公孫丑上

Gongsun Chou asked: “If you, Master, were in a position of power in Qi, could the achievements of Guan Zhong and Yanzi be repeated?”

Mencius said: “You are truly a man of Qi — you know only Guan Zhong and Yanzi. Someone once asked Zeng Xi: ‘Who is worthier, you or Zilu?’ Zeng Xi replied uneasily: ‘Zilu was one whom my late father held in awe.’ ‘Then who is worthier, you or Guan Zhong?’ Zeng Xi replied indignantly: ‘How dare you compare me with Guan Zhong? He monopolized his lord’s trust completely; he administered the government for so long; yet his achievements were so paltry. How dare you compare me with him?’”

Mencius continued: “Guan Zhong was someone Zeng Xi would not deign to be — and you wish this for me?”

Gongsun Chou said: “Guan Zhong made his lord a hegemon, and Yanzi made his lord illustrious. Are even Guan Zhong and Yanzi not worthy enough?”

Mencius said: “To make Qi a true kingdom would be as easy as turning one’s hand.”

Gongsun Chou said: “If that is so, then your disciple is all the more confused. With King Wen’s virtue, he lived a hundred years before he died, and still had not brought his influence to the whole realm. King Wu and the Duke of Zhou continued his work — only then did it prevail. Now you say kingship would be easy — is King Wen not worthy of emulation?”

Mencius said: “How can King Wen be matched? From Tang to Wu Ding, there were six or seven sage kings. The realm had belonged to Yin for a long time, and what has lasted long is hard to change. Wu Ding held court over the lords and possessed the realm as easily as turning it in his palm. The time between Zhou of Shang and Wu Ding was not long; the old families and customs, the lingering influences and good policies still survived. Moreover there were Weizi, Weizhong, Prince Bi Gan, Jizi, and Jiao Ge — all worthy men who assisted each other in service. Thus it was a long time before they lost the realm. Not a foot of land was not theirs, not a single person was not their subject — yet King Wen still had to rise from only a hundred li. That is why it was difficult.

There is a saying in Qi: ‘Though you have wisdom, it is better to ride the momentum; though you have a hoe, it is better to wait for the season.’ The present time makes it easy. At the height of the Xia, Yin, and Zhou, their territory never exceeded a thousand li — yet Qi already has such territory. Cocks crow and dogs bark within hearing from border to border — Qi already has such people. The land need not be further opened, the people need not be further gathered — practice benevolent governance and become a true king, and nothing can stop it. Moreover, never has there been a longer gap without a true king arising; never have the people suffered more from tyrannical government. The hungry are easy to feed; the thirsty are easy to give drink. Confucius said: ‘The flow of virtue is swifter than the relay of royal commands.’ In the present age, if a state of ten thousand chariots practices benevolent governance, the people’s joy will be like release from being hung upside down. Therefore, with half the effort of the ancients, the achievement will be doubled — only in this time is this possible.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “If you, Master, were made chief minister of Qi and could put the Way into practice — even if this led to hegemony or true kingship, it would not be surprising. In such a case, would your heart be moved?”

Mencius said: “No. Since the age of forty, my heart has been unmoved.”

Gongsun Chou said: “Then you far surpass Meng Ben!”

Mencius said: “That is not difficult. Gaozi achieved an unmoved heart before I did.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “Is there a method for achieving an unmoved heart?”

Mencius said: “There is. Beigong You’s method of cultivating courage was to neither flinch in his skin nor avert his eyes. He considered the slightest affront from anyone as if he had been flogged in the marketplace. He would not accept it from a coarsely dressed commoner, nor from the lord of ten thousand chariots. He regarded stabbing the lord of ten thousand chariots the same as stabbing a commoner. He held no lord in awe. If harsh words came, he always returned them.

Meng Shishe’s method of cultivating courage was different. He said: ‘I regard not winning as the same as winning. To measure the enemy before advancing, to calculate victory before engaging — that is to fear the three armies. How can I guarantee victory? I can only be fearless.’ Meng Shishe resembled Zengzi; Beigong You resembled Zixia. Of these two forms of courage, I do not know which is superior, but Meng Shishe held to the essential.

Formerly Zengzi told Zixiang: ‘Are you fond of courage? I once heard about great courage from the Master: If upon self-examination I find I am not in the right, then even against a coarsely dressed commoner I would not be intimidated? If upon self-examination I find I am in the right, then even against ten thousand men I will go forward.’ Yet Meng Shishe’s holding of his qi is still not as good as Zengzi’s holding to the essential.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “May I hear about the difference between your unmoved heart and Gaozi’s?”

Mencius said: “Gaozi says: ‘What you cannot attain in words, do not seek in the heart; what you cannot attain in the heart, do not seek in the qi.’ Not seeking in the qi what you cannot attain in the heart — that is acceptable. But not seeking in the heart what you cannot attain in words — that is not acceptable. The will is the commander of the qi; the qi fills the body. The will is primary; the qi is secondary. Therefore I say: hold firm your will, and do not abuse your qi.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “You say the will is primary and the qi is secondary, yet you also say to hold the will and not abuse the qi — why?”

Mencius said: “When the will is concentrated it moves the qi, and when the qi is concentrated it moves the will. Stumbling and running — these are matters of qi, yet they affect the heart.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “May I ask in what you excel?”

Mencius said: “I understand words, and I am skilled at nourishing my flood-like qi.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “What is this flood-like qi?”

Mencius said: “It is difficult to describe. As qi, it is supremely great and supremely unyielding. If nourished with uprightness and not harmed, it fills the space between heaven and earth. As qi, it is the companion of righteous conduct and the Way. Without these, it starves. It is generated by the accumulation of righteous conduct; it cannot be seized through occasional acts of righteous conduct. If any action leaves the heart dissatisfied, it starves. This is why I say Gaozi never understood righteous conduct — because he treated it as external.

You must work at it, but do not try to force results. Do not forget it, but do not help it grow. Do not be like the man of Song: There was a man of Song who was worried that his seedlings were not growing, so he pulled them up. Wearily he returned home and told his family: ‘I am exhausted today — I have been helping the seedlings grow.’ His son ran to look, and the seedlings were all withered. Those in the world who do not ‘help the seedlings grow’ are few indeed. Those who consider it useless and abandon it are those who do not weed their seedlings. Those who try to help it grow are those who pull up their seedlings — not merely useless, but actually harmful.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “What do you mean by understanding words?”

Mencius said: “When words are biased, I know what is being obscured. When words are excessive, I know where they are trapped. When words are deviant, I know where they have strayed. When words are evasive, I know where they are exhausted. Born in the heart, these harm governance; issued in governance, they harm affairs. If a sage were to arise again, he would surely agree with my words.”

Gongsun Chou said: “Zai Wo and Zigong excelled at persuasive speech; Ran Niu, Min Zi, and Yan Yuan excelled at virtuous conduct. Confucius combined both, yet said: ‘In the matter of rhetoric, I am unable.’ Then is the Master already a sage?”

Mencius said: “What? What words are these! Once Zigong asked Confucius: ‘Are you a sage, Master?’ Confucius replied: ‘A sage I cannot claim to be. I merely learn without tiring and teach without wearying.’ Zigong said: ‘Learning without tiring is wisdom; teaching without wearying is benevolence. Both benevolent and wise — the Master is indeed a sage!’ If even Confucius would not claim to be a sage, what words are these?”

Gongsun Chou said: “I once heard it said: Zixia, Ziyou, and Zizhang each had one aspect of the sage; Ran Niu, Min Zi, and Yan Yuan had the complete form in miniature. May I ask where you place yourself?”

Mencius said: “Let us set that aside for now.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “What about Bo Yi and Yi Yin?”

Mencius said: “Their ways were different. He who would serve no lord but the right one, govern no people but the right ones — advancing in times of order, retreating in times of chaos — that was Bo Yi. He who said ‘What lord is not worth serving? What people are not worth governing?’ — advancing in times of order and advancing in times of chaos alike — that was Yi Yin. He who served when it was right to serve, stopped when it was right to stop, stayed long when it was right to stay, departed quickly when it was right to depart quickly — that was Confucius. All were sages of antiquity. I have not yet been able to practice any of their ways, but what I aspire to is to learn from Confucius.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “Were Bo Yi and Yi Yin of the same rank as Confucius?”

Mencius said: “No. Since there have been human beings, there has never been another Confucius.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “Then was there anything they had in common?”

Mencius said: “Yes. If they had obtained a territory of a hundred li to rule, all could have brought the lords to court and possessed the realm. But to commit a single unjust act or kill a single innocent person in order to gain the realm — none of them would have done it. In this they were the same.”

Gongsun Chou asked: “May I ask in what they differed?”

Mencius said: “Zai Wo, Zigong, and You Ruo were wise enough to know a sage. Even in flattery, they would not go so far as to praise one they merely favored. Zai Wo said: ‘In my observation, the Master surpasses Yao and Shun by far.’ Zigong said: ‘By seeing his rites one knows his governance; by hearing his music one knows his virtue. Looking back from a hundred generations hence, judging a hundred kings, none can challenge him. Since there have been human beings, there has never been one like the Master.’ You Ruo said: ‘Is it only among humans? The qilin among running beasts, the phoenix among flying birds, Mount Tai among hills, rivers and seas among streams — all are of the same kind. The sage among the people is also of the same kind. Standing above the crowd, towering above the multitude — since there have been human beings, there has never been one greater than Confucius.’”

Mencius said: “He who uses force under the pretext of benevolence becomes a hegemon; a hegemon necessarily requires a large state. He who practices benevolence through virtue becomes a true king; a king need not wait for greatness. Tang did it with seventy li, King Wen with a hundred. He who subdues others by force does not win their hearts — their strength is simply insufficient to resist. He who subdues others by virtue wins their willing and sincere submission, as the seventy disciples submitted to Confucius. The Odes say: ‘From west and east, from south and north, none thought of not submitting.’ This is what is meant.”

Mencius said: “Benevolence brings glory; the absence of benevolence brings disgrace. Now to hate disgrace while dwelling in the absence of benevolence is like hating dampness while dwelling in a low place. If you truly hate it, nothing is better than valuing virtue and honoring the worthy — placing the worthy in office and the capable in positions. When the state is at peace, use that time to make governance and punishments clear. Then even great states will stand in awe of you. The Odes say: ‘Before the sky clouds over with rain, I strip the bark of the mulberry and bind up the windows and doors. Now you people below — who dares insult me?’ Confucius said: ‘The one who composed this poem understood the Way! If one can govern his state, who would dare insult him?’ But now when the state is at peace, rulers use that time for idle pleasure and lazy indulgence — this is to invite disaster upon oneself. There is no disaster or blessing that one does not bring upon oneself. The Odes say: ‘Forever mindful of heaven’s mandate, seek for yourself much blessing.’ The Tai Jia says: ‘When heaven sends calamities, one may yet escape them; when one brings calamity upon oneself, there is no surviving.’ This is what it means.”

Mencius said: “Honor the worthy and employ the capable, with outstanding men in office — then all the scholars in the realm will be delighted and wish to stand in your court. Tax market stalls but not goods, enforce regulations but do not tax storage — then all the merchants in the realm will be delighted and wish to store goods in your markets. Inspect at the border passes but do not tax — then all the travelers in the realm will be delighted and wish to use your roads. Let farmers assist in the public fields but pay no separate tax — then all the farmers in the realm will be delighted and wish to plow your fields. Charge no residence or ground tax — then all the people in the realm will be delighted and wish to become your subjects. If you can truly carry out these five measures, the people of neighboring states will look up to you as a parent. To lead their sons and brothers to attack their parent — since there have been human beings, none has ever succeeded at this. In this way, one would be invincible throughout the realm. He who is invincible throughout the realm is heaven’s officer. Yet one who achieves this and does not become a true king — that has never happened.”

Mencius said: “All human beings have a heart that cannot bear the suffering of others. The ancient kings had such a heart, and therefore they had governance that could not bear the people’s suffering. Govern the realm with a heart that cannot bear suffering, and the realm can be managed as easily as turning something in the palm of your hand.

The reason I say all humans have a heart that cannot bear the suffering of others is this: suppose someone suddenly sees a small child about to fall into a well. Everyone would feel alarm and compassion — not because they wish to gain favor with the child’s parents, not because they seek praise from neighbors and friends, and not because they dislike the sound of the child’s cries.

From this we can see: one without a heart of compassion is not human; one without a heart of shame is not human; one without a heart of deference is not human; one without a heart of right and wrong is not human. The heart of compassion is the sprout of benevolence. The heart of shame is the sprout of righteous conduct. The heart of deference is the sprout of propriety. The heart of right and wrong is the sprout of wisdom. Human beings have these four sprouts just as they have four limbs. For one who has these four sprouts to say he is unable to develop them — that is to injure himself. To say his ruler is unable — that is to injure his ruler.

All who have these four sprouts within them — let them know to expand and fill them out. They are like a fire beginning to burn, a spring beginning to flow. If one can fill them out, they are sufficient to protect all within the four seas. If one fails to fill them out, they are insufficient even to serve one’s parents.”

Mencius said: “Is the arrow-maker less benevolent than the armor-maker? The arrow-maker’s only fear is that his arrows will not wound; the armor-maker’s only fear is that people will be wounded. The same applies to shamans and coffin-makers. Therefore one must be careful in choosing one’s craft. Confucius said: ‘It is benevolence that makes a neighborhood beautiful. If one chooses not to dwell in benevolence, how can one be considered wise?’ Benevolence is heaven’s noble title and the peaceful dwelling of humankind. When nothing prevents it yet one is not benevolent — that is not wisdom. Without benevolence, without wisdom, without propriety, without righteous conduct — one is a servant of others. To be a servant of others and be ashamed of servitude is like being a bow-maker ashamed of making bows, or an arrow-maker ashamed of making arrows. If you are truly ashamed, nothing is better than practicing benevolence. The benevolent person is like an archer: the archer corrects himself before releasing the arrow. If he misses, he does not resent those who beat him; he simply looks within himself.”

Mencius said: “Zilu, when told of his faults, was delighted. Yu, when he heard good words, bowed. The great Shun surpassed even these: he made goodness a shared enterprise with others. He set aside his own views to follow others, joyfully taking from others to do good. From the time he was a farmer, potter, and fisherman to the time he became emperor, there was nothing he did not take from others. To take from others in order to do good — this is to work with others toward goodness. Therefore there is nothing greater for a noble person than working with others toward goodness.”

Mencius said: “Bo Yi would serve no lord but the right one and befriend no one but the right person. He would not stand in the court of a wicked man or speak with a wicked person. To stand in a wicked man’s court or speak with a wicked person would be, for him, like sitting in mud and charcoal wearing court robes. Extending his hatred of wickedness, he would think that even if standing beside a villager whose cap was crooked, he should turn away indignantly, as if fearing contamination. Therefore, even when feudal lords approached with courteous invitations, he would not receive them — he simply would not deign to go.

Liuxia Hui was not ashamed of a corrupt lord and did not consider a minor office beneath him. When advanced to office he did not conceal his talents, always acting according to his principles. When passed over he bore no resentment; when in dire straits he felt no bitterness. He said: ‘You are you and I am I. Even if you stood naked beside me, how could you contaminate me?’ So he calmly stayed with others without losing himself. When restrained and asked to stay, he stayed — he simply would not deign to leave.”

Mencius said: “Bo Yi was narrow; Liuxia Hui was undiscriminating. Neither narrowness nor lack of discrimination is the path of the noble person.”