盡心上

Mencius said: “He who fully develops his heart knows his nature. Knowing his nature, he knows heaven. To preserve one’s heart and nourish one’s nature is the way to serve heaven. Whether life is short or long, to not waver but cultivate oneself and await one’s fate — this is how to establish one’s destiny.”

Mencius said: “All is destiny — accept what is proper in it. Therefore one who knows destiny does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. To die having fulfilled one’s Way is a proper destiny. To die in shackles is not.”

Mencius said: “Seek and you will find it; let go and you will lose it — here seeking aids finding, because what you seek is within yourself. When seeking has a method and finding depends on fate, then seeking does not aid finding, because what you seek is external.”

Mencius said: “All things are complete within me. To examine oneself and find sincerity — there is no greater joy. To act vigorously with empathy — nothing is closer to benevolence.”

Mencius said: “To practice something without understanding it, to be habituated without examining it, to follow a path all one’s life without knowing where it leads — this describes the multitude.”

Mencius said: “A person cannot be without a sense of shame. The shame of being without shame — that is true shamelessness.”

Mencius said: “Shame is of great importance to a person. Those who practice crafty schemes have no use for shame. If one is not ashamed of being inferior to others, how will one ever equal them?”

Mencius said: “The worthy kings of antiquity loved goodness and forgot about power. Were the worthy scholars of antiquity any different? They delighted in the Way and forgot the power of others. If kings and lords did not show the utmost respect and propriety, they could not gain frequent audiences with such scholars.”

Mencius told Song Goujian: “Do you like traveling among the states? I will tell you about it. If people recognize you, be calm and content. If they do not recognize you, be calm and content.” Song Goujian asked: “How can one be calm and content?” Mencius said: “Honor virtue and delight in righteous conduct, and you can be calm and content. The scholar in poverty does not lose righteous conduct; in success, he does not leave the Way. In poverty, not losing righteous conduct — thus the scholar retains his integrity. In success, not leaving the Way — thus the people are not disappointed. The ancients, when they achieved their ambitions, spread blessings to the people. When they did not achieve them, they cultivated themselves and became known to the world. In poverty, they perfected themselves alone. In success, they perfected the whole realm as well.”

Mencius said: “Those who wait for a King Wen before rising are common people. As for outstanding men, they rise even without a King Wen.”

Mencius said: “Even if given the wealth of the Han and Wei families, if one still regards oneself as lacking, one surpasses others by far.”

Mencius said: “Employ the people by the Way of ease, and though they toil, they will not resent it. Kill them by the Way that gives life, and though they die, they will not resent the one who kills them.”

Mencius said: “The people of a hegemon are cheerful; the people of a true king are expansive and content. He kills them and they bear no grudge; he benefits them and they feel no gratitude. Day by day the people move toward goodness without knowing who causes it. Wherever the noble person passes, transformation follows; wherever he dwells, the spirit works. Above and below he flows with heaven and earth — how can this be called a small supplement?”

Mencius said: “Words of benevolence do not penetrate as deeply as the reputation of benevolence. Good governance does not win the people as effectively as good education. The people fear good governance; they love good education. Good governance wins their wealth; good education wins their hearts.”

Mencius said: “What people can do without learning is innate ability. What they know without deliberation is innate knowledge. Every young child knows to love its parents; as it grows, it knows to respect its elder brother. Loving one’s parents is benevolence; respecting one’s elders is righteous conduct. There is nothing else — these extend to the whole realm.”

Mencius said: “When Shun dwelt deep in the mountains, living among trees and stones, roaming with deer and boar, he differed little from the wild people of the deep mountains. But when he heard a single good word or saw a single good deed, it was like breaking open the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers — the surge was irresistible.”

Mencius said: “Do not do what you would not do; do not desire what you would not desire. This is all.”

Mencius said: “Virtue, wisdom, skill, and knowledge always arise from hardship and affliction. The solitary minister and the illegitimate son — their hearts are anxious and their thoughts are deep, and therefore they achieve.”

Mencius said: “There are those who serve their lord merely to please him. There are ministers of the altars of soil and grain, who find pleasure in securing the state. There are heaven’s people, who act only when their Way can prevail throughout the realm. There are great persons, who rectify themselves and all things are rectified.”

Mencius said: “The noble person has three joys, and being king of the realm is not among them. That both parents are alive and brothers have no difficulties — this is the first joy. That looking up he is not ashamed before heaven, and looking down he is not ashamed before men — this is the second joy. To obtain the finest talents of the realm and educate them — this is the third joy. The noble person has three joys, and being king of the realm is not among them.”

Mencius said: “Broad territory and many people — the noble person desires these, but his joy does not lie there. To stand at the center of the realm and settle the people of the four seas — the noble person finds joy in this, but his nature does not lie there. What is the noble person’s nature? Benevolence, righteous conduct, propriety, and wisdom are rooted in the heart. Their expression appears in the face, shines from the back, extends to the four limbs — the four limbs understand without being told.”

Mencius described how Bo Yi and Taigong both fled the tyrant Zhou but came to King Wen when they heard he nourished the elderly well. He then outlined King Wen’s welfare system: five-mu homesteads with mulberry trees, five hens and two sows, hundred-mu farms — ensuring no elderly person would freeze or starve.

Mencius said: “Ease the fields and lighten the taxes, and the people can be made rich. Consume according to the seasons, use according to propriety, and wealth cannot be exhausted. The people cannot live without water and fire. Knock on anyone’s door at dusk asking for water or fire, and no one will refuse — because these are superabundant. The sage governs the realm so that beans and grain are as abundant as water and fire. When beans and grain are as abundant as water and fire, how could the people not be benevolent?”

Confucius climbed the Eastern Mountain and thought Lu small; he climbed Mount Tai and thought the whole realm small. Therefore one who has contemplated the sea finds other waters hard to appreciate, and one who has studied at the sage’s gate finds other doctrines hard to appreciate. There is a technique for observing water: one must observe its waves. The sun and moon have brightness — their light reaches every crevice. Flowing water fills each hollow before moving on. The noble person who sets his mind on the Way does not achieve mastery until each stage is complete.

Mencius said: “Rise at cockcrow and work tirelessly for good — that is Shun’s kind. Rise at cockcrow and work tirelessly for profit — that is Robber Zhi’s kind. To know the difference between Shun and Zhi, look at nothing else — it is simply the distance between goodness and profit.”

Mencius said: “Yang Zhu chose ‘for myself’ — even pulling out one hair to benefit the whole realm, he would not do it. Mozi practiced universal love — wearing himself from head to heel to benefit the realm, he would do it. Zi Mo held the middle — holding the middle is close, but holding the middle without flexibility is like holding one extreme. What I dislike about holding one extreme is that it damages the Way — it takes up one thing and sets aside a hundred.”

Mencius said: “The hungry find any food sweet; the thirsty find any drink sweet. They have not attained the right standard of food and drink — hunger and thirst have distorted them. Is it only mouth and belly that suffer from hunger and thirst? The human heart also has its distortions. If one can avoid letting the distortions of hunger and thirst become the distortions of the heart, then not matching others is no cause for worry.”

Mencius said: “Liuxia Hui would not exchange his integrity for the three highest offices.”

Mencius said: “Purposeful action is like digging a well. You may dig down nine ren without reaching water — it is still an abandoned well.”

Mencius said: “Yao and Shun acted from nature. Tang and Wu embodied it through practice. The Five Hegemons merely borrowed it. Borrow it long enough without returning it, and how do you know it is not truly yours?”

Gongsun Chou asked whether a worthy minister may depose an unworthy ruler, as Yi Yin exiled Tai Jia. Mencius said: “With Yi Yin’s purpose, it is permissible. Without Yi Yin’s purpose, it is usurpation.”

Gongsun Chou quoted the Odes: “‘He does not eat without earning it’ — yet the noble person does not farm. Why?” Mencius said: “When the noble person resides in a state and the ruler employs him, the state prospers; when the young follow him, they become filial, loyal, and trustworthy. Who earns their keep more than this?”

Prince Dian asked: “What should a scholar do?” Mencius said: “Elevate his aspirations.” “What does that mean?” “Benevolence and righteous conduct — nothing more. To kill a single innocent person is contrary to benevolence; to take what is not one’s own is contrary to righteous conduct. Where should one dwell? In benevolence. What path should one follow? Righteous conduct. Dwell in benevolence, follow righteous conduct — and the great person’s work is complete.”

Mencius said: “Zhongzi would refuse the entire state of Qi if it were given unjustly — everyone believes this. But this is the righteous conduct of refusing a basket of food and a bowl of soup. No one is more unrighteous than one who abandons parents, ruler, and the relationships between superiors and subordinates. To take a minor act of righteous conduct as proof of the whole — how can that be right?”

Tao Ying asked: “If Shun were Son of Heaven and Gao Yao were judge, and the Blind Old Man murdered someone, what would happen?” Mencius said: “Gao Yao would arrest him.” “Would Shun not forbid it?” “How could Shun forbid it? Gao Yao had proper authority.” “Then what would Shun do?” “Shun would regard casting aside the realm as throwing away a worn sandal. He would secretly carry his father on his back and flee, settling by the seashore, happy for the rest of his life, forgetting the realm.”

Mencius saw the son of the king of Qi from a distance and sighed: “Dwelling changes one’s qi; nourishment changes one’s body. How great is dwelling!” He noted that the prince looked no different from other people physically, yet his bearing was transformed by his environment. “How much more for one who dwells in the broad dwelling of the whole realm!”

Mencius said: “To feed without loving is to treat someone like a pig. To love without respecting is to keep someone like a pet. Respect and propriety are gifts that precede the material offering. Respectful manner without substance — the noble person cannot be detained by empty forms.”

Mencius said: “Form and appearance are heaven’s nature. Only the sage can fully realize his form.”

When King Xuan of Qi wished to shorten the mourning period, Gongsun Chou asked: “Is one year of mourning better than none?” Mencius said: “That is like telling someone who is twisting his elder brother’s arm to ‘please do it more gently.’ Simply teach filial piety and respect.” A prince whose mother had died asked through his tutor for several months of mourning. Mencius said: “This is someone who wishes to mourn fully but cannot obtain permission. Even one extra day is better than none — this refers to those who are not prohibited from mourning yet choose not to.”

Mencius said: “The noble person has five ways of teaching: there is transforming like timely rain; there is perfecting virtue; there is developing talent; there is answering questions; and there is setting a private example for emulation. These five are the noble person’s ways of teaching.”

Gongsun Chou said: “The Way is lofty and beautiful, but seems as unreachable as climbing to heaven. Why not make it seem more attainable so people will strive for it daily?” Mencius said: “A master carpenter does not lower his standards for a clumsy worker. Yi did not change his draw-length for a poor archer. The noble person draws the bow to the full but does not release — he stands poised in the middle of the Way. Those who are able follow.”

Mencius said: “When the realm has the Way, the Way accompanies one’s person. When the realm lacks the Way, one’s person accompanies the Way. I have never heard of bending the Way to accommodate others.”

Gongdu Zi asked why Mencius did not answer Teng Geng’s questions though Teng Geng was treated as a valued student. Mencius said: “Those who presume on rank, wisdom, seniority, past services, or old connections when asking questions — I do not answer. Teng Geng had two of these.”

Mencius said: “He who stops where he should not stop will stop at everything. He who is thin where he should be generous will be thin everywhere. He who advances rashly will retreat swiftly.”

Mencius said: “The noble person, toward things, loves them but is not benevolent toward them. Toward the people, he is benevolent but does not treat them as family. Love your family, then extend benevolence to the people. Extend benevolence to the people, then extend love to all things.”

Mencius said: “The wise know everything, but attending to priorities is urgent. The benevolent love all, but devoting care to the worthy is essential. Even the wisdom of Yao and Shun did not extend to everything — they attended to priorities. Even the benevolence of Yao and Shun could not love everyone equally — they devoted care to the worthy first.”