忍其觳觫，若無罪而就死地。」對曰：「然則廢釁鐘與？」曰：「何可廢也？以羊易之。」』不識有諸？」
"I heard this story from Hu-ho: He said you were sitting up in the main hall and a man walked past the lower part leading an ox. You saw this and asked: 'What are you doing with the ox?' He replied: 'We are going to consecrate a bell with its blood.' You said: 'Let it go—I can't stand to see the agony on its face, like that of an innocent person going to execution!' The man then answered: 'Shall we forget the consecration of the bell?' You said: 'How can it be forgotten? Substitute it with a sheep!' "
Mencius then added: "I don't know if this is a true story."
曰：「有之。」曰：「是心足以王矣。百姓皆以王爲愛也，臣固知王之不忍也。」
The king said: "It is."
Mencius said: "If you possess this kind of mind, you are capable of true kingship. The people all accused you of being cheap, but I am convinced that you really could not stand the sight of the ox."
王曰：「然，誠有百姓者，齊國雖褊小，吾何愛一牛？即不忍其觳觫，若無罪而就死地，故以羊易之也。」
The king said: "You are right. Yet the people really did think I was being cheap. But the truth is, even though Ch'i is a fairly small kingdom, how could I begrudge a lousy ox? I really couldn't stand to see the fear in its face, like that of an innocent man going to his execution. That's why I changed it for a sheep."
曰：「王無異於百姓之以王爲愛也；以小易大，彼惡知之？王若隱其無罪而就死地，則牛羊何擇焉！」王笑曰：「是誠何心哉！我非愛其財而易之以羊也，宜乎百姓之謂我愛也。」
Mencius said: "You should not think it strange that the people thought you were stingy. You changed a large animal for a small one, so how could they know your real motivation? If you were really pained at its innocently going to execution, what's the difference between an ox and a sheep?"
The king laughed and said: "What was I really thinking? But I didn't change it because of the expense—no wonder the people have called me cheap!"
曰：「無傷也，是乃仁術也，見牛未見羊也，君子之於禽獸也，見其生，不忍見其死；聞其聲，不忍食其肉：是以君子遠庖廚也。」
Mencius said: "You have not done wrong. What you did was an act of humaneness. You saw the ox, but had not seen the sheep. When it comes to animals, if the Superior Man has seen them while alive, he cannot stand to watch them die. If he hears their screams, he cannot stand to eat their meat. Therefore he stays away from the kitchen."
The king was pleased and said: "It is said in the Book of Odes: 'People have their minds, I fathom them.' What you have just said is exactly what happened with me. But when I sought within myself, I couldn't really see my own motivations. As you have shown me, there is compassion in my heart, but how can this be sufficient for kingship?"
Mencius said: "Suppose someone said this to you: 'I am strong enough to lift six hundred kilos, but not strong enough to lift a feather; my eyesight is sharp enough to analyze the tip of autumn down, but I cannot see a wagon load of firewood. Can you go along with this?' "
"Of course not."
"Then isn't it quite odd that your compassion reaches to animals, but not down to the people? If the single feather is not lifted, it is because your strength is not used, and when the wagon-load of firewood is not seen it is because your vision is not used. The people's not experiencing your care is because your compassion is not used. Therefore your majesty's lack of true kingship is because of a lack of effort, not a lack of ability."
The king asked: "Can you clarify the difference between non-effort and inability?"
Mencius replied: "If it is the case of taking Mt. T'ai under your arm and leaping over the North Sea with it, and saying: 'I am unable' , then this is true inability. If it is the case of snapping a branch off a tree for an elder and you say 'I am unable,' this is non-effort, it is not inability. Thus, your majesty's not having a kingly hold over the people is not in the category of taking Mt. T'ai under your arm and leaping over the North Sea." It is the type of not breaking a branch. If you take care of you own elders, the common people will do the same for their elders. If you are kind to your young, the common people will be kind to their young—you will hold the kingdom in the palm of your hand. The Book of Odes says:
His example affected his wife.
It reached to his brothers,
Such that he could manage
His clan and his state.
This means that if you just extend your heart to all others, and extend your compassion, it will be enough to take care of all those in the continent. If you do not extend your compassion, you will not even be able to take care of your own wife and children. The Way in which the ancients have surpassed all others is none other than this: Their goodness extended through everything they did, and nothing more.
"Now your compassion is sufficient to reach to animals, yet lacks the effectiveness to reach the people. Isn't that something? By weighing we know what is light and heavy. By measuring we know long and short. All things are like this, and especially the mind, so why don't you measure it, king? Nowadays you build up your armaments, endanger your soldiers and officers and instigate trouble with other heads of state. Does this give you pleasure?"
"No, how could I enjoy this? I do it to get what I really want."
Mencius said: "What is it that you really want?"
The king just smiled and kept his mouth shut.
Mencius continued: "Are all your rich and sweet foods not enough for your taste? Is your wardrobe of winter and summer clothes not enough for your body? Or do you not have enough fancy toys to satisfy your eyes? Or do you not have enough servants and concubines to come before you and satisfy you? All your numerous ministers can certainly get all these things for you, so how can you still want more of these?"
The king said: "No, I don't want these."
"Then it is obvious what it is you really want," said Mencius, "you want to expand your territory, make vassals of Ch'in and Ch'u, rule the Middle Kingdom, get control over the outlying tribes. Doing the kinds of things you have been doing to get what you want is like climbing a tree to catch fish."
"Is it that bad?"
"Even worse. If you climb a tree to catch fish, even though you won't catch anything, there will be no great calamity. But if you completely devote all of you energies to getting what you want in this way, you are sure to meet with disaster."
The king said: "Can you explain how?"
Mencius said: "If there is a war between Tsou and Ch'u, who do you think will win?"
"Ch'u will win."
"You are right, and that means that you know that a small state cannot go up against a large state, that a few cannot oppose many, that the weak cannot contend with the strong. The continental territories of one thousand square li are nine in number and Ch'i (your kingdom) only makes for one. If with one part you try to subdue the other eight, how is this different from Tsou's fighting Ch'u? Please reflect on this essential point."
"Now if you initiate a government based on goodness, all the officials in China will want to come to your court; all the farmers will want to plow your fields; the merchants will want to store their goods in your marketplaces; all the travelers will want to go by your roads, and all the people in the land who are hassled by their rulers will want to come to you for help. If they feel this way, who will be able to stop them?"
The king said: "I am dull-witted, and unable to carry this out. Please help me clarify my will by instructing me. Even though I am not so sharp, I will try to do it."
Mencius said: "Only a shih is able to keep a steady mind without a steady livelihood. If the common people lack a steady livelihood, they cannot be secure. If they are not secure, there is nothing they will not do in terms of criminal, depraved and selfish acts. For you to follow them up and punish them once they have committed crimes in this situation is entrapment. How could a benevolent man rule and at the same time entrap his people?"
"Therefore the intelligent ruler will regulate the livelihood of his people so that they have enough to support their parents and their own children. In good years they will eat their full, and in bad years they will never starve. After this you can goad them toward the good, because they will follow easily. As it stands now, you regulate the livelihood of the people in such a way that they do not have enough to take care of their parents or their children. They suffer even in the good years, and in the bad years they cannot escape death. All they can do is try to avoid starving to death, all the time fearing that they will not make it. What kind of free time will there be to cultivate propriety and Rightness?"
"If you really want to bring this about, you'd better get back to the basics. If mulberry trees are planted on plots of one acre, people in their fifties can wear silk. If you do not pull the men away for battle during the breeding times of your livestock, people in their seventies can eat meat. If the proper planting, cultivation and harvesting times are not missed, the family of eight that lives off a twenty-acre farm will not go hungry. Pay careful attention to education, teaching the Rightness of filial piety and fraternity, and the gray-haired will not be seen in the streets carrying heavy burdens on their backs."
"There has never been a case where the elderly wore silk and ate meat, and the black-haired people suffered from neither hunger nor cold, where the kingship was not genuinely respected."
1B. King Hui of Liang (part two)
[1B:10]
Preliminary note: Ch'i attacked the state of Yen in the northwest in the autumn of 315 BC. Yen's prince, a weakling, had resigned his throne to his prime minister, and great confusion ensued, so that the people welcomed the appearance of the troops of Ch'i and made no resistance to them. K'uang Chang, the friend of Mencius mentioned in 4B:30 and 3B:10 led the Ch'i armies. The king and Heir Apparent of Yen were both killed.
[Text]
Ch'i attacked Yen and conquered it. King Hsüan of Ch'i said to Mencius, "Some say I should occupy Yen and some say I shouldn't. For a major kingdom to overcome another major kingdom of approximately equal strength and do it within fifty days is beyond just the manpower of the conquering army. If I do not occupy Yen, I may experience some bad fate; but what will happen, on the other hand, if I occupy it?"
Mencius replied, "If you occupy it Yen and its people are really happy, then do so. In ancient times King Wu had this experience. If you try to occupy it and its people are against you, then you shouldn't occupy it. In ancient times King Wen had this experience."
"When a major power attacks another and its armies are greeted by the people with gifts of food, etc., how could there be any other reason except that they are trying to get out of awful circumstances under their own ruler? But if, on the other hand, the people see you as a greater evil than their own dictator, they will never stop their resistance."
[1B:11] Ch'i, having attacked Yen, occupied it. The surrounding states began to plan to come to the aid of Yen. King Hsüan of Ch'i said, "The surrounding powers are planning to attack me. How should I deal with them?"
Mencius replied, "I have heard of a king with only seventy square li ruling the whole land—that was T'ang. But I have never heard of a King with a thousand square li (like you) having to be in fear. The Book of History says:"
When T'ang first began his war of punishment, he started with (the kingdom of) Ko. The whole world believed in him, and so as his campaign went east, the tribes of the west became impatient, and as he went south, the tribes of the north became impatient. They all said: 'Why does he liberate us last?'
The people waited for him the way we wait for rain after a long drought. The merchants continued their buying and selling and the farmers carried on their farming. (When he came to conquer,) T'ang punished their rulers, but took care of the common people. He was like the much-needed rainfall and the people were happy. Again, the Book of History says: "We await our King. When he comes, all will be restored."
Now the prince of Yen was a tyrant, and you went and punished him. Yen's people thought you were saving them from oppression and they greeted your army with gifts of food. But now you murder Yen's family, chain up his younger relatives, destroy the ancestral temples and rob people's treasures. How can you expect them to take this?
The world may fear your power, but if you keep trying to expand your influence and do not practice Humane government, the armies of the rest of the land will rise up to oppose you. You must issue orders at once to release the captives and stop the looting. Confer with the people of Yen. Appoint a ruler for them and then get out of there. Then those who are capable of hurting you will not attack.
2A. Kung Sun Ch'ou (part one) 公孫丑上
公孫丑問曰：「夫子加齊之卿相，得行道焉，雖由此霸王不異矣。如此，則動心否乎？」
[2A:2] Kung Sun Ch'ou asked Mencius: "Let's say you were to become the prime minister of Ch'i and have the opportunity to set up a good government. Even though your power would really not be different from that of a king, in handling this, wouldn't you lose your mental stability?"
孟子曰：「否。我四十不動心。」
Mencius said, "No. I haven't lost my mental stability since I was forty."
曰：「若是，則夫子過孟賁遠矣？」
Ch'ou said, "Then you have far surpassed Meng Pan."
曰：「是不難，吿子先我不動心。」
Mencius said, "It is not so difficult. Kao-tzu attained mental stability at a younger age than I."
曰：「不動心有道乎？」
"Is there a method for attaining mental stability?" asked Ch'ou.
曰：「有。」「北宮黝之養勇也： 不膚撓，不目逃思以一毫挫於人，若撻之於市朝不受於;;褐寬博，亦不受於萬乘之君視刺萬乘之君，若刺褐夫：無嚴諸侯惡聲至，必反之。」
"There is. For example, Pi Kung Yu had a method of developing his courage. When attacked, he would neither flinch nor turn away his eyes. If someone touched a single hair on his body, he would regard it as if he had been publicly beaten in the marketplace. What he would not take from a bum, he would not take from a great prince. He regarded the stabbing of a prince just the same as the stabbing of a bum. He had no fear of the great nobles. If slanderous words reached his ears, he would never let it go by without revenge."
「孟施舍之所養勇也，曰：『視不勝猶勝也量敵而後進，慮勝而後會，是畏三軍;者也。舍豈能爲必勝哉，能無懼而已矣！』
Mang Shih She also had a method of developing his courage. He said: "I regard victory and defeat as the same. To gauge the enemy and then attack; to plan the victory and then engage—this is to be afraid of the opposing army. How can I be sure of winning? I can only be fearless, and that's all."
「孟施舍似曾子，北宮黝似子夏夫二子之勇，未知其孰賢然而孟施舍守約也。「昔者曾子謂子讓子襄曰：『子好勇乎？吾嘗聞大勇於夫子矣：「自反而不縮，雖褐寬博，吾不惴焉。自反而縮，雖千萬人吾往矣。」』
Mang Shih She was like Tseng Tzu. Pi Kung Yu was like Tzu Hsia. Among Pi Kung and Mang, I don't know who is better, but Mang Shih She focused on the essentials. For example, in former times, Tseng Tzu said to Tzu Hsiang: "So, you like bravery, do you? I have heard from our Master about Great Bravery. If I reflect on myself and find that I am not right, then won't I even fear facing a bum off the street? But if I reflect on myself and find myself to be right, then even if it be an army of one hundred thousand, I will go forward."
「孟施舍之守氣，又不如曾子之守約也。」
But Mang Shih She's attention to his ch'i is still not equal to Tseng Tzu's attention to the essentials.
[Comment] The Chinese ideograph ch'i originally means "air," especially breath. Through Mencius' usage, and the usage of later Taoists, martial artists and the Neo-Confucian school, its meaning becomes quite enhanced.
Here ch'i, as breath, is understood as the vital connection between body and mind. It is the life-force which animates the body to greater or lesser degrees, depending upon its cultivation toward the vigor and vitality of the individual. In the terms with which Mencius describes it, ch'i can be compared to the prana of some Indian yogic systems, which can be cultivated through breath control and various other yogic practices. One of the most relevant points that Mencius makes in regard to the cultivation of ch'i, is that this cultivation is dependent, more than anything else, on the uninterrupted practice of Rightness.
>曰：「敢問夫子之不動心，與吿子之不動心，可得聞與？」「吿子曰：『不得於言，勿求於心不得於心，勿求於氣;。』不得於心，勿求於氣，可不得於言，勿;求於心，不可。夫志、氣之帥也氣;、體之充也。夫志至焉，氣次焉。故曰：『持其志，無暴其氣。』」
Ch'ou asked, "Will you please tell me about your 'mental stability' in relation to Kao Tzu's 'mental stability' ?"
Mencius replied, "Kao Tzu says that what cannot be attained through words should not be sought for in the mind, and that what cannot be attained in the mind should not be sought for through the ch'i. This latter proposition is correct, but the first one is not. The will is the director of the ch'i, and the ch'i is something that permeates the body. So the will is primary and the ch'i is secondary. Therefore, it is said: 'Hold on to your will; do not scatter your ch'i.' "
「旣曰：『志至焉，氣次焉。』又曰：『持其志，無暴其氣』者，何也？」
Ch'ou said, "You just said that the will is primary; and the ch'i is secondary. Now you say, 'hold on to your will; don't scatter your ch'i.' Why do you say this?"
曰：「志壹則動氣，氣壹則動志也。今有蹶者趨者，是氣也，而反動其心。」
Mencius said, "The will influences the ch'i and the ch'i influences the will. For instance, jumping and running, though most directly concerned with the ch'i, also have an effect on the mind."
「敢問夫子惡乎長？」
"May I ask in what it is that you are superior?"
曰：「我知言，我善養吾浩然之氣。」
"I understand language, and I am good at nourishing my vast ch'i."
「敢問何謂浩然之氣？」
"What do you mean by 'vast ch'i' " ?
曰：「難言也。」 「其爲氣也，至大至剛以直養而無害，則塞于天地之間。其爲氣也，配義與道無是，餒矣。是集義所生者，非義襲而取之也。行有不慊於心，則餒矣。我故曰：『吿子未嘗知義，』以其外之也。必有事焉而勿正，心勿忘，勿助長也。無若宋人然。宋人有閔其苗之不長而揠之者芒芒然歸，謂其人曰：;『今日病矣，豫助苗長矣。』其子趨而往視之，苗則槁矣。天下之不助苗長者寡矣。以爲無益而舍之者，不耘苗者也。助之長者，揠苗者也。非徒無益，而又害之。」
"That is difficult to explain. Ch'i can be developed to great levels of quantity and stability by correctly nourishing it and not damaging it, to the extent that it fills the space between Heaven and Earth. In developing ch'i, if you are connected with Rightness and the Tao, you will never be in want of it. It is something that is produced by accumulating Rightness, and is not something that you can grab from superficial attempts at Rightness. If you act without mental composure, you will become ch'i-starved."
"Therefore I would say that Kao Tzu has not yet understood Rightness, since he regards it as something external. You must be willing to work at it, understanding that you cannot have precise control over it. You can't forget about it, but you can't force it to grow, either."
"You don't want to be like the man from Sung. There was a man from Sung who was worried about the slow growth of his crops and so he went and yanked on them to accelerate their growth. Empty-headed, he returned home and announced to his people: 'I am so tired today. I have been out stretching the crops.' His son ran out to look, but the crops had already withered. Those in the world who don't 'help their crops by pulling' are few indeed. There are also those who regard all effort as wasteful and don't even weed their crops. But those who think they can hurry their growth along by forcing it, are not only not helping their ch'i, but actually harming it!"
「何謂知言？」
Ch'ou asked, "What do you mean when you say 'I understand language' ?"
曰：「詖辭知其所蔽，淫辭知其所陷，邪辭知其所離，遁辭知其所窮。生於其心，害於其政發於其政，害於其事;。聖人復起，必從吾言矣。」
Mencius said, "When I hear deceptive speech, I know what it is covering up. When I hear licentious speech, I know its pitfalls. When I hear crooked speech, I know where it departs from the truth. When I hear evasive speech, I know its emptiness. Once born in a person's mind, these words harm the government. Spreading through the government, they damage all sorts of affairs. When a future sage appears, he will attest to my words."
Ch'ou said: "Tsai Wo and Tzu Kung were eloquent. Zan Niu, Min-tzu and Yen Yüan also spoke well but were known for their virtuous conduct. Confucius embodied both, but when questioned about it, said, 'When it comes to speaking, I am not so good.' In this case are you (Mencius) a sage?"
Mencius said: "How can you ask me this? When Tzu Kung asked Confucius if he was a sage, Confucius said, 'Sagehood is beyond me. I study without getting bored and teach without getting tired.' Tzu Kung said: 'Studying without boredom is wisdom, teaching without weariness is Humaneness. Having Humaneness and wisdom, you are a sage indeed, Master!' "
Now if Confucius could not accept the name of "sage," how can I?
Ch'ou said, "I once heard this: Tzu Hsia, Tzu Lu and Tzu Chang all had one piece of sagehood, and Zan Niu, Min Tzu and Yen Yüan embodied it fully, though in an unmanifest way. May I ask where you stand among these men?"
"Let's leave this aside for now." said Mencius.
Ch'ou then asked, "What about Po Yi and I Yin?"
Mencius said, "They had different ways. The way of not serving a ruler he didn't respect, not taking charge of a people whom he didn't approve; coming forward when there was good government and retiring when there was disorder—this was the way of Po Yi."
"Serving any ruler, taking charge of any people; coming forward when there was good government, coming forward when there was disorder—this was the way of I Yin."
"Serving when it was proper to serve, retiring when it was proper to retire; continuing long when it was proper and finishing quickly where it was proper—this was the way of Confucius. I have not yet been able to conduct myself in the way of the ancient sages. But if I could study with one of them, I would choose Confucius."
"Were Po Yi and I Yin comparable to Confucius?"
"No way" Mencius replied. "Since the beginning of human existence, there has never been anyone like Confucius."
"But weren't there at least some ways in which these men were equal to him?"
"Sure. If any of them were to be the ruler of a territory of one hundred li, they would be able to get all the nobles to come to their court, and soon they would have control of the whole realm. And if the acquisition of the realm required a single unjust act, or the murder of one innocent man, they would not do it. In this, they would be the same."
"Then may I ask how they would differ?"
Mencius said: "Tsai Wo, Tzu Kung and Yu Jo all had enough wisdom to recognize a sage. If any one of them were in a low position, they would never have resorted to flattery to get something more desirable."
"Tsai Wo said, 'From what I have seen of our Master, he was far superior to Yao and Shun.' "
"Tzu Kung said, 'I have seen his propriety and have understood his ways of government. I have heard his music and recognize his virtue. From a hundred generations after, through a hundred generations of kings, none will be able to improve on him. From the beginning of human existence, there has never been anyone like the Master.' "
"Yu Jo said, 'How it be so only among men? Among mammals there is the Ch'i-lin; among birds there is the phoenix; among hills, Mt. T'ai; among puddles and rivulets, the rivers and oceans. Now, each of these are of the same species, and the sage is of the same species as man, but he emerges from the group and stands out from the crowd. From the beginning of human existence, there has never been one as outstanding as Confucius.' "
[2A:3] Mencius said, "He who uses force as a pretense of Humaneness is the de-facto strongman among the princes. But such a strongman must have a large state in order to be effective. The man who uses his virtue to practice Humaneness is the true king. To be a real king you don't need an especially large territory. T'ang did it with only seventy li and King Wen did it with only one hundred li. When you use your power to force people into submission, they will never submit with their hearts; it is only because they don't have enough strength to resist. When people submit to virtue, they are happy from the bottom of their hearts, and they submit sincerely, the way the seventy disciples submitted to Confucius. The Book of Odes says:"
From the west, from the east,
From the south, from the north;
No one thought of not-submitting.
This is what I am talking about.
[2A:4] Mencius said: "Humaneness brings glory and non-Humaneness brings disgrace. So if you hate disgrace but still involve yourself in what is not Humaneness, it is like hating moisture and living in a basement. If you really hate it, you should honor virtue and respect the good. Install good men into positions of rank and give jobs to people of ability. During the breaks in warfare, you should take the opportunity to clarify your governmental procedures and legal codes. If you do this, even larger states will have a healthy respect for you. In the Book of Odes there is the verse that goes:"
Before the sky was dark with rain
I collected branches from the mulberry grounds
And built doors and windows for my nest.
Now, you all below,
Who will laugh at me?4
"Confucius said, 'Did not the writer of this poem understand the Tao of government?' If you are able to govern well your state or clan, who will dare to take you lightly?"
"But when modern princes have any kind of respite they spend it on indolent pleasure-seeking and gratification, which is to invite misfortune. Fortune and misfortune come from no place other than yourself. The Book of Odes says:"
Always speak according to the Mandate
And you will invite much fortune.Odes, 241
The T'ai Chia (a section in the Book of History) says:
The calamities sent from Heaven can still be changed. But the calamities brought on by yourself—from these you cannot escape with your life.
These two citations reflect my point.
孟子曰：「尊賢使能，俊傑在位，則天下之士，皆悅而願立於其朝矣。
[2A:5] Mencius said: "Respect the worthy and employ the capable; put talented people in key positions, then all the shih of the realm will be pleased and will want to be members of your court."
「市廛而不征，法而不廛，則天下之商，皆悅而願藏於其市矣。
In the market-places, charge land-rent, but don't tax the goods; or make concise regulations and don't even charge rent. Do this, and all the merchants in the realm will be pleased, and will want to set up shop in your markets.
「關，譏而不征，則天下之旅，皆悅而願出於其路矣。
At the borders, make inspections but don't charge tariffs, then all the travelers in the realm will be pleased and will want to traverse your highways.
「耕者，助而不稅，則天下之農，皆悅而願耕於其野矣。
If the farmers merely have to help each other with the government fields, and do not have to pay an additional tax, then all the farmers in the realm will be pleased, and will want to till your fields.
「廛，無夫里之布，則天下之民，皆悅而願爲之氓矣。
If you do not charge fines to the unemployed in your marketplaces, then all the people in the realm will be pleased, and will want to become your subjects.
「信能行此五者，則鄰國之民，仰之若父母矣。率其子弟，攻其父母，自生民以來，未有能濟者也。如此，則無敵於天下。無敵於天下者，天吏也。然而不王者，未之有也。」
"If you are really able to put these five points into practice, then the people from the neighboring states will look up to you as a parent. Now, there has never been a case of someone being able to consistently succeed in making children attack their own parents. This being the case, you will have no enemies in the realm. The one who has no enemies in the realm is the vicegerent of Heaven. There is no case of one who attained to this level, and who did not attain to true kingship."
孟子曰：「人皆有不忍人之心。「先王有不忍人之心，斯有不忍人之政矣。以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政，治天下可運之掌上。
[2A:6] Mencius said: "All people have a heart which cannot stand to see the suffering of others. The ancient kings had this heart which could not stand to see the suffering of others, and, with this, operated a government which could not stand to see the suffering of the people. If, in this state of mind, you ran a government which could not endure people's suffering, you could govern the realm as if you were turning it in the palm of your hand."
「所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者：今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心非所;以內交於孺子之父母也，非所以要譽於鄕黨朋友也，非惡其聲而然也。
"Why do I say all human beings have a heart which cannot stand to see the suffering of others? Even nowadays, if an infant were about to fall into a well, anyone would be upset and concerned. This concern would not be due to the fact that the person wanted to get in good with the baby's parents, or because s/he wanted to improve his/her reputation among the community or among his/her circle of friends. Nor would it be because he/she was afraid of the criticism that might result from a show of non-concern."
「由是觀之，無惻隱之心，非人也無羞惡之心，非人也無辭讓之心，非人也;;;無是非之心，非人也。
"From this point of view, we can say that if you did lack concern for the infant, you would not be human. Also, to lack a sense of shame and disgust would not be human; to lack a feeling of humility and deference is to be "in-human" and to lack a sense of right and wrong is to be inhuman."
「惻隱之心，仁之端也羞惡之心，義之端也辭讓之心，禮之端也是非之心，;;;智之端也。
"The sense of concern for others is the starting point of Humaneness. The feeling of shame and disgust is the starting point of Rightness. The sense of humility and deference is the starting point of Propriety and the sense of right and wrong is the starting point of Wisdom."
「人之有是四端也，猶其有四體也。有是四端而自謂不能者，自賊者也謂其君不;能者，賊其君者也。凡有四端於我者，知皆擴而充之矣。若火之始然，泉之始達。茍能充之，足以保四海茍不充之，不足以事父母;。」
"People's having these four basic senses is like their having four limbs. Having these four basic senses and yet claiming inability to act on them is to cheat yourself. To say that the ruler doesn't have them is to cheat the ruler. Since all people have these four basic senses within themselves, they should all understand how to enhance and develop them. It is like when a fire just starts, or a spring first bubbles out of the ground. If you are able to develop these four basic senses, you will be able to take care of everybody within the four seas. If you do not develop them, you won't even be able to take care of your own parents."
孟子曰：「矢人豈不仁於凾人哉！矢人惟恐不傷人，凾人惟恐傷人。巫匠亦然。故術不可不愼也。
[2A:7] Mencius said: "How is it that the arrow-maker is being less Humane than the armor-maker? The arrow maker is worried about people not getting hurt, while the armor-maker is worried if people do get hurt. The situation is the same with the healer and the coffin maker. Therefore, you should be careful about choosing your occupation."
"Confucius said: 'It is the degree of Humaneness in a village that determines its beauty. If you choose not to abide in Humaneness, how will you ever attain wisdom?' "
Now Humaneness is that which Heaven prizes above all else, and it is the proper abode for human beings. Nobody can be hindered from being Humane by anyone else—this is merely a hindrance to wisdom. To be not-Humane and not wise is to lack propriety and Rightness and become a slave to others. Being a slave to others and being ashamed of it is like the bow-maker being ashamed of making bows and the arrow-maker being ashamed of making arrows. If you are ashamed of these things you should work at your Humaneness. The Humane person is like an archer. The archer prepares himself before shooting. If, upon shooting, he misses the bull's-eye, he does not blame the man who beat him. He turns and reflects on himself.
[2A:8] Mencius said: "When someone told Tzu Lu about one of his faults, he was happy. When Yu heard words of goodness, he would bow in respect. The great Shun surpassed even these men. He regarded the goodness of others to be the same as his. He let go of his arbitrariness and followed others, happily learning from them in order to develop his goodness. From the time when he was a farmer, a potter and a fisherman, up until he became emperor, he never stopped learning from others."
"To learn from others to develop one's goodness is also to develop goodness together with others. Therefore, for the Superior Man, there is nothing greater than to develop goodness together with others."
孟子曰：「伯夷非其君不事，非其友不友，不立於惡人之朝，不與惡人言立於惡;人之朝，與惡人言，如以朝衣朝冠，坐於塗炭。推惡惡之心，思與鄕人立，其冠不正，望望然去之，若將浼焉。是故，諸侯雖有善其辭命而至者，不受也不受也;者，是亦不屑就已。
[2A:9] Mencius said: "Po Yi would not serve a ruler he did not respect, and would not hang around with people he didn't like. He wouldn't attend the court of an evil prince and wouldn't converse with an evil person. To attend the court of an evil prince, or converse with an evil person, would be the same for him as wearing the ceremonial gown and cap and sitting in mud and charcoal. Furthermore, if he were standing with a villager who hat was on crooked, he would leave him in embarrassment, as if he would be polluted by it. Therefore, even if one of the nobles sent him something with good intentions, he would often not accept it. Indeed, he would not let anything near him that he considered dirty."
「柳下惠不羞汙君，不卑小官進不隱賢，必以其道，遺佚而不怨，阨窮而不憫;。故曰：『爾爲爾，我爲我雖袒裼裸裎於我側，爾焉能浼我哉！』故由由然與之偕而不自失焉。援而止之而止援而止之而止者，是亦不屑去已。」
Hui Liu Hsia was not ashamed to be associated with an impure prince, and was not embarrassed to hold a low-level job. He would show himself without concealing his worth, always keeping to what he considered to be the right way. When he was let go from a job, he did not get resentful, and when in dire straits, he did not complain. Therefore, he used to say: 'You are you and I am I. Even if you stand right next to me wearing no shirt, you cannot pollute me.' Thus he associated with people freely, without losing himself. When pressed to stay in government he would stay. In this lack of a need to escape, we can see that he did not need to avoid that which he considered unclean.
孟子曰：「伯夷隘，柳下惠不恭，隘與不恭，君子不由也。」
Po Yi was rigid and Hui Liu Hsia was too relaxed. The Superior Man does not like to be too rigid or too relaxed.
3A. T'eng Weng Kung (part one)
3B. T'eng Weng Kung (part two)
[3B:2] Ching Ch'un said: "Are not Kung Sun Yen and Chang I great men? If they get angry just once, all the nobles are afraid. If they are relaxed, then the realm is quiet."
Mencius said: "How can you call them great just because of this? Have you not studied the Record of Rites? When a young man is capped (reaches manhood) his father instructs him. At the marriage of a young woman, the mother instructs her as she walks her to the door. She admonishes her, saying, 'When you go to your husband's house, you must respect him and be careful not to be disagreeable. To be properly obedient is the way of wives and concubines.' "
If you dwell in the great house of the world, are established in your correct position in the world, walk the great Path of the world; if you attain your ambitions for office, and then share your goodness with the people—or, not attaining your ambitions for office and walking alone on your own Path; if wealth and honor do not dissipate you, poverty and low status do not make you move from your principles; authority and might do not distort you: Then you can be called a "great man."
孟子曰：「天下之言性也，則故而已矣；故者，以利爲本。所惡於智者，爲其鑿也。如智者若禹之行水也，則無惡於智矣。 禹之行水也，行其所無事也。如智者亦行其所無事，則智亦大矣。 天之高也，星辰之遠也。苟求其故，千歳之日至，可坐而致也。」
[4B:26] Mencius said: "What the people in the world call 'the nature of people' is based on what they have done, and nothing more. In the case of what people have done, we take as most fundamental whether the acts were beneficial or not. The reason the [present-day] so-called wise men are disliked, is because of the way they bore into things [to try to bring about some conclusions]. If these wise men would just do something [of benefit] like Yu did when he handled the water works projects [and stopped the flooding], then there would not be such a dislike of wise men. When Yu handled the flooding problems, he did it as if it was not a big deal. If our wise men could, in the same way, do things as if they were not a big deal, then there wisdom would be considered to be great. Heaven is so high; the stars are so distant. If we investigate their works, through the solstices of a thousand years, we can sit and attain them."
吿子曰：「性，猶杞柳也義，猶桮棬也以人性爲仁義，猶以杞柳爲桮棬。」
[6A:1] Kao Tzu said: "Human nature is like a willow tree (the wood of which is good for making vessels) and Rightness is like the cups and bowls that are carved out of the wood. To make human nature to be Humane and Right is like making the willow wood into cups and bowls."
孟子曰：「子能順杞柳之性，而以爲桮棬乎？將戕賊杞柳，而後以爲桮棬也？將戕賊杞柳而以爲桮棬，則亦將戕賊人以爲仁義與？率天下之人而禍仁義者，必子之言夫！」
Mencius said: "Can you make cups and bowls while keeping the nature of the willow? It is by destroying the willow that you make cups and bowls. If we destroy the willow to make cups and bowls, should we also destroy the human being to make Humaneness and Rightness? This kind of talk from you will certainly lead the people to see Humaneness and Rightness as anathema."
吿子曰：「性，猶湍水也決諸東方則東流，決諸西方則西流;。人性之無分於善不善也，猶水之無分於東西也。」
[6A:2] Kao Tzu said: "Human nature is like whirling water. If you let it out on the east side, it will go east. If you let it out on the west side, it will go west. Similarly, human nature has no predisposition for good or evil, just as water has no predisposition for east or west."
孟子曰：「水信無分於東西，無分於上下乎？人性之善也，猶水之就下也人無有;不善，水無有不下。今未水：搏而躍之，可使過顙激而行之，可使在山;。是豈水之性哉，其勢則然也。人之可使爲不善，其性亦猶是也。」
Mencius said: "It is true that water has no predisposition for east or west. But doesn't it have a predisposition for up and down? The goodness of the human nature is just like the downward tendency of water. Just as all water has a down-going tendency, all people have a tendency toward goodness."
"Now you can splash water and make it fly over your head, or you can dam it and force it uphill, but these are after all, forcing it. You can push people into doing evil, but that is not their basic nature."
吿子曰：「生之謂性。」
[6A:3] Kao Tzu said: "What we mean by life is nature."
孟子曰：「生之謂性也，猶白之謂白與？」曰：「然。」「白羽之白也，猶白雪之白白雪之白，猶白玉之白與？」
Mencius said: "If life is nature, then this the same as saying white is whiteness?"
"Yes."
"Then is the whiteness of a feather the same as the whiteness of snow? And is the whiteness of snow the same as the whiteness of a pearl?"
曰：「然。」
"Yes."
「然則犬之性，猶牛之性牛之性，猶人之性與？」
"Then is the nature of a dog the same as the nature of a cow? And is the nature of a cow the same as the nature of a person?"
吿子曰：「食、色，性也。仁，內也，非外也，義，外也，非內也。」
[6A:4] Kao Tzu said: "By nature we desire food and sex. Humaneness is internal and not external, Rightness is external and not internal."
孟子曰：「何以謂仁內義外也？」
Mencius said: "How can you say Humaneness is internal and Rightness is external?"
曰：「彼長而我長之，非有長於我也。猶彼白而我白之，從其白於外也。故謂之外也。」
Kao Tzu replied: "If there is an old man and I regard him as old, it is not because the age is in me. It is like seeing something white. I regard it as white because the whiteness is outside of me. Therefore, I say Rightness is external."
曰：「異於白馬之白也，無以異於白人之白也。不識長馬之長也，無以異於長人之長與？且謂長者義乎？長之者義乎？」
Mencius said, "Maybe there is no difference in acknowledging the whiteness of a white horse and the whiteness of a white man, but is there no difference between the acknowledgement of the age of an old horse, and the age of an old man? And does Rightness consist in perceiving the age or acknowledging it?"
曰：「吾弟則愛之，秦人之弟則不愛也：是以我爲悅者也，故謂之內。長楚人之長，亦長吾之長：是以長爲悅者也，故謂之外也。」
Kao Tzu said: "I love my younger brother, but I might not love the younger brother of a man from Ch'in. This depends on me, so I call it 'internal.' I respect the age of a man of Ch'u the same way I respect the age of a man of my family. Since this depends on the age, I say it is 'external.' "
曰：「耆秦人之炙，無以異於耆吾炙。夫物則亦有然者也，然則耆炙亦有外與？」
Mencius said, "Our enjoyment of the roast beef of Ch'in does not differ from that of our own roast beef. If such a thing as roast beef is like this, then is our enjoyment of roast beef also 'external?' "
公都子曰：「吿子曰：『性無善無不善也。」「或曰：『性可以爲善，可以爲不善。』是故，文、武興，則民好善，幽、厲興，則民好暴。
[6A:6] Kung Tu-tzu said: "Kao Tzu says that human nature is neither good nor evil. Others say that human nature can be made good or evil. That is why when Kings Wen and Wu were in power, the people loved goodness, and when Yu and Li were in power, they enjoyed inflicting pain."
「或曰：『有性善，有性不善。』是故，以堯爲君而有象，以瞽瞍爲父而有舜，以紂爲兄之子，且以爲君，而有微子啟、王子比干。
"Still others say that some people are inherently good and some are inherently evil. Therefore, under a good ruler like Yao, there was such an evil man as Hsiang; and to such a bad father as Ku-sou, a good son Shun was born; and with a nephew of the senior branch as evil as Chou on the throne, such good uncles as Ch'i, Viscount of Wei, and Prince Pi Kan lived."
「今曰性善，然則彼皆非與？」
"Now you say that human beings are inherently good. Then are all the others wrong?"
孟子