離婁上

Mencius said: “With Li Lou’s keen sight and Gongshu Zi’s skill, without compass and square they cannot make circles and squares. With Music Master Kuang’s keen ear, without the six pitch-pipes he cannot tune the five notes. With the Way of Yao and Shun, without benevolent governance one cannot bring peace to the realm.

Now there are those with benevolent hearts and benevolent reputations, yet the people receive no benefit from them and they cannot be models for later ages — because they do not practice the Way of the ancient kings. The sage exhausts the power of his eyes, then supplements it with compass, square, level, and line to make circles, squares, planes, and straight lines in inexhaustible supply. He exhausts the power of his ears, then supplements it with the six pitch-pipes. He exhausts his thought, then supplements it with governance that cannot bear the people’s suffering, and benevolence covers the whole realm.

Therefore it is said: to build high, one must rely on the hill; to dig low, one must follow the stream. Is it wise to govern without following the Way of the ancient kings? Only the benevolent should occupy high positions. When the unbenevolent occupy high positions, they spread their wickedness to the multitude.

When those above have no guiding principles and those below have no adherence to law, when the court does not trust the Way and the craftsmen do not trust their measures, when the noble person violates righteous conduct and the common person violates the law — that the state survives at all is a matter of luck. Therefore it is said: incomplete walls and insufficient arms are not the state’s disaster; uncultivated fields and ungathered wealth are not the state’s harm. But when those above lack propriety and those below lack learning, seditious people arise, and the state’s downfall is at hand.”

Mencius said: “Compass and square are the perfection of circles and squares; the sage is the perfection of human relationships. To be a ruler, fulfill the ruler’s Way; to be a minister, fulfill the minister’s Way. Both need only model themselves on Yao and Shun. Not to serve your ruler as Shun served Yao is to disrespect your ruler. Not to govern your people as Yao governed his is to harm your people. Confucius said: ‘There are only two ways: benevolence and its absence.’ A ruler who oppresses his people excessively will himself be killed and his state destroyed; if not excessively, his person will be endangered and his territory diminished. Such rulers are called ‘Dark’ and ‘Cruel’ — though their filial sons and loving grandsons may try for a hundred generations, they cannot change these names. The Odes say: ‘The mirror of Yin is not far off — it is in the age of the Xia lords.’ This is what it means.”

Mencius said: “The Three Dynasties won the realm through benevolence and lost it through the lack of benevolence. The rise and fall of states follows the same pattern. Without benevolence, the Son of Heaven cannot protect the realm; without benevolence, a feudal lord cannot protect the altars of soil and grain; without benevolence, a minister cannot protect the ancestral temple; without benevolence, a commoner cannot protect his own body. To hate death yet delight in the absence of benevolence is like hating drunkenness while forcing oneself to drink.”

Mencius said: “If you love people and they do not respond with affection, examine your benevolence. If you govern people and they are not well governed, examine your wisdom. If you treat people with propriety and they do not respond, examine your respect. Whenever your actions do not achieve their aim, always seek the cause within yourself. When your own person is correct, the whole realm will turn to you. The Odes say: ‘Forever mindful of heaven’s mandate, seek for yourself much blessing.’”

Mencius said: “People have a common saying: ‘The realm, the state, the family.’ The root of the realm is the state; the root of the state is the family; the root of the family is the individual.”

Mencius said: “Governing is not difficult — do not offend the great families. What the great families admire, the whole state admires; what the state admires, the whole realm admires. Thus virtue and teaching overflow to fill the four seas.”

Mencius said: “When the realm has the Way, the lesser virtue serves the greater virtue, the lesser worthy serves the greater worthy. When the realm lacks the Way, the small serves the great, the weak serves the strong. Both are heaven’s decree. Those who follow heaven survive; those who resist heaven perish. If you wish to be invincible yet refuse to practice benevolence, it is like grasping something hot without washing your hands. The Odes say: ‘Who can grasp what is hot without washing first?’”

Mencius said: “Can you reason with the unbenevolent? They feel safe in danger, profit from disaster, and delight in what leads to their ruin. If you could reason with the unbenevolent, there would be no ruined states or destroyed families. A child sang: ‘When the Canglang waters are clear, I wash my cap-strings; when the Canglang waters are muddy, I wash my feet.’ Confucius said: ‘Listen, children! When they are clear, wash your cap-strings; when muddy, wash your feet — it brings it on itself.’ A person must first demean himself, and then others demean him; a family must first destroy itself, and then others destroy it; a state must first attack itself, and then others attack it. The Tai Jia says: ‘When heaven sends calamities, one may yet escape; when one brings calamity upon oneself, there is no surviving.’ This is what it means.”

Mencius said: “Jie and Zhou lost the realm because they lost the people; they lost the people because they lost their hearts. There is a way to win the realm: win the people and you win the realm. There is a way to win the people: win their hearts and you win the people. There is a way to win their hearts: give them what they desire and do not impose what they hate.

The people turn to benevolence as water flows downward and beasts run to the wilds. Just as the otter drives fish to the deep waters and the hawk drives birds to the thickets, so Jie and Zhou drove the people to Tang and Wu. If there were a ruler today who loved benevolence, all the other lords would drive the people to him. Even if he did not wish to be king, he could not avoid it.”

Mencius said: “With those who do violence to themselves, it is impossible to speak. With those who throw themselves away, it is impossible to act. To speak against propriety and righteous conduct is what I call doing violence to oneself. To say ‘I cannot dwell in benevolence or follow righteous conduct’ is what I call throwing oneself away. Benevolence is the peaceful dwelling of humankind; righteous conduct is the correct path. To leave the peaceful dwelling empty and not dwell in it, to abandon the correct path and not follow it — how pitiful!”

Mencius said: “The Way is near, yet you seek it afar. The task is easy, yet you seek it in difficulty. If everyone would simply treat their parents as parents and their elders as elders, the whole realm would be at peace.”

Mencius said: “One in a low position who does not gain the trust of those above cannot govern the people. There is a way to gain the trust of superiors: if not trusted by friends, one cannot gain the trust of superiors. There is a way to be trusted by friends: if one does not please one’s parents, one cannot be trusted by friends. There is a way to please one’s parents: if upon self-examination one is not sincere, one cannot please one’s parents. There is a way to become sincere: if one does not understand goodness, one cannot be sincere in oneself. Therefore sincerity is the Way of heaven; thinking about sincerity is the Way of humankind. There has never been one who was perfectly sincere and did not move others; there has never been one who was not sincere and was able to move others.”

Mencius said: “Bo Yi fled the tyrant Zhou and dwelt by the North Sea. When he heard that King Wen had arisen, he stirred and said: ‘Let me go home! I hear the Lord of the West is good at nourishing the old.’ Taigong fled Zhou and dwelt by the East Sea. When he heard that King Wen had arisen, he stirred and said: ‘Let me go home!’ These two elders were the greatest elders in the realm, and they turned to him — meaning the realm’s fathers turned to him. When the realm’s fathers turn to you, where will their sons go? If any lord practices King Wen’s governance, within seven years he will surely govern the whole realm.”

Mencius said: “Qiu served as steward to the Ji family. He could not reform their character, yet he doubled the grain tax beyond what had been collected before. Confucius said: ‘Qiu is no disciple of mine — you young men may beat the drum and attack him.’ From this we can see: when a ruler does not practice benevolent governance, to enrich him is to be rejected by Confucius. How much worse to fight wars on his behalf! Seizing territory through war, corpses fill the wilds; seizing cities through war, corpses fill the cities. This is what is called ‘leading the land to devour human flesh’ — the crime of which death is insufficient punishment. Therefore those skilled at war deserve the heaviest punishment; those who form alliances among the lords come next; those who open wasteland and impose land taxes come next.”

Mencius said: “Nothing in a person reveals more than the pupils of the eyes. The pupils cannot conceal wickedness. When the heart is upright, the pupils are bright and clear. When the heart is not upright, the pupils are murky and dull. Listen to a person’s words and observe his pupils — where can he hide?”

Mencius said: “The respectful do not insult others; the frugal do not rob others. A ruler who insults and robs his people, fearing only their disobedience — how can he be called respectful or frugal? Can respectfulness and frugality be achieved through tone of voice and facial expression alone?”

Chunyu Kun asked: “For men and women not to touch hands in giving and receiving — is this propriety?” Mencius said: “It is propriety.” Chunyu Kun asked: “If one’s sister-in-law is drowning, should one pull her out with his hand?” Mencius said: “Not to rescue a drowning sister-in-law would make one a wolf. The rule against touching hands is propriety; pulling her out by hand is a matter of weighing circumstances.” Chunyu Kun asked: “The whole realm is drowning now — why do you not rescue it, Master?” Mencius said: “When the whole realm is drowning, one rescues it with the Way. When a sister-in-law is drowning, one rescues her with the hand. Do you wish me to rescue the realm with my hand?”

Gongsun Chou asked: “Why does the noble person not teach his own son?” Mencius said: “The circumstances do not allow it. The teacher must teach with correctness. If correctness fails to take effect, anger follows; and anger leads to estrangement. ‘My father teaches me with correctness, yet he himself has not been entirely correct’ — and father and son become estranged. When father and son are estranged, nothing is worse. Therefore the ancients exchanged sons and taught each other’s. Between father and son, one should not demand goodness. Demanding goodness leads to alienation, and nothing is more inauspicious than alienation.”

Mencius said: “Of all duties, which is the greatest? Serving one’s parents is the greatest. Of all charges, which is the greatest? Guarding oneself is the greatest. I have heard of those who did not lose themselves and were able to serve their parents. I have never heard of those who lost themselves and were able to serve their parents.”

Mencius said: “It is not worth criticizing individuals; it is not worth finding fault with policies. Only the great person can rectify the wrongness in the ruler’s heart. When the ruler is benevolent, none will be unbenevolent; when the ruler is righteous, none will be unrighteous; when the ruler is correct, none will be incorrect. Once the ruler is set right, the state is settled.”

Mencius said: “There is unexpected praise, and there is criticism that demands perfection.”

Mencius said: “People speak carelessly because no responsibility attaches to their words.”

Mencius said: “The trouble with people is their fondness for being teachers of others.”

Yuezheng Zi followed Zi Ao to Qi. Yuezheng Zi visited Mencius. Mencius said: “So you too have come to see me?” He said: “Master, why do you say this?” Mencius asked: “How many days since you arrived?” He said: “Yesterday.” Mencius said: “Yesterday! Then is it not fitting that I say this?” He said: “My lodging was not yet settled.” Mencius said: “Have you heard that one must settle one’s lodging before seeking to see an elder?” He said: “I am at fault.”

Mencius said to Yuezheng Zi: “You followed Zi Ao here merely to eat and drink. I did not expect that you, having studied the Way of antiquity, would use it merely for eating and drinking.”

Mencius said: “Of the three unfilial acts, having no descendants is the greatest. Shun married without informing his parents because of this concern. The noble person considers this as good as informing them.”

Mencius said: “The substance of benevolence is serving one’s parents. The substance of righteous conduct is obeying one’s elder brother. The substance of wisdom is knowing these two and not departing from them. The substance of propriety is the regulation and refinement of these two. The substance of music is the delight in these two. When delight arises, it cannot be stopped — and before one knows it, one’s feet are dancing and one’s hands are waving.”

Mencius said: “When the whole realm rejoices and is about to turn to you, yet you regard the realm’s turning to you as mere grass — only Shun was capable of this. He who cannot gain the affection of his parents cannot be called a human being; he who cannot please his parents cannot be called a son. Shun fulfilled every aspect of serving his parents, and the Blind Old Man was brought to contentment. When the Blind Old Man was content, the whole realm was transformed. When the Blind Old Man was content, the pattern for all fathers and sons in the realm was established. This is what is called great filial piety.”