Meng Zi (孟子)

孟子見梁惠王。王曰：「叟不遠千里而來，亦將有以利吾國乎？」

Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang. King Hui said: "Venerable sir, you have come from a thousand li away; surely you have something to bring to profit my state?"

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』？上下交徵利而國危矣。萬乘之國弒其君者，必千乘之家；千乘之國弒其君者，必百乘之家。萬取千焉，千取百焉，不為不多矣。苟為後義而先利，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？」

Mencius replied: "Why must Your Majesty speak of profit? There is only benevolence (the heart that loves people and extends to all things) and righteousness (doing what is proper to the matter at hand). If Your Majesty says 'How can I profit my state?', the grandees will say 'How can I profit my family?', and the officers and common people will say 'How can I profit myself?' When high and low contend for profit, the state is in danger. In a state of ten thousand chariots, the one who murders its ruler must be from a family of a thousand chariots; in a state of a thousand chariots, the one who murders its ruler must be from a family of a hundred chariots. To take a thousand from ten thousand, or a hundred from a thousand, is not a small share. If righteousness is put last and profit first, they will not be satisfied without seizing. There has never been a benevolent man who abandoned his parents, nor a righteous man who put his ruler last. Let Your Majesty speak only of benevolence and righteousness; why must you speak of profit?"

孟子見梁惠王，王立於沼上，顧鴻鴈麋鹿，曰：「賢者亦樂此乎？」

Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang. The King was standing by a pond, looking at the wild geese and swans and the deer, and said: "Do worthy men also enjoy this?"

孟子對曰：「賢者而後樂此，不賢者雖有此，不樂也。《詩》云：『經始靈臺，經之營之，庶民攻之，不日成之。經始勿亟，庶民子來。王在靈囿，麀鹿攸伏，麀鹿濯濯，白鳥鶴鶴。王在靈沼，於牣魚躍。』文王以民力為臺為沼。而民歡樂之，謂其臺曰靈臺，謂其沼曰靈沼，樂其有麋鹿魚鼈。古之人與民偕樂，故能樂也。《湯誓》曰：『時日害喪？予及女偕亡。』民欲與之偕亡，雖有臺池鳥獸，豈能獨樂哉？」

Mencius replied: "Only after one has become a worthy man can one enjoy this; an unworthy man, even if he has these, cannot enjoy them. The Book of Songs, in the 'Ling Tai' of the Greater Odes, says: 'He began to plan the Spirit Terrace, he laid it out and built it; the multitude set to work on it, and in a few days it was done. He began to plan without hurry, but the multitude came like sons. The king is in the Spirit Park, where the does lie at rest, the does are sleek and glossy, and the white birds are gleaming. The king is at the Spirit Pond, and the whole pond is full of leaping fish.' King Wen used the people's strength to build his terrace and pond, yet the people rejoiced in it, calling his terrace the Spirit Terrace and his pond the Spirit Pond, and delighting that he had deer, fish and turtles. The people of old shared their joy with the people, and so were able to enjoy it. The 'Oath of Tang' in the Book of Documents says: 'When will this sun perish? I would gladly die with you.' If the people wished to die together with him, even if he had terraces, ponds, birds and beasts, how could he enjoy them alone?"

梁惠王曰：「寡人之於國也，盡心焉耳矣。河內兇，則移其民於河東，移其粟於河內。河東兇亦然。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？」

King Hui of Liang said: "I have given my whole mind to the state. When Henei suffered famine, I moved its people to Hedong and carried grain from Hedong to Henei. When Hedong suffered famine, I did the same. When I look at the governments of neighboring states, none takes such pains as I do. Yet the neighbors' people do not grow fewer and mine do not grow more; why is this?"

孟子對曰：「王好戰，請以戰喻。填然鼓之，兵刃既接，棄甲曳兵而走。或百步而後止，或五十步而後止。以五十步笑百步，則何如？」

Mencius replied: "Your Majesty is fond of war, so let me use war as an illustration. The drums beat loudly and the blades have crossed; soldiers throw away their armor and drag their weapons as they run. Some run a hundred paces before stopping, and some run fifty paces before stopping. What if the one who ran fifty paces laughed at the one who ran a hundred?"

曰：「不可，直不百步耳，是亦走也。」

King Hui said: "That would not do; he simply did not run a hundred paces, but it is running all the same."

曰：「王如知此，則無望民之多於鄰國也。不違農時，谷不可勝食也；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。谷與魚鼈不可勝食，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，勿奪其時，數口之家可以無飢矣；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，黎民不飢不寒，然而不王者，未之有也。

Mencius said: "If Your Majesty knows this, then do not hope that your people will be more numerous than those of neighboring states. If the farming seasons are not interfered with, there will be more grain than can be eaten; if fine nets are not put into deep pools, there will be more fish and turtles than can be eaten; if axes enter the forests at the proper times, there will be more timber than can be used. When grain, fish and turtles cannot all be eaten and timber cannot all be used, the people will have no regret in nourishing the living and sending off the dead. No regret in nourishing the living and sending off the dead is the beginning of the kingly way. Give a homestead of five mu and plant mulberries on it, and those of fifty can wear silk; do not neglect the breeding seasons of chickens, piglets, dogs and pigs, and those of seventy can eat meat; do not take away the farming seasons from a field of a hundred mu, and a family of several mouths can avoid hunger; carefully maintain the teaching of the schools, repeatedly explaining the meaning of filial piety and brotherly respect, and gray-haired people will not carry loads on their backs or heads along the road. When those of seventy wear silk and eat meat and the common people are neither hungry nor cold, there has never been a ruler who did this and yet did not become king.

狗彘食人食而不知檢，塗有餓莩而不知發；人死，則曰：『非我也，歲也。』是何異於刺人而殺之，曰：『非我也，兵也。』王無罪歲，斯天下之民至焉。」

(Mencius continued:) "When dogs and pigs eat the people's food and you do not know to restrain them, and there are people dead of hunger on the road and you do not know to open the granaries; when people die and you say 'It was not I, it was the harvest', how is this different from stabbing a man to death and saying 'It was not I, it was the weapon'? If Your Majesty does not blame the harvest, the people of the world will come to you."

梁惠王曰：「寡人願安承教。」

King Hui of Liang said: "I wish to receive your instruction with a quiet mind."

孟子對曰：「殺人以梃與刃，有以異乎？」

Mencius replied: "Is there any difference between killing a man with a stick and killing him with a blade?"

曰：「無以異也。」

King Hui said: "There is no difference."

「以刃與政，有以異乎？」

(Mencius asked:) "Is there any difference between killing with a blade and killing with government?"

曰：「無以異也。」

King Hui said: "There is no difference."

曰：「庖有肥肉，廐有肥馬，民有飢色，野有餓莩，此率獸而食人也。獸相食，且人惡之。為民父母，行政不免於率獸而食人。惡在其為民父母也？仲尼曰：『始作俑者，其無後乎！』為其象人而用之也。如之何其使斯民飢而死也？」

Mencius said: "There is fat meat in the kitchen and fat horses in the stables, yet the people have the look of hunger and in the countryside there are people dead of starvation; this is leading beasts to eat people. Even when beasts eat each other, people are disgusted by it. If one is the parent of the people and yet in governing cannot avoid leading beasts to eat people, how can he be called the parent of the people? Zhongni said: 'The one who first made clay figures for burial surely had no posterity!' Because he made them in the likeness of people and used them so. How then can one let these people die of hunger?"

梁惠王曰：「晉國，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，願比死者一灑之，如之何則可？」

King Hui of Liang said: "Jin was the strongest state under heaven, as you know, venerable sir. But when it came to me, in the east we were defeated by Qi, and my eldest son died there; in the west we lost seven hundred li of land to Qin; in the south we were humiliated by Chu. I am ashamed of this and wish to wash it clean once for the dead; what can be done?"

孟子對曰：「地方百里而可以王。王如施仁政於民，省刑罰，薄稅斂，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。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，王往而徵之，夫誰與王敵？故曰：『仁者無敵。』王請勿疑！」

Mencius replied: "A territory of a hundred li square suffices for becoming king. If Your Majesty practices benevolent government toward the people, reduces punishments and fines, lightens taxes, has them plow deep and weed diligently, and lets the able-bodied use their spare time to cultivate filial piety, brotherly respect, loyalty and trustworthiness, serving their fathers and elder brothers at home and their elders abroad, you can have them take up sticks and strike the strong armor and sharp weapons of Qin and Chu. Those states take away their people's farming seasons so that they cannot plow and weed to support their parents, and their parents freeze and starve and brothers, wives and children are scattered. They are dragging their own people into a pit, and if Your Majesty goes to attack them, who can oppose you? So it is said: 'The benevolent have no enemy.' I beg Your Majesty not to doubt it!"

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？』吾對曰：『定於一。』

Mencius went to see King Xiang of Liang. When he came out, he said to others: "From a distance he did not look like a ruler, and close up I saw nothing in him to inspire awe. He suddenly asked: 'How can the world be settled?' I answered: 'It will be settled by being unified.'

『孰能一之？』對曰：『不嗜殺人者能一之。』

(Mencius continued his account:) 'Who can unify it?' I answered: 'One who has no taste for killing people can unify it.'

『孰能與之？』對曰：『天下莫不與也。王知夫苗乎？七八月之間旱，則苗槁矣。天油然作云，沛然下雨，則苗浡然興之矣。其如是，孰能御之？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。誠如是也，民歸之，由水之就下，沛然誰能御之？』」

(Mencius continued his account:) 'Who will follow him?' I answered: 'None under heaven will fail to follow him. Does Your Majesty know about rice seedlings? In the seventh and eighth months, if there is drought, the seedlings wither. Then if heaven richly gathers clouds and sends down abundant rain, the seedlings spring up vigorously. When this happens, who can hold them back? Now among those who shepherd the people of the world, there are none who have no taste for killing people; if there were one who had no taste for killing people, all the people of the world would stretch their necks to look for him. If it were truly so, the people would turn to him like water flowing downhill, in a rush, and who could stop them?'"

齊宣王問曰：「齊桓、晉文之事可得聞乎？」

King Xuan of Qi asked: "May I hear about the affairs of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin?"

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 replied: "The disciples of Zhongni did not speak of the affairs of Huan and Wen, so they were not handed down to later generations. I have not heard of them. If you do not mind, shall we speak of the kingly way?"

曰：「德何如，則可以王矣？」

King Xuan said: "What kind of virtue is needed in order to become king?"

曰：「保民而王，莫之能御也。」

Mencius said: "One who protects and soothes the people and becomes king cannot be opposed."

曰：「若寡人者，可以保民乎哉？」

King Xuan said: "Can someone like me protect and soothe the people?"

曰：「可。」

Mencius said: "You can."

曰：「何由知吾可也？」

King Xuan said: "How do you know that I can?"

曰：「臣聞之胡齕曰，王坐於堂上，有牽牛而過堂下者，王見之，曰：『牛何之？』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？」

Mencius said: "I heard from Hu He that the King was sitting in the hall when someone led an ox past below the hall. The King saw it and said: 'Where is the ox going?' The man answered: 'It is to be used to consecrate a bell with its blood.' The King said: 'Let it go! I cannot bear its frightened trembling, as if it were going to the place of death without guilt.' The man answered: 'Then shall we abolish the consecration of the bell?' The King said: 'How can it be abolished? Replace it with a sheep!' I do not know whether this happened."

曰：「有之。」

King Xuan said: "It did."

曰：「是心足以王矣。百姓皆以王為愛也，臣固知王之不忍也。」

Mencius said: "This heart is enough to make you a king. The people all thought Your Majesty was stingy, but I knew from the first that Your Majesty could not bear it."

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。」

King Xuan said: "Yes. There are indeed such people. Though Qi is small, how could I begrudge a single ox? It was just that I could not bear its frightened trembling, as if it were going to the place of death without guilt, so I replaced it with a sheep."

曰：「王無異於百姓之以王為愛也。以小易大，彼惡知之？王若隱其無罪而就死地，則牛羊何擇焉？」

Mencius said: "Do not blame the people for thinking Your Majesty stingy. You used a small animal in place of a large one; how would they know? If Your Majesty pitied it for going to the place of death without guilt, what difference is there between an ox and a sheep?"

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。」

King Xuan laughed and said: "What heart was this, really? It was not that I begrudged the wealth. But since I replaced it with a sheep, it is right that the people say I am stingy."

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: "There is no harm; this is precisely the method of benevolence: you saw the ox and had not seen the sheep. The gentleman toward birds and beasts, having seen them alive, cannot bear to see them die; having heard their cries, cannot bear to eat their flesh. So the gentleman keeps away from the kitchen."

王說曰：「《詩》云：『他人有心，予忖度之。』夫子之謂也。夫我乃行之，反而求之，不得吾心。夫子言之，於我心有慼慼焉。此心之所以合於王者，何也？」

King Xuan was pleased and said: "The Book of Songs, in the 'Clever Words' of the Lesser Odes, says: 'Another man has a heart, and I can fathom it.' This describes you, Master. I did this thing, and then turned back to seek my own heart, and could not find it. When you spoke, my heart was moved with feeling. Why does this heart accord with the kingly way?"

曰：「有復於王者曰：『吾力足以舉百鈞』，而不足以舉一羽；『明足以察秋毫之末』，而不見輿薪，則王許之乎？」

Mencius said: "Suppose someone reported to Your Majesty: 'My strength is enough to lift a hundred jun,' yet not enough to lift a single feather; 'my eyesight is enough to see the tip of an autumn hair,' yet he cannot see a cartload of firewood; would Your Majesty accept that?"

曰：「否。」

King Xuan said: "No."

「今恩足以及禽獸，而功不至於百姓者，獨何與？然則一羽之不舉，為不用力焉；輿薪之不見，為不用明焉，百姓之不見保，為不用恩焉。故王之不王，不為也，非不能也。」

(Mencius continued:) "Now your kindness is enough to reach birds and beasts, yet your benefit does not reach the common people; why is this? If a feather is not lifted, it is because one does not use one's strength; if a cartload of firewood is not seen, it is because one does not use one's eyesight; if the common people are not soothed, it is because one does not use one's kindness. So Your Majesty's not becoming king is a matter of not doing it, not of being unable."

曰：「不為者與不能者之形何以異？」

King Xuan said: "What is the difference in appearance between not doing and being unable?"

曰：「挾太山以超北海，語人曰『我不能』，是誠不能也。為長者折枝，語人曰『我不能』，是不為也，非不能也。故王之不王，非挾太山以超北海之類也；王之不王，是折枝之類也。老吾老，以及人之老；幼吾幼，以及人之幼。天下可運於掌。《詩》云：『刑于寡妻，至於兄弟，以御於家邦。』言舉斯心加諸彼而已。故推恩足以保四海，不推恩無以保妻子。古之人所以大過人者無他焉，善推其所為而已矣。今恩足以及禽獸，而功不至於百姓者，獨何與？權，然後知輕重；度，然後知長短。物皆然，心為甚。王請度之！抑王興甲兵，危士臣，構怨於諸侯，然後快於心與？」

Mencius said: "To take Mount Tai under one's arm and leap over the North Sea, and say to others 'I cannot', is truly being unable. To break off a twig for an elder, and say to others 'I cannot', is not doing it, not being unable. So Your Majesty's not becoming king is not of the kind of taking Mount Tai under the arm and leaping the North Sea; Your Majesty's not becoming king is of the kind of breaking off a twig. Respect and care for your own elders, and extend it to the elders of others; cherish your own young, and extend it to the young of others. Then the world can be turned in the palm of your hand. The Book of Songs, in the 'Si Qi' of the Greater Odes, says: 'He set a model for his wife, extended it to his brothers, and with it governed the family and the state.' It means simply taking this heart and applying it to others. So extending kindness is enough to secure the four seas, and not extending kindness is not enough to protect even one's wife and children. The reason the ancients greatly surpassed others was nothing else than that they were good at extending what they did. Now your kindness is enough to reach birds and beasts, yet your benefit does not reach the common people; why is this? Weigh a thing, and then you know whether it is heavy or light; measure a thing, and then you know whether it is long or short. All things are like this, and the heart most of all. I beg Your Majesty to measure it! Or is it that Your Majesty must raise armies, endanger your officers and ministers, and make enemies of the lords before your heart is content?"

王曰：「否。吾何快於是？將以求吾所大欲也。」

King Xuan said: "No. How could I be content with that? It is in order to seek what I greatly desire."

曰：「王之所大欲可得聞與？」王笑而不言。

Mencius said: "May I hear what Your Majesty greatly desires?" King Xuan laughed and did not speak.

曰：「為肥甘不足於口與？輕煖不足於體與？抑為采色不足視於目與？聲音不足聽於耳與？便嬖不足使令於前與？王之諸臣皆足以供之，而王豈為是哉？」

Mencius said: "Is it that rich and sweet food is not enough for your mouth? That light and warm clothing is not enough for your body? Or that bright colors are not enough for your eyes to look at? That sounds are not enough for your ears to hear? That favorite attendants are not enough to command before you? Your ministers are all able to supply these; is Your Majesty doing it for these things?"

曰：「否。吾不為是也。」

King Xuan said: "No. It is not for these."

曰：「然則王之所大欲可知已。欲闢土地，朝秦楚，蒞中國而撫四夷也。以若所為求若所欲，猶緣木而求魚也。」

Mencius said: "Then what Your Majesty greatly desires can be known. It is to open up more land, to have Qin and Chu come to court, to preside over the Middle Kingdom and soothe the four barbarians. To seek this desire of yours by such actions is like climbing a tree to look for fish."

王曰：「若是其甚與？」

King Xuan said: "Is it as bad as that?"

曰：「殆有甚焉。緣木求魚，雖不得魚，無後災。以若所為，求若所欲，盡心力而為之，後必有災。」

Mencius said: "Perhaps worse. In climbing a tree to seek fish, even if you do not get fish, there is no later disaster. If you use such actions to seek such a desire, and do it with all your heart and strength, there is sure to be calamity afterward."

曰：「可得聞與？」

King Xuan said: "May I hear about it?"

曰：「鄒人與楚人戰，則王以為孰勝？」

Mencius said: "If the people of Zou fought the people of Chu, who does Your Majesty think would win?"

曰：「楚人勝。」

King Xuan said: "The people of Chu would win."

曰：「然則小固不可以敵大，寡固不可以敵眾，弱固不可以敵彊。海內之地方千里者九，齊集有其一。以一服八，何以異於鄒敵楚哉？蓋亦反其本矣。今王發政施仁，使天下仕者皆欲立於王之朝，耕者皆欲耕於王之野，商賈皆欲藏於王之市，行旅皆欲出於王之塗，天下之慾疾其君者皆欲赴愬於王。其若是，孰能御之？」

Mencius said: "Then the small certainly cannot oppose the large, the few certainly cannot oppose the many, and the weak certainly cannot oppose the strong. Within the seas there are nine territories each a thousand li square, and Qi, when gathered together, holds one of them. To subdue eight parts with one part, how is that different from Zou opposing Chu? Why not return to the root? Now if Your Majesty issues orders and practices benevolence, so that all officials under heaven wish to stand in Your Majesty's court, all plowmen wish to plow in Your Majesty's fields, all merchants wish to store their goods in Your Majesty's markets, all travelers wish to travel on Your Majesty's roads, and all in the world who hate their own rulers wish to come and complain to Your Majesty, then who could oppose you?"

王曰：「吾惛，不能進於是矣。願夫子輔吾志，明以教我。我雖不敏，請嘗試之。」

King Xuan said: "I am dull and cannot advance to this point. I hope the Master will assist my aim and teach me clearly. Though I am not quick-witted, please let me try it."

曰：「無恆產而有恆心者，惟士為能。若民，則無恆產，因無恆心。苟無恆心，放闢，邪侈，無不為已。及陷於罪，然後從而刑之，是罔民也。焉有仁人在位，罔民而可為也？是故明君制民之產，必使仰足以事父母，俯足以畜妻子，樂歲終身飽，凶年免於死亡。然後驅而之善，故民之從之也輕。今也制民之產，仰不足以事父母，俯不足以畜妻子，樂歲終身苦，凶年不免於死亡。此惟救死而恐不贍，奚暇治禮義哉？王欲行之，則盍反其本矣。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，勿奪其時，八口之家可以無飢矣；謹庠序之教，申之以孝悌之義，頒白者不負戴於道路矣。老者衣帛食肉，黎民不飢不寒，然而不王者，未之有也。」

Mencius said: "To have no constant means and yet keep a constant heart is something only the scholar can do. As for the common people, if they have no constant means, they have no constant heart. If they have no constant heart, there is nothing they will not do in dissolute, perverse, lawless acts. When they have fallen into crime and are then punished, this is trapping the people. How can a benevolent man in office trap the people? So an enlightened ruler fixes the people's livelihood so that above it suffices to serve their parents and below it suffices to support their wives and children, so that in good years they are well fed all their lives and in bad years they escape death. Then he drives them toward goodness, and so the people follow him easily. Now the people's livelihood is fixed so that above it does not suffice to serve their parents and below it does not suffice to support wives and children, so that in good years they suffer all their lives and in bad years they do not escape death. They are afraid even that saving themselves from death is not enough; how can they have time to cultivate ritual and righteousness? If Your Majesty wishes to carry it out, why not return to the root? Give a homestead of five mu and plant mulberries on it, and those of fifty can wear silk; do not neglect the breeding seasons of chickens, piglets, dogs and pigs, and those of seventy can eat meat; do not take away the farming seasons from a field of a hundred mu, and a family of eight can avoid hunger; carefully maintain the teaching of the schools, repeatedly explaining the meaning of filial piety and brotherly respect, and gray-haired people will not carry loads on their backs or heads along the road. When the old wear silk and eat meat and the common people are neither hungry nor cold, there has never been a ruler who did this and yet did not become king."

莊暴見孟子，曰：「暴見於王，王語暴以好樂，暴未有以對也。」曰：「好樂何如？」

Zhuang Bao came to see Mencius and said: "I was received by the King, and the King told me that he is fond of music, and I had no reply." He also said: "How about being fond of music?"

孟子曰：「王之好樂甚，則齊國其庶幾乎！」

Mencius said: "If the King is fond of music to the extreme, then Qi is nearly well governed!"

他日，見於王曰：「王嘗語莊子以好樂，有諸？」王變乎色，曰：「寡人非能好先王之樂也，直好世俗之樂耳。」

On another day, Mencius was received by King Xuan and said: "Your Majesty once told Zhuang Zi that you are fond of music; is that so?" King Xuan changed color and said: "I am not able to enjoy the music of the former kings, but only like the music of the common world."

曰：「王之好樂甚，則齊其庶幾乎！今之樂猶古之樂也。」曰：「可得聞與？」

Mencius said: "If Your Majesty is fond of music to the extreme, then Qi is nearly well governed! Today's music is like the music of ancient times." King Xuan said: "May I hear about that?"

曰：「獨樂樂，與人樂樂，孰樂？」曰：「不若與人。」

Mencius said: "Which is more delightful: enjoying music alone, or enjoying music with others?" King Xuan said: "Better with others."

曰：「與少樂樂，與眾樂樂，孰樂？」曰：「不若與眾。」

Mencius said: "Which is more delightful: enjoying music with a few, or enjoying music with the many?" King Xuan said: "Better with the many."

「臣請為王言樂：今王鼓樂於此，百姓聞王鐘鼓之聲，管籥之音，舉疾首蹙頞而相告曰：『吾王之好鼓樂，夫何使我至於此極也？父子不相見，兄弟妻子離散。』今王田獵於此，百姓聞王車馬之音，見羽旄之美，舉疾首蹙頞而相告曰：『吾王之好田獵，夫何使我至於此極也？父子不相見，兄弟妻子離散。』此無他，不與民同樂也。」

(Mencius continued:) "Let me speak to Your Majesty about music: Now if Your Majesty plays music here, and the common people hear the sound of Your Majesty's bells and drums and the notes of pipes and flutes, they all have headaches and knit their brows and tell each other: 'Our king is fond of music; why does he bring us to such an extreme? Fathers and sons cannot see each other, and brothers, wives and children are scattered.' Now if Your Majesty hunts here, and the common people hear the sound of Your Majesty's carriages and horses and see the beauty of the feather banners, they all have headaches and knit their brows and tell each other: 'Our king is fond of hunting; why does he bring us to such an extreme? Fathers and sons cannot see each other, and brothers, wives and children are scattered.' There is no other reason: it is that he does not share his joy with the people."

「今王鼓樂於此，百姓聞王鐘鼓之聲，管籥之音，舉欣欣然有喜色而相告曰：『吾王庶幾無疾病與？何以能鼓樂也？』今王田獵於此，百姓聞王車馬之音，見羽旄之美，舉欣欣然有喜色而相告曰『吾王庶幾無疾病與？何以能田獵也？』此無他，與民同樂也。今王與百姓同樂，則王矣。」

(Mencius continued:) "Now if Your Majesty plays music here, and the common people hear the sound of Your Majesty's bells and drums and the notes of pipes and flutes, they are all delighted and look pleased and tell each other: 'Our king is probably free of illness, or how could he be playing music?' Now if Your Majesty hunts here, and the common people hear the sound of Your Majesty's carriages and horses and see the beauty of the feather banners, they are all delighted and look pleased and tell each other: 'Our king is probably free of illness, or how could he be hunting?' There is no other reason: it is that he shares his joy with the people. Now if Your Majesty shares joy with the common people, you can become king."

齊宣王問曰：「文王之囿方七十里，有諸？」

King Xuan of Qi asked: "King Wen's park was seventy li square; is that so?"

孟子對曰：「於傳有之。」

Mencius replied: "It is so recorded in the traditions."

曰：「若是其大乎？」

King Xuan said: "Was it as large as that?"

曰：「民猶以為小也。」

Mencius said: "The people still thought it small."

曰：「寡人之囿方四十里，民猶以為大，何也？」

King Xuan said: "My park is forty li square, and the people still think it large; why?"

曰：「文王之囿方七十里，芻蕘者往焉，雉兔者往焉，與民同之。民以為小，不亦宜乎？臣始至於境，問國之大禁，然後敢入。臣聞郊關之內有囿方四十里，殺其麋鹿者如殺人之罪。則是方四十里，為阱於國中。民以為大，不亦宜乎？」

Mencius said: "King Wen's park was seventy li square, and those who cut grass and gathered firewood went there, and those who hunted pheasants and hares went there; he shared it with the people. Is it not right that the people thought it small? When I first arrived at the border, I asked what the state's great prohibitions were before I dared to enter. I heard that within the outskirts and gates there is a park forty li square, and that killing a deer in it is treated like the crime of killing a man. That is a trap forty li square in the middle of the state. Is it not right that the people think it large?"

齊宣王問曰：「交鄰國有道乎？」

King Xuan of Qi asked: "Is there a Way in dealing with neighboring states?"

孟子對曰：「有。惟仁者為能以大事小，是故湯事葛，文王事昆夷；惟智者為能以小事大，故大王事獯鬻，句踐事吳。以大事小者，樂天者也；以小事大者，畏天者也。樂天者保天下，畏天者保其國。《詩》云：『畏天之威，於時保之。』」

Mencius replied: "There is. Only the benevolent can serve a small state with a large one; so Tang served Ge, and King Wen served the Kunyi. Only the wise can serve a large state with a small one; so Taiwang (the Great King, that is, Gugong Danfu) served the Xunyu, and Goujian served Wu. One who serves the small with the large delights in Heaven; one who serves the large with the small fears Heaven. One who delights in Heaven brings peace to the world, and one who fears Heaven preserves his own state. The Book of Songs, in the 'Wo Jiang' of the Hymns of Zhou, says: 'Fearing the awe of Heaven, thus he preserves it.'"

王曰：「大哉言矣！寡人有疾，寡人好勇。」

King Xuan said: "What big words! I have a fault: I am fond of courage."

對曰：「王請無好小勇。夫撫劍疾視曰，『彼惡敢當我哉』！此匹夫之勇，敵一人者也。王請大之！《詩》云：『王赫斯怒，爰整其旅，以遏徂莒，以篤周祜，以對於天下。』此文王之勇也。文王一怒而安天下之民。《書》曰：『天降下民，作之君，作之師。惟曰其助上帝，寵之四方。有罪無罪，惟我在，天下曷敢有越厥志？』一人衡行於天下，武王恥之。此武王之勇也。而武王亦一怒而安天下之民。今王亦一怒而安天下之民，民惟恐王之不好勇也。」

Mencius replied: "I beg Your Majesty not to be fond of petty courage. To grip one's sword and glare, saying 'How dare he oppose me!' is the courage of a common man, which can only match a single opponent. I beg Your Majesty to enlarge it! The Book of Songs, in the 'Huang Yi' of the Greater Odes, says: 'The King flared with anger, and so drew up his army, to check the Ju who were advancing, to strengthen the blessings of Zhou, and to answer the world.' This was King Wen's courage. With one burst of anger, King Wen brought peace to the people of the world. The Book of Documents says: 'Heaven sent down the people below, set up rulers for them and set up teachers. They only help the Lord on High and show favor to the four quarters. Whether guilty or innocent, it is I who am here; who under heaven dares to overstep his purpose?' There was one man running wild in the world, and King Wu was ashamed of it. This was King Wu's courage. King Wu also, with one burst of anger, brought peace to the people of the world. If Your Majesty too, with one burst of anger, brought peace to the people of the world, the people would only fear that Your Majesty is not fond of courage."

齊宣王見孟子於雪宮。王曰：「賢者亦有此樂乎？」

King Xuan of Qi received Mencius at the Snow Palace. King Xuan said: "Do worthy men also have this kind of joy?"

孟子對曰：「有。人不得，則非其上矣。不得而非其上者，非也；為民上而不與民同樂者，亦非也。樂民之樂者，民亦樂其樂；憂民之憂者，民亦憂其憂。樂以天下，憂以天下，然而不王者，未之有也。

Mencius replied: "They do. If people cannot get it, they will criticize their superiors. For those who cannot get it to criticize their superiors is wrong; but for those who are above the people not to share their joy with the people is also wrong. One who takes the people's joy as his joy will have the people take his joy as their joy; one who takes the people's worry as his worry will have the people take his worry as their worry. To enjoy with the world and to worry with the world, and yet not become king, has never happened.

「昔者齊景公問於晏子曰：『吾欲觀於轉附、朝儛，遵海而南，放於琅邪。吾何修而可以比於先王觀也？』晏子對曰：『善哉問也！天子適諸侯曰巡狩，巡狩者巡所守也；諸侯朝於天子曰述職，述職者述所職也。無非事者。春省耕而補不足，秋省斂而助不給。夏諺曰：「吾王不遊，吾何以休？吾王不豫，吾何以助？一遊一豫，為諸侯度。」今也不然：師行而糧食，飢者弗食，勞者弗息。睊睊胥讒，民乃作慝。方命虐民，飲食若流。流連荒亡，為諸侯憂。從流下而忘反謂之流，從流上而忘反謂之連，從獸無厭謂之荒，樂酒無厭謂之亡。先王無流連之樂，荒亡之行。惟君所行也。』景公說，大戒於國，出舍於郊。於是始興發補不足。召大師曰：『為我作君臣相說之樂！』蓋徵招角招是也。其詩曰：『畜君何尤？』畜君者，好君也。」

(Mencius continued:) "In the past Duke Jing of Qi asked Yan Zi: 'I wish to go and see Zhuanfu and Chaowu, and follow the coast south as far as Langye. How should I conduct myself to be a match for the former kings' tours?' Yan Zi replied: 'A fine question! When the Son of Heaven goes to the lords, it is called a tour of inspection, meaning an inspection of the places he guards; when the lords come to court the Son of Heaven, it is called reporting on duty, meaning reporting what they are in charge of. There is none that is not for business. In spring he inspects the plowing and supplements what is lacking; in autumn he inspects the harvest and helps those who have not enough. A proverb of the Xia says: "If our king does not tour, how shall I rest? If our king does not take pleasure, how shall I be helped? One tour and one pleasure are the standard for the lords." Now it is not so: when the army goes out, it demands provisions, the hungry cannot eat and the weary cannot rest. They look askance at each other and slander each other, and the people then turn to evil. They defy the command and oppress the people, and drink and eat like water flowing. Lingering and wandering, wild and lost, become a trouble to the lords. Going downstream and forgetting to return is called flowing, going upstream and forgetting to return is called lingering, chasing beasts without satisfaction is called wildness, and indulging in wine without satisfaction is called loss. The former kings had no joy of lingering and flowing and no conduct of wildness and loss. It depends on how you act, my lord.' Duke Jing was pleased, made great preparations in the state, and went out to stay in the outskirts. Then he began to open the granaries and distribute grain, supplementing those who had not enough. He summoned the Grand Music Master and said: 'Make for me music of ruler and ministers delighting in each other!' This was probably the Zhi-zhao and Jue-zhao. Its verse says: 'What fault is there in nurturing the ruler?' To nurture the ruler is to love the ruler."

齊宣王問曰：「人皆謂我毀明堂。毀諸？已乎？」

King Xuan of Qi asked: "People all urge me to tear down the Bright Hall. Shall I tear it down or not?"

孟子對曰：「夫明堂者，王者之堂也。王欲行王政，則勿毀之矣。」

Mencius replied: "The Bright Hall is a hall of a true king. If Your Majesty wishes to practice kingly government, do not tear it down."

王曰：「王政可得聞與？」

King Xuan said: "May I hear about kingly government?"

對曰：「昔者文王之治岐也，耕者九一，仕者世祿，關市譏而不徵，澤梁無禁，罪人不孥。老而無妻曰鰥。老而無夫曰寡。老而無子曰獨。幼而無父曰孤。此四者，天下之窮民而無告者。文王發政施仁，必先斯四者。《詩》云：『哿矣富人，哀此煢獨。』」

Mencius replied: "In the past, when King Wen governed Qi, farmers paid one part in nine, officials received hereditary stipends, passes and markets were inspected but not taxed, there were no prohibitions on fish ponds and weirs, and the wives and children of criminals were not implicated. An old man without a wife is called a widower. An old woman without a husband is called a widow. An old person without children is called alone. A young child without a father is called an orphan. These four are the most destitute people under heaven, with nowhere to turn. When King Wen issued orders and practiced benevolence, he always looked after these four first. The Book of Songs, in the 'Zheng Yue' of the Lesser Odes, says: 'The rich can manage; pity these lonely ones.'"

王曰：「善哉言乎！」

King Xuan said: "Well said!"

曰：「王如善之，則何為不行？」

Mencius said: "If Your Majesty thinks it good, why not practice it?"

王曰：「寡人有疾，寡人好貨。」

King Xuan said: "I have a fault: I am fond of wealth."

對曰：「昔者公劉好貨，《詩》云：『乃積乃倉，乃裹餱糧，於橐於囊。思戢用光。弓矢斯張，干戈戚揚，爰方啟行。』故居者有積倉，行者有裹糧也，然後可以爰方啟行。王如好貨，與百姓同之，於王何有？」

Mencius replied: "In the past Gong Liu was fond of wealth. The Book of Songs, in the 'Gong Liu' of the Greater Odes, says: 'So he stored up and so he laid it in granaries, and so he wrapped dried provisions, packing them in sacks and in bags. Thinking to unite and so bring glory. Bows and arrows were drawn, shields, spears and axes were raised, and so he began his journey.' So those who stayed had granaries and those who went had packed provisions, and only then could they begin their journey. If Your Majesty is fond of wealth and shares it with the common people, what difficulty is there in becoming king?"

王曰：「寡人有疾，寡人好色。」

King Xuan said: "I have a fault: I am fond of women."

對曰：「昔者大王好色，愛厥妃。《詩》云：『古公亶甫，來朝走馬，率西水滸，至於岐下。爰及姜女，聿來胥宇。』當是時也，內無怨女，外無曠夫。王如好色，與百姓同之，於王何有？」

Mencius replied: "In the past King Tai was fond of women and loved his consort. The Book of Songs, in the 'Mian' of the Greater Odes, says: 'Gugong Danfu, in the early morning urged on his horses, along the western riverbank, until he reached the foot of Mount Qi. Then with Lady Jiang he came to inspect the dwelling place.' At that time there were no resentful women inside and no unmarried men outside. If Your Majesty is fond of women and shares it with the common people, what difficulty is there in becoming king?"

孟子謂齊宣王曰：「王之臣有托其妻子於其友，而之楚遊者。比其反也，則凍餒其妻子，則如之何？」

Mencius said to King Xuan of Qi: "Suppose one of Your Majesty's ministers entrusted his wife and children to a friend and went traveling to Chu; when he came back, his friend had let his wife and children freeze and starve. What should be done?"

王曰：「棄之。」

King Xuan said: "Cast him off."

曰：「士師不能治士，則如之何？」

Mencius said: "If the chief judge cannot govern his officers, what should be done?"

王曰：「已之。」

King Xuan said: "Dismiss him."

曰：「四境之內不治，則如之何？」

Mencius said: "If within the four borders there is no good government, what should be done?"

王顧左右而言他。

King Xuan looked to left and right and spoke of other things.

孟子見齊宣王曰：「所謂故國者，非謂有喬木之謂也，有世臣之謂也。王無親臣矣，昔者所進，今日不知其亡也。」

Mencius went to see King Xuan of Qi and said: "What is called an old state does not mean it has tall trees, but that it has ministers of many generations. Your Majesty has no trusted ministers now; those you advanced in the past, today you do not know that they have already been lost."

王曰：「吾何以識其不才而舍之？」

King Xuan said: "How could I recognize that someone has no ability and cast him off?"

曰：「國君進賢，如不得已，將使卑逾尊，疏逾戚，可不慎與？左右皆曰賢，未可也；諸大夫皆曰賢，未可也；國人皆曰賢，然後察之；見賢焉，然後用之。左右皆曰不可，勿聽；諸大夫皆曰不可，勿聽；國人皆曰不可，然後察之；見不可焉，然後去之。左右皆曰可殺，勿聽；諸大夫皆曰可殺，勿聽；國人皆曰可殺，然後察之；見可殺焉，然後殺之。故曰，國人殺之也。如此，然後可以為民父母。」

Mencius said: "When a ruler advances a worthy man, it should seem a last resort, for he is about to make the lowly surpass the noble and the distant surpass the near; can he not be careful? If those at your side all say a man is worthy, that is not yet enough; if all the grandees say he is worthy, that is not yet enough; if all the people of the state say he is worthy, then investigate him; and when you see that he is truly worthy, then use him. If those at your side all say a man is not fit, do not listen; if all the grandees say he is not fit, do not listen; if all the people of the state say he is not fit, then investigate him; and when you see that he is truly not fit, then remove him. If those at your side all say a man should be put to death, do not listen; if all the grandees say he should be put to death, do not listen; if all the people of the state say he should be put to death, then investigate him; and when you see that he deserves death, then put him to death. So it is said that it was the people of the state who killed him. Only in this way can one be the parent of the people."

齊宣王問曰：「湯放桀，武王伐紂，有諸？」

King Xuan of Qi asked: "Tang banished Jie and King Wu attacked Zhou; did this happen?"

孟子對曰：「於傳有之。」

Mencius replied: "It is so recorded in the traditions."

曰：「臣弒其君可乎？」

King Xuan said: "Is it acceptable for a minister to kill his ruler?"

曰：「賊仁者謂之賊，賊義者謂之殘，殘賊之人謂之一夫。聞誅一夫紂矣，未聞弒君也。」

Mencius said: "One who injures benevolence is called a robber, one who injures righteousness is called a ruffian, and a robber and ruffian is called a mere fellow. I have heard of the execution of the fellow Zhou, but have not heard of killing a ruler."

孟子見齊宣王曰：「為巨室，則必使工師求大木。工師得大木。則王喜，以為能勝其任也。匠人斵而小之，則王怒，以為不勝其任矣。夫人幼而學之，壯而欲行之。王曰『姑舍女所學而從我』，則何如？今有璞玉於此，雖萬鎰，必使玉人雕琢之。至於治國家，則曰『姑舍女所學而從我』，則何以異於教玉人雕琢玉哉？」

Mencius went to see King Xuan of Qi and said: "If you are going to build a great house, you will surely have the master builder seek large timber. When the master builder finds large timber, Your Majesty is pleased and thinks he is up to the task. When the carpenters cut it down to make it smaller, Your Majesty is angry and thinks he is not up to the task. A man studies from his youth and wishes to put it into practice in his prime. If the King says 'For now, put aside what you have learned and follow me', what would that be like? Suppose there were an uncut piece of jade here; even if it were worth ten thousand yi, you would surely have a jade-worker carve it. But in governing a state you say 'For now, put aside what you have learned and follow me'; how is that different from teaching a jade-worker how to carve jade?"

齊人伐燕，勝之。宣王問曰：「或謂寡人勿取，或謂寡人取之。以萬乘之國伐萬乘之國，五旬而舉之，人力不至於此。不取，必有天殃。取之，何如？」

The people of Qi attacked Yan and won. King Xuan asked: "Some urge me not to take it, and some urge me to take it. A state of ten thousand chariots attacking a state of ten thousand chariots and taking it in fifty days is beyond what human strength could do. If I do not take it, there will surely be calamity from Heaven. If I take it, what then?"

孟子對曰：「取之而燕民悅，則取之。古之人有行之者，武王是也。取之而燕民不悅，則勿取。古之人有行之者，文王是也。以萬乘之國伐萬乘之國，簞食壺漿，以迎王師。豈有他哉？避水火也。如水益深，如火益熱，亦運而已矣。」

Mencius replied: "If you take it and the people of Yan are pleased, then take it. There were ancients who did so; King Wu was one. If you take it and the people of Yan are not pleased, then do not take it. There were ancients who did so; King Wen was one. When a state of ten thousand chariots attacks a state of ten thousand chariots and they welcome the King's army with baskets of food and jars of drink, is there any other reason? They are escaping from water and fire. If the water gets deeper and the fire hotter, they will simply turn elsewhere."

齊人伐燕，取之。諸侯將謀救燕。宣王曰：「諸侯多謀伐寡人者，何以待之？」

The people of Qi attacked Yan and took it. The lords were about to plan to rescue Yan. King Xuan said: "Many of the lords are plotting to attack me; what should I do about them?"

孟子對曰：「臣聞七十里為政於天下者，湯是也。未聞以千里畏人者也。《書》曰：『湯一徵，自葛始。』天下信之。『東面而徵，西夷怨；南面而徵，北狄怨。曰，奚為後我？』民望之，若大旱之望雲霓也。歸市者不止，耕者不變。誅其君而吊其民，若時雨降，民大悅。《書》曰：『徯我後，後來其蘇。』

Mencius replied: "I have heard of one who, with seventy li, brought government to the whole world, and that was Tang. I have not heard of one who, with a thousand li, was afraid of others. The Book of Documents says: 'Tang's first campaign began with Ge.' The world trusted him. 'When he campaigned in the east, the western barbarians complained; when he campaigned in the south, the northern Di complained. They said: why does he put us last?' The people longed for him as in a great drought they long for clouds and rainbows. Those going to market did not stop, and those plowing did not change. He executed their rulers and comforted their people, like timely rain falling, and the people were greatly pleased. The Book of Documents says: 'We await our ruler; when our ruler comes, we will be revived.'

「今燕虐其民，王往而徵之。民以為將拯己於水火之中也，簞食壺漿，以迎王師。若殺其父兄，繫累其子弟，毀其宗廟，遷其重器，如之何其可也？天下固畏齊之彊也。今又倍地而不行仁政，是動天下之兵也。王速出令，反其旄倪，止其重器，謀於燕眾，置君而後去之，則猶可及止也。」

(Mencius continued:) "Now Yan oppressed its people, and Your Majesty went to attack it. The people thought you would rescue them from water and fire, and welcomed Your Majesty's army with baskets of food and jars of drink. If you kill their fathers and elder brothers, bind their sons and younger brothers, destroy their ancestral temples and carry off their precious vessels, how can that be allowed? The world already fears the strength of Qi. Now you have doubled your territory without practicing benevolent government, and this stirs up the armies of the world. If Your Majesty quickly issues an order, returns their old and young, stops carrying off their precious vessels, consults with the people of Yan, sets up a ruler for them and then withdraws, it will still be in time to stop it."

鄒與魯哄。穆公問曰：「吾有司死者三十三人，而民莫之死也。誅之，則不可勝誅；不誅，則疾視其長上之死而不救，如之何則可也？」

Zou and Lu came into conflict. Duke Mu of Zou asked: "Thirty-three of my officers died, yet none of the people died for them. If I execute the people, there will be too many to kill; if I do not execute them, I resent that they watched their superiors die and did not rescue them. What can be done?"

孟子對曰：「凶年饑歲，君之民老弱轉乎溝壑，壯者散而之四方者，幾千人矣；而君之倉廩實，府庫充，有司莫以告，是上慢而殘下也。曾子曰：『戒之戒之！出乎爾者，反乎爾者也。』夫民今而後得反之也。君無尤焉。君行仁政，斯民親其上、死其長矣。」

Mencius replied: "In years of bad harvest and famine, the old and weak among your people have rolled about and died in ditches and gullies, and able-bodied men have scattered to the four quarters, nearly a thousand of them; yet your granaries are full and your treasuries well supplied, and your officers did not report this to you; this is the superiors being negligent and cruel to those below. Master Zeng said: 'Beware, beware! What comes out from you will return to you.' Only now can the people return. Do not blame them, my lord. If you practice benevolent government, these people will draw close to their superiors and die for their officers."

滕文公問曰：「滕，小國也，間於齊楚。事齊乎？事楚乎？」

Duke Wen of Teng asked: "Teng is a small state, squeezed between Qi and Chu. Should it serve Qi? Or serve Chu?"

孟子對曰：「是謀非吾所能及也。無已，則有一焉：鑿斯池也，築斯城也，與民守之，效死而民弗去，則是可為也。」

Mencius replied: "This plan is beyond what I can reach. If there is no choice, there is one method: dig this moat deeper, build this wall well, and defend it together with the people, laying down your lives and the people not leaving; this can be done."

滕文公問曰：「齊人將築薛，吾甚恐。如之何則可？」

Duke Wen of Teng asked: "The people of Qi are about to fortify Xue, and I am afraid. What should be done?"

孟子對曰：「昔者大王居邠，狄人侵之，去之岐山之下居焉。非擇而取之，不得已也。苟為善，後世子孫必有王者矣。君子創業垂統，為可繼也。若夫成功，則天也。君如彼何哉？彊為善而已矣。」

Mencius replied: "In the past, King Tai lived in Bin, and the Di people attacked, so he left and lived below Mount Qi. It was not that he chose and then took that place; he had no choice. If one does good deeds, among his descendants in later generations there will surely be one who becomes king. The gentleman lays the foundation and hands down the line of succession so that it may be continued. As for success, it lies with Heaven. What can you do about those people of Qi, my lord? Simply strive to do good."

滕文公問曰：「滕，小國也。竭力以事大國，則不得免焉。如之何則可？」

Duke Wen of Teng asked: "Teng is a small state. Even serving the large state with all its strength, it cannot avoid disaster. What should be done?"

孟子對曰：「昔者大王居邠，狄人侵之。事之以皮幣，不得免焉；事之以犬馬，不得免焉；事之以珠玉，不得免焉。乃屬其耆老而告之曰：『狄人之所欲者，吾土地也。吾聞之也：君子不以其所以養人者害人。二三子何患乎無君？我將去之。』去邠，逾梁山，邑於岐山之下居焉。邠人曰：『仁人也，不可失也。』從之者如歸市。或曰：『世守也，非身之所能為也。效死勿去。』君請擇於斯二者。」

Mencius replied: "In the past, King Tai lived in Bin, and the Di people attacked. He served them with skins and silk and could not escape; he served them with dogs and horses and could not escape; he served them with pearls and jade and could not escape. So he gathered the elders and told them: 'What the Di want is my land. I have heard that a gentleman does not use what he uses to nourish people to harm them. Why should you worry about having no ruler? I am going to leave.' He left Bin, crossed Mount Liang, and built a town and lived below Mount Qi. The people of Bin said: 'He is a benevolent man; we cannot lose him.' Those who followed him were like those going to market. Or someone may say: 'This has been kept for generations and is not something one can decide for oneself. Lay down your life and do not leave.' I ask you, my lord, to choose between these two."

魯平公將出。嬖人臧倉者請曰：「他日君出，則必命有司所之。今乘輿已駕矣，有司未知所之。敢請。」公曰：「將見孟子。」曰：「何哉？君所為輕身以先於匹夫者，以為賢乎？禮義由賢者出。而孟子之後喪逾前喪。君無見焉！」公曰：「諾。」

Duke Ping of Lu was about to go out. His favorite, Zang Cang, asked: "On other days, when the lord went out, he always told the officers where he was going. Now the carriage is already harnessed, and the officers do not yet know where you are going. May I ask?" Duke Ping said: "I am going to see Mencius." Zang Cang said: "Why? That the lord should lower himself and go first to see a commoner, is it because you think him worthy? Ritual and righteousness come from worthy people. But Mencius's later funeral exceeded his earlier one; do not see him, my lord!" Duke Ping said: "Very well."

樂正子入見，曰：「君奚為不見孟軻也？」曰：「或告寡人曰，『孟子之後喪逾前喪』，是以不往見也。」曰：「何哉君所謂逾者？前以士，後以大夫；前以三鼎，而後以五鼎與？」曰：「否。謂棺槨衣衾之美也。」曰：「非所謂逾也，貧富不同也。」

Yuezheng Zi went in to see Duke Ping and said: "Why does my lord not see Meng Ke?" Duke Ping said: "Someone told me that 'Mencius's later funeral exceeded his earlier one', so I did not go to see him." Yuezheng Zi said: "What does my lord mean by exceeded? Earlier he used the rites of a scholar and later the rites of a grandee; earlier three tripods and later five tripods?" Duke Ping said: "No. I mean the fineness of the coffin, outer coffin and burial clothes." Yuezheng Zi said: "That is not what is called exceeding; it is a difference between poor and rich."

樂正子見孟子，曰：「克告於君，君為來見也。嬖人有臧倉者沮君，君是以不果來也。」曰：「行或使之，止或尼之。行止，非人所能也。吾之不遇魯侯，天也。臧氏之子焉能使予不遇哉？」

Yuezheng Zi went to see Mencius and said: "I told the lord, and the lord was going to see you for this. A favorite, Zang Cang, stopped the lord, and so in the end he did not come." Mencius said: "If one goes, perhaps someone urged him on; if one stops, perhaps someone stopped him. Going and stopping are not things a person can determine. That I did not meet the Marquis of Lu is Heaven's doing. How could that Zang fellow make me fail to meet him?"

公孫丑問曰：「夫子當路於齊，管仲、晏子之功，可復許乎？」

Gongsun Chou asked: "If you, Master, held power in Qi, could the achievements of Guan Zhong and Yan Zi be hoped for again?"

孟子曰：「子誠齊人也，知管仲、晏子而已矣。或問乎曾西曰；『吾子與子路孰賢？』曾西蹴然曰：『吾先子之所畏也。』曰：『然則吾子與管仲孰賢？』曾西艴然不悅，曰：『爾何曾比予於管仲？管仲得君，如彼其專也；行乎國政，如彼其久也；功烈，如彼其卑也。爾何曾比予於是？』」曰：「管仲，曾西之所不為也，而子為我願之乎？」

Mencius said: "You are truly a man of Qi, who knows only Guan Zhong and Yan Zi. Someone asked Zeng Xi: 'Who is more worthy, you or Zilu?' Zeng Xi said uneasily: 'He was someone my late father held in awe.' The man asked: 'Then who is more worthy, you or Guan Zhong?' Zeng Xi flushed with displeasure and said: 'How can you actually compare me with Guan Zhong? Guan Zhong gained the confidence of his ruler to such a degree, carried on the government of the state for so long, and yet his achievements were so petty. How can you actually compare me with him?'" Mencius added: "Guan Zhong is someone Zeng Xi did not wish to be; do you think I would wish it?"

曰：「管仲以其君霸，晏子以其君顯。管仲、晏子猶不足為與？」

Gongsun Chou said: "Guan Zhong made his ruler a hegemon, and Yan Zi made his ruler famous. Are Guan Zhong and Yan Zi not worth emulating?"

曰：「以齊王，由反手也。」

Mencius said: "To become king by means of Qi would be as easy as turning over the hand."

曰：「若是，則弟子之惑滋甚。且以文王之德，百年而後崩，猶未洽於天下；武王、周公繼之，然後大行。今言王若易然，則文王不足法與？」

Gongsun Chou said: "If so, your disciple's confusion is all the greater. Moreover, with King Wen's virtue, he lived to a hundred before he died, and still had not saturated the whole world; King Wu and the Duke of Zhou carried on, and only then was it greatly carried out. Now you say that becoming king is as easy as this; then is King Wen not worth taking as a model?"

曰：「文王何可當也？由湯至於武丁，賢聖之君六七作。天下歸殷久矣，久則難變也。武丁朝諸侯有天下，猶運之掌也。紂之去武丁未久也，其故家遺俗，流風善政，猶有存者；又有微子、微仲、王子比干、箕子、膠鬲皆賢人也，相與輔相之，故久而後失之也。尺地莫非其有也，一民莫非其臣也，然而文王猶方百里起，是以難也。齊人有言曰：『雖有智慧，不如乘勢；雖有鎡基，不如待時。』

Mencius said: "How can King Wen be matched? From Tang to Wuding, worthy and sage rulers arose six or seven times. The world had long turned to Yin, and what has lasted long is hard to change. Wuding made the lords come to court and held the world as if turning it in the palm of his hand. Zhou was not far from Wuding in time, and the old families, inherited customs, lingering good influence and fine government were still there; and there were Weizi, Weizhong, Prince Bi Gan, Jizi and Jiao Ge, all worthy men, who together assisted him, and so it was a long time before he lost it. There was not a foot of land that was not his and not a person who was not his subject, yet King Wen rose from a hundred li square; so it was hard. A saying of the people of Qi goes: 'Though you have wisdom, it is not as good as riding the momentum; though you have a hoe, it is not as good as waiting for the season.'

「今時則易然也。夏後、殷、周之盛，地未有過千里者也，而齊有其地矣；雞鳴狗吠相聞，而達乎四境，而齊有其民矣。地不改闢矣，民不改聚矣，行仁政而王，莫之能御也。且王者之不作，未有疏於此時者也；民之憔悴於虐政，未有甚於此時者也。飢者易為食，渴者易為飲。孔子曰：『德之流行，速於置郵而傳命。』當今之時，萬乘之國行仁政，民之悅之，猶解倒懸也。故事半古之人，功必倍之，惟此時為然。」

(Mencius continued:) "But at this time it is easy. At the height of the Xia, Yin and Zhou dynasties, the territory did not exceed a thousand li, and Qi already has such territory; the crowing of cocks and barking of dogs can be heard from one place to another, all the way to the four borders, and Qi already has such a population. The land need not be opened up further, the people need not be gathered further; practice benevolent government and become king, and no one can oppose you. Moreover, the non-appearance of a true king has never been more rare than at this time, and the people have never been more worn down by oppressive government than at this time. Hungry people are easily fed, and thirsty people easily given drink. Confucius said: 'The spread of virtue is faster than the transmission of orders by relay stations.' In this present time, if a state of ten thousand chariots practices benevolent government, the people's delight in it would be like being untied from hanging upside down. So with half the work of the ancients, the results will surely be doubled; only at this time is that so."

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？」

Gongsun Chou asked: "If you, Master, were given the post of high minister in Qi and could carry out your Way, it would not be strange even if you thereby accomplished the work of a hegemon or king. If so, would your mind be moved?"

孟子曰：「否。我四十不動心。」

Mencius said: "No. At forty, my mind was not moved."

曰：「若是，則夫子過孟賁遠矣。」

Gongsun Chou said: "If so, you, Master, surpass Meng Ben by far."

曰：「是不難，告子先我不動心。」

Mencius said: "This is not difficult; Gaozi had an unmoved mind before me."

曰：「不動心有道乎？」

Gongsun Chou said: "Is there a method for an unmoved mind?"

曰：「有。北宮黝之養勇也，不膚撓，不目逃，思以一豪挫於人，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。孟施捨之所養勇也，曰：『視不勝猶勝也。量敵而後進，慮勝而後會，是畏三軍者也。舍豈能為必勝哉？能無懼而已矣。』孟施捨似曾子，北宮黝似子夏。夫二子之勇，未知其孰賢，然而孟施捨守約也。昔者曾子謂子襄曰：『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。』孟施捨之守氣，又不如曾子之守約也。」

Mencius said: "There is. Bei Gong You cultivated courage: he did not flinch when his skin was pricked, and did not look away when his eyes were poked; he thought that to be insulted by even a single hair was like being whipped in the marketplace or at court. He would not take insult from a man in coarse wide robes, nor from a ruler of ten thousand chariots. To him, stabbing a ruler of ten thousand chariots was like stabbing a man in rough clothes. There was no feudal lord he feared. If a harsh word came to him, he surely hit back. Meng Shishe cultivated courage, saying: 'I regard not being able to win the same as being able to win. To advance only after estimating the enemy, to fight only after considering whether I can win, is to be afraid of the three armies. How can She be sure of victory? He can only be without fear.' Meng Shishe resembled Zengzi, and Bei Gong You resembled Zixia. I do not know which of these two men's courage is better, but Meng Shishe holds to what is essential. Formerly Zengzi said to Zixiang: 'Do you like courage? I once heard about great courage from the Master: if on examining myself I am not in the right, then even if it is a man in coarse wide robes I will not intimidate him; if on examining myself I am in the right, then though there be tens of thousands of men, I will go against them.' What Meng Shishe holds to is qi, which again is not as good as what Zengzi holds to, which is the essential.""

曰：「敢問夫子之不動心，與告子之不動心，可得聞與？」

Gongsun Chou said: "May I ask whether I can hear about the Master's unmoved mind and Gaozi's unmoved mind?""

「告子曰：『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。』」

(Mencius said:) "Gaozi said: 'If you do not get it in words, do not seek it in the mind; if you do not get it in the mind, do not seek it in qi.' If you do not get it in the mind, do not seek it in qi: that is acceptable. If you do not get it in words, do not seek it in the mind: that is not acceptable. Will is the commander of qi; qi is what fills the body. Where the will goes, qi follows. So I say: 'Hold fast your will, and do not disorder your qi.'""

「既曰『志至焉，氣次焉』，又曰『持其志無暴其氣』者，何也？」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "You said both 'Where the will goes, qi follows,' and 'Hold fast your will, and do not disorder your qi.' Why?""

曰：「志壹則動氣，氣壹則動志也。今夫蹶者趨者，是氣也，而反動其心。」

Mencius said: "When the will is concentrated, it moves qi; when qi is concentrated, it moves the will. Now one who stumbles or runs, that is qi, yet it in turn moves his mind.""

「敢問夫子惡乎長？」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "May I ask what the Master is good at?""

曰：「我知言，我善養吾浩然之氣。」

Mencius said: "I understand words, and I am good at cultivating my flood-like qi (a qi that is utterly great and utterly firm, matched with righteousness and the Way).""

「敢問何謂浩然之氣？」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "May I ask what is called flood-like qi?""

曰：「難言也。其為氣也，至大至剛，以直養而無害，則塞於天地之閒。其為氣也，配義與道；無是，餒也。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，告子未嘗知義，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，予助苗長矣。』其子趨而往視之，苗則槁矣。天下之不助苗長者寡矣。以為無益而舍之者，不耘苗者也；助之長者，揠苗者也。非徒無益，而又害之。」

Mencius said: "It is hard to say. As qi, it is utterly great and utterly firm; if it is cultivated with uprightness and not harmed, it fills the space between heaven and earth. As qi, it is matched with righteousness and the Way; without these, it shrivels. It is born from the accumulation of righteousness, not seized by a sudden raid of righteousness from outside. If an act leaves the heart uneasy, it shrivels. This is why I say Gaozi never understood righteousness, because he regarded it as external. One must work at it without expecting results, not forgetting it in the heart, and not helping it grow. Do not be like the man of Song: there was a man of Song who, grieved that his seedlings did not grow, pulled them up, and came home worn out. He said to his family: 'I am exhausted today; I helped the seedlings grow.' His son ran to look, and the seedlings had withered. Few in the world do not 'help the seedlings grow.' Those who think it is useless and give up are those who do not weed the seedlings; those who help them grow are those who pull up the seedlings. They not only gain nothing, but harm them.""

「何謂知言？」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "What is meant by understanding words?""

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: "From a one-sided statement I know what it conceals; from an excessive statement I know what it sinks into; from a depraved statement I know where it has strayed; from an evasive statement I know where it is at its wits' end. Arising in the heart, it harms government; issuing from government, it harms affairs. If a sage were to arise again, he would surely agree with my words.""

「宰我、子貢善為說辭，冉牛、閔子、顏淵善言德行。孔子兼之，曰：『我於辭命則不能也。』然則夫子既聖矣乎？」

(Gongsun Chou said:) "Zai Wo and Zigong were good at speech, and Ran Niu, Min Zi and Yan Yuan were good at talking about virtuous conduct. Confucius had all of these, yet said: 'In the matter of speeches and commissions, I am not able.' Then is the Master already a sage?""

曰：「惡！是何言也？昔者子貢、問於孔子曰：『夫子聖矣乎？』孔子曰：『聖則吾不能，我學不厭而教不倦也。』子貢曰：『學不厭，智也；教不倦，仁也。仁且智，夫子既聖矣！』夫聖，孔子不居，是何言也？」

Mencius said: "Ah! What kind of talk is that? Formerly Zigong asked Confucius: 'Master, are you a sage?' Confucius said: 'As to being a sage, I am not able; I learn without being satisfied and teach without tiring.' Zigong said: 'To learn without being satisfied is wisdom; to teach without tiring is humaneness. Being both humane and wise, the Master is already a sage!' Confucius himself would not claim to be a sage; what kind of talk is that?""

「昔者竊聞之：子夏、子游、子張皆有聖人之一體，冉牛、閔子、顏淵則具體而微。敢問所安。」

(Gongsun Chou said:) "Formerly I heard it privately said: Zixia, Ziyou and Zizhang each had one part of a sage, while Ran Niu, Min Zi and Yan Yuan had the whole but in smaller scale. May I ask which of these the Master is comfortable with?""

曰：「姑舍是。」

Mencius said: "Let us put that aside for now.""

曰：「伯夷、伊尹何如？」

Gongsun Chou said: "What about Bo Yi and Yi Yin?""

曰：「不同道。非其君不事，非其民不使；治則進，亂則退，伯夷也。何事非君，何使非民；治亦進，亂亦進，伊尹也。可以仕則仕，可以止則止，可以久則久，可以速則速，孔子也。皆古聖人也，吾未能有行焉；乃所願，則學孔子也。」

Mencius said: "They did not follow the same way. If it was not a ruler he approved, he would not serve him; if it was not a people he approved, he would not employ them; he advanced in a well-ordered age and withdrew in a disordered one: that was Bo Yi. 'Which ruler cannot be served and which people cannot be employed?' He advanced in a well-ordered age and also advanced in a disordered one: that was Yi Yin. When it was fitting to serve, he served; when it was fitting to stop, he stopped; when it was fitting to stay long, he stayed long; when it was fitting to leave quickly, he left quickly: that was Confucius. All were sages of old, and I have not been able to practice any of them; but as for what I wish for, it is to learn from Confucius.""

「伯夷、伊尹於孔子，若是班乎？」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "Are Bo Yi and Yi Yin on a par with Confucius?""

曰：「否。自有生民以來，未有孔子也。」

Mencius said: "No. Since the birth of mankind, there has never been one like Confucius.""

曰：「然則有同與？」

Gongsun Chou said: "Then do they have anything in common?""

曰：「有。得百里之地而君之，皆能以朝諸侯有天下。行一不義、殺一不辜而得天下，皆不為也。是則同。」

Mencius said: "Yes. If they obtained a hundred li of land and became rulers, they could all make the feudal lords come to court and hold the world. To do one unrighteous deed or kill one innocent person in order to gain the world, none of them would do. That is what they have in common.""

曰：「敢問其所以異？」

Gongsun Chou said: "May I ask about how they differ?""

曰：「宰我、子貢、有若智足以知聖人。汙，不至阿其所好。宰我曰：『以予觀於夫子，賢於堯舜遠矣。』子貢曰：『見其禮而知其政，聞其樂而知其德。由百世之後，等百世之王，莫之能違也。自生民以來，未有夫子也。』有若曰：『豈惟民哉？麒麟之於走獸，鳳凰之於飛鳥，太山之於丘垤，河海之於行潦，類也。聖人之於民，亦類也。出於其類，拔乎其萃，自生民以來，未有盛於孔子也。』」

Mencius said: "Zai Wo, Zigong and You Ruo had wisdom enough to understand the sage. Even if they were not above reproach, they would not have flattered those they liked. Zai Wo said: 'Judging by the Master, he is far worthier than Yao and Shun.' Zigong said: 'Seeing his rites, one knows his government; hearing his music, one knows his virtue. From a hundred generations afterward, looking back over the kings of a hundred generations, none can depart from him. Since the birth of mankind, there has never been one like the Master.' You Ruo said: 'Is it only among people that this is so? The qilin among the beasts, the phoenix among the birds, Mount Tai among the mounds, the rivers and seas among roadside puddles, are the same kind. The sage among the people is also the same kind. Rising above his kind, standing out from his crowd, since the birth of mankind there has been none more flourishing than Confucius.'""

孟子曰：「以力假仁者霸，霸必有大國，以德行仁者王，王不待大。湯以七十里，文王以百里。以力服人者，非心服也，力不贍也；以德服人者，中心悅而誠服也，如七十子之服孔子也。《詩》云：『自西自東，自南自北，無思不服。』此之謂也。」

Mencius said: "One who uses force to borrow the name of humaneness is a hegemon, and a hegemon must have a great state; one who uses virtue to practice humaneness is a king, and a king need not wait for large territory. Tang had only seventy li, King Wen only a hundred li. When people are made to submit by force, their hearts do not submit; their strength is simply insufficient; when people are made to submit by virtue, they are glad in their hearts and sincerely submit, as the seventy disciples submitted to Confucius. The Book of Odes (Greater Odes, 'King Wen's Fame') says: 'From the west and from the east, from the south and from the north, none thought of not submitting.' This is what is meant.""

孟子曰：「仁則榮，不仁則辱。今惡辱而居不仁，是猶惡溼而居下也。如惡之，莫如貴德而尊士，賢者在位，能者在職。國家閒暇，及是時明其政刑。雖大國，必畏之矣。《詩》云：『迨天之未陰雨，徹彼桑土，綢繆牖戶。今此下民，或敢侮予？』孔子曰：『為此詩者，其知道乎！能治其國家，誰敢侮之？』今國家閒暇，及是時般樂怠敖，是自求禍也。禍褔無不自己求之者。《詩》云：『永言配命，自求多褔。』《太甲》曰：『天作孽，猶可違；自作孽，不可活。』此之謂也。」

Mencius said: "Practice humaneness and there is glory; be without humaneness and there is disgrace. Now people hate disgrace yet dwell in inhumaneness, like hating dampness and yet living in a low place. If one hates this, it is better to value virtue and honor scholars, with the worthy in position and the capable in office. When the state has leisure, take that time to clarify its government and punishments. Even a great state will surely be in awe. The Book of Odes (Odes of Bin, 'The Owl') says: 'Before the sky has turned cloudy and rainy, I strip the bark from the mulberry roots and bind my door and window firmly. Now these people below, who dares insult me?' Confucius said: 'The one who made this poem perhaps knew the Way! One who can govern his state, who dares to insult him?' Now when the state has leisure and one takes the time for ease and indolence, it is seeking calamity for oneself. There is no calamity or blessing that people do not seek for themselves. The Book of Odes (Greater Odes, 'King Wen') says: 'Always think of being matched to Heaven's mandate, and seek many blessings yourself.' The Book of Documents (Taijia) says: 'Misfortune brought by Heaven can still be avoided; misfortune brought by oneself cannot be survived.' This is what is meant.""

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。市廛而不徵，法而不廛，則天下之商皆悅而願藏於其市矣。關譏而不徵，則天下之旅皆悅而願出於其路矣。耕者助而不稅，則天下之農皆悅而願耕於其野矣。廛無夫裡之布，則天下之民皆悅而願為之氓矣。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。」

Mencius said: "Honor the worthy and employ the able, with outstanding men in position, and the scholars of the world will be glad and wish to stand in his court. In the marketplace provide buildings without levying tax, and buy up unsold goods by law so that they do not pile up, and the merchants of the world will be glad and wish to store their goods in his market. At the passes, inspect without levying duty, and the travelers of the world will be glad and wish to go by his roads. Let the farmers help cultivate the public field without taxing them further, and the farmers of the world will be glad and wish to till his fields. Do not collect labor-cloth or village-cloth from residences, and the people of the world will be glad and wish to be his people. If he can truly practice these five, the people of neighboring states will look up to him like parents. To lead sons and younger brothers to attack their parents has never succeeded since the birth of mankind. In this way he will be without rival in the world. One who is without rival in the world is an officer of Heaven. That one so should not become king has never happened.""

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。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，非所以要譽於鄉黨朋友也，非惡其聲而然也。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。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。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。苟能充之，足以保四海；苟不充之，不足以事父母。」

Mencius said: "All people have a heart that cannot bear to see others suffer. The former kings had a heart that could not bear others' suffering, and therefore had a government that could not bear others' suffering. Using a heart that cannot bear others' suffering to carry out a government that cannot bear others' suffering, governing the world can be turned in the palm of the hand. Why do I say that all people have a heart that cannot bear others' suffering? Suppose someone suddenly sees a small child about to fall into a well; all would have a feeling of alarm and compassion. It would not be in order to curry favor with the child's parents, nor to seek praise among neighbors and friends, nor because of disliking the sound of its crying. From this we see: one without a heart of compassion is not human; one without a heart of shame and dislike is not human; one without a heart of courtesy and yielding is not human; one without a heart of right and wrong is not human. The heart of compassion is the beginning of humaneness; the heart of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness; the heart of courtesy and yielding is the beginning of propriety; the heart of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom. People have these four beginnings as they have four limbs. One who has these four beginnings yet says he cannot do it is robbing himself; one who says his ruler cannot do it is robbing his ruler. All who have these four beginnings in themselves, if they know to expand them all, will be like a fire beginning to burn and a spring beginning to flow. If one can expand them, they are enough to secure the four seas; if one cannot expand them, they are not even enough to serve one's parents.""

孟子曰：「矢人豈不仁於函人哉？矢人唯恐不傷人，函人唯恐傷人。巫匠亦然，故術不可不慎也。孔子曰：『里仁為美。擇不處仁，焉得智？』夫仁，天之尊爵也，人之安宅也。莫之御而不仁，是不智也。不仁、不智、無禮、無義，人役也。人役而恥為役，由弓人而恥為弓，矢人而恥為矢也。如恥之，莫如為仁。仁者如射，射者正己而後發。發而不中，不怨勝己者，反求諸己而已矣。」

Mencius said: "Is the arrow-maker less humane than the armor-maker? The arrow-maker fears only that he will not harm people, and the armor-maker fears only that people will be harmed. The same is true of shamans and coffin-makers, so one must be careful in choosing one's craft. Confucius said: 'Living among the humane is beautiful. If one chooses a dwelling and does not settle in humaneness, how can one be called wise?' Humaneness is Heaven's most honorable rank and a person's peaceful dwelling. To be without anyone to oppose you and yet not be humane is unwise. Without humaneness, wisdom, propriety and righteousness, one is made a servant of others. To be a servant and be ashamed of being a servant is like a bow-maker being ashamed of making bows or an arrow-maker being ashamed of making arrows. If one is ashamed of it, it is better to practice humaneness. The humane person is like an archer: the archer first rectifies himself and then releases. If he releases and does not hit, he does not resent one who beats him, but simply turns back and seeks the cause in himself.""

孟子曰：「子路，人告之以有過則喜。禹聞善言則拜。大舜有大焉，善與人同。捨己從人，樂取於人以為善。自耕、稼、陶、漁以至為帝，無非取於人者。取諸人以為善，是與人為善者也。故君子莫大乎與人為善。」

Mencius said: "Zilu was pleased when others told him he had faults. Yu bowed when he heard a good word. The great Shun had something even greater: he shared goodness with others. He gave up his own view and followed others, and delighted in taking from others to do good. From farming, planting, making pottery and fishing, up to being emperor, there was nothing he did not take from others. To take from others in order to do good is to do good together with them. So there is nothing greater for the gentleman than to do good 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，思與鄉人立，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。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：『爾為爾，我為我，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。」

Mencius said: "Bo Yi would not serve a ruler he did not approve of, nor befriend a friend he did not approve of. He would not stand in the court of an evil person nor speak with an evil person. To stand in the court of an evil person and speak with an evil person would be like sitting in court robes and cap in mud and ashes. Extending his dislike of evil, he thought that if he stood beside a village man whose cap was not straight, he would leave at once with a stare, as if about to be defiled. So even when a feudal lord came with beautifully worded messages, he would not accept them. His not accepting was also a way of disdaining to draw near. Liuxia Hui was not ashamed to serve a corrupt ruler, nor did he think a minor post beneath him. When employed, he did not hide his worth, and always followed his Way. When cast aside he did not resent it, and in poverty he was not worried. So he said: 'You are you and I am I; even if you stood beside me with your chest bare and body exposed, how could you defile me?' So he was at ease in company without losing himself, and when pulled back and asked to stay, he stayed. His staying when pulled back was also a way of disdaining to leave.""

孟子曰：「伯夷隘，柳下惠不恭。隘與不恭，君子不由也。」

Mencius said: "Bo Yi was narrow, and Liuxia Hui was not respectful. The gentleman does not follow either narrowness or lack of respect.""

孟子曰：「天時不如地利，地利不如人和。三里之城，七里之郭，環而攻之而不勝。夫環而攻之，必有得天時者矣；然而不勝者，是天時不如地利也。城非不高也，池非不深也，兵革非不堅利也，米粟非不多也；委而去之，是地利不如人和也。故曰：域民不以封疆之界，固國不以山谿之險，威天下不以兵革之利。得道者多助，失道者寡助。寡助之至，親戚畔之；多助之至，天下順之。以天下之所順，攻親戚之所畔；故君子有不戰，戰必勝矣。」

Mencius said: "The time of Heaven is not as good as the advantages of terrain, and the advantages of terrain are not as good as harmony among people. A city of three li and an outer wall of seven li, surrounded and attacked, cannot be taken. To surround and attack it, there must be a time that Heaven's season favors; yet not winning means that the time of Heaven is not as good as the advantages of terrain. It is not that the city walls are not high, the moats are not deep, the weapons and armor are not strong and sharp, or the grain is not plentiful; yet the defenders abandon the city and leave; this means the advantages of terrain are not as good as harmony among people. So it is said: to confine the people does not depend on the limits of borders, to secure a state does not depend on the dangers of mountains and streams, to awe the world does not depend on the sharpness of arms and armor. One who has the Way has many supporters, and one who loses the Way has few supporters. When supporters are so few as to be at the extreme, even relatives turn against him; when supporters are so many as to be at the extreme, the whole world follows him. Using what the whole world follows to attack one whom relatives have turned against, the gentleman would sooner not fight; if he fights, he must win.""

孟子將朝王，王使人來曰：「寡人如就見者也，有寒疾，不可以風。朝將視朝，不識可使寡人得見乎？」對曰：「不幸而有疾，不能造朝。」

Mencius was about to have an audience with King Xuan, and the king sent someone to say: "I should have come to see you myself, but I have a cold and cannot go out in the wind. Tomorrow I will hold court; I do not know whether I may be allowed to see you?" Mencius replied: "Unfortunately I am ill and cannot go to court.""

明日，出吊於東郭氏，公孫丑曰：「昔者辭以病，今日吊，或者不可乎！」曰：「昔者疾，今日愈，如之何不弔？」

The next day, Mencius went out to pay a condolence call at the house of Dongguo, and Gongsun Chou said: "Yesterday you declined on grounds of illness, and today you go to a condolence call; perhaps that is not right!" Mencius said: "Yesterday I was ill, today I am better; why should I not go to pay condolences?""

王使人問疾，醫來。孟仲子對曰：「昔者有王命，有采薪之憂，不能造朝。今病小愈，趨造於朝，我不識能至否乎？」使數人要於路，曰：「請必無歸，而造於朝！」

The king sent someone to ask after his illness, and a doctor also came. Meng Zhongzi replied: "Yesterday there was the king's command, and he had the worry of gathering firewood (a polite expression for illness), and could not go to court. Now that he is a little better, he is hurrying to court; I do not know whether he will arrive?" Then he sent several people to intercept him on the road, saying: "Please do not go home, but go to court!""

不得已而之景醜氏宿焉。景子曰：「內則父子，外則君臣，人之大倫也。父子主恩，君臣主敬。醜見王之敬子也，未見所以敬王也。」

Mencius, having no choice, went to spend the night at the house of Jing Chou. Jingzi said: "Within the family there is father and son, outside there is ruler and subject; these are the great human relationships. Between father and son kindness is the main thing; between ruler and subject respect is the main thing. I have seen the king respect you, but I have not seen you show respect to the king.""

曰：「惡！是何言也！齊人無以仁義與王言者，豈以仁義為不美也？其心曰『是何足與言仁義也』云爾，則不敬莫大乎是。我非堯舜之道，不敢以陳於王前，故齊人莫如我敬王也。」

Mencius said: "Ah! What kind of talk is that! None of the people of Qi speak to the king of humaneness and righteousness; do they think humaneness and righteousness are not fine? They only say in their hearts, 'How is he worth speaking to of humaneness and righteousness?' No disrespect is greater than that. If it is not the way of Yao and Shun, I dare not set it before the king, so none of the people of Qi respect the king as I do.""

景子曰：「否，非此之謂也。禮曰：『父召，無諾；君命召，不俟駕。』固將朝也，聞王命而遂不果，宜與夫禮若不相似然。」

Jingzi said: "No, that is not what I mean. The rites say: 'When your father calls, go without waiting to answer 'yes'; when the ruler's command summons you, go without waiting for the carriage to be harnessed.' You were originally about to have an audience, but on hearing the king's command did not go in the end; this seems not to match those rites.""

曰：「豈謂是與？曾子曰：『晉楚之富，不可及也。彼以其富，我以吾仁；彼以其爵，我以吾義，吾何慊乎哉？』夫豈不義而曾子言之？是或一道也。天下有達尊三：爵一，齒一，德一。朝廷莫如爵，鄉黨莫如齒，輔世長民莫如德。惡得有其一，以慢其二哉？故將大有為之君，必有所不召之臣。欲有謀焉，則就之。其尊德樂道，不如是不足與有為也。故湯之於伊尹，學焉而後臣之，故不勞而王；桓公之於管仲，學焉而後臣之，故不勞而霸。今天下地醜德齊，莫能相尚。無他，好臣其所教，而不好臣其所受教。湯之於伊尹，桓公之於管仲，則不敢召。管仲且猶不可召，而況不為管仲者乎？」

Mencius said: "Is that what you mean? Zengzi said: 'The wealth of Jin and Chu cannot be matched. They have their wealth, and I have my humaneness; they have their rank, and I have my righteousness; what do I lack?' Would Zengzi have said this if it were not in accord with righteousness? Perhaps it is a kind of principle. In the world there are three things universally honored: rank is one, age is one, virtue is one. At court nothing equals rank, in the village nothing equals age, and in assisting the age and nurturing the people nothing equals virtue. How can one have one of these and slight the other two? So a ruler who is to accomplish great things must have ministers he does not summon. If he wishes to consult them, he goes to see them. He honors virtue and delights in the Way, and without this he is not fit to accomplish anything. So Tang with Yi Yin first learned from him and then made him a minister, and so he became king without effort; Duke Huan with Guan Zhong first learned from him and then made him a minister, and so became hegemon without effort. Now the territories of the world are alike and the virtue of rulers is equal, and none can surpass the other. There is no other reason than that they like to make ministers of those they can teach, and do not like to make ministers of those from whom they would be taught. Tang toward Yi Yin and Duke Huan toward Guan Zhong would not dare summon them. If Guan Zhong could not be summoned, how much less one who does not wish to be a Guan Zhong?""

陳臻問曰：「前日於齊，王餽兼金一百而不受；於宋，餽七十鎰而受；於薛，餽五十鎰而受。前日之不受是，則今日之受非也；今日之受是，則前日之不受非也。夫子必居一於此矣。」

Chen Zhen asked: "Some days ago at Qi, the king gave you a hundred yi of fine gold and you did not accept it; at Song, he gave seventy yi and you accepted it; at Xue, he gave fifty yi and you accepted it. If not accepting earlier was right, then accepting today is wrong; if accepting today is right, then not accepting earlier was wrong. You, Master, must be in the wrong in one of them.""

孟子曰：「皆是也。當在宋也，予將有遠行。行者必以贐，辭曰：『餽贐。』予何為不受？當在薛也，予有戒心。辭曰：『聞戒。』故為兵餽之，予何為不受？若於齊，則未有處也。無處而餽之，是貨之也。焉有君子而可以貨取乎？」

Mencius said: "Both were right. When I was at Song, I was about to make a long journey. For one setting out on a journey there is certainly a gift of traveling expenses, and the wording was: 'A gift of traveling expenses.' Why should I not accept it? When I was at Xue, I had a mind to guard against danger. The wording was: 'I hear you are on guard.' So the gift was for arms; why should I not accept it? As for at Qi, there was no such ground. To give a gift without grounds is to buy with goods. How can a gentleman be bought with goods?""

孟子之平陸。謂其大夫曰：「子之持戟之士，一日而三失伍，則去之否乎？」

Mencius went to Pinglu. He said to the grandee there: "If your halberd-bearing soldier leaves his post three times in a day, will you dismiss him?""

曰：「不待三。」

The grandee said: "I would not wait for three times.""

「然則子之失伍也亦多矣。凶年饑歲，子之民，老羸轉於溝壑，壯者散而之四方者，幾千人矣。」

(Mencius said:) "Then you too have left your post often. In the years of famine and hunger, your people, the old and weak, died by turns in the ditches, and the able-bodied scattered in all directions, nearly a thousand.""

曰：「此非距心之所得為也。」

The grandee said: "This is not something Juxin can decide.""

曰：「今有受人之牛羊而為之牧之者，則必為之求牧與芻矣。求牧與芻而不得，則反諸其人乎？抑亦立而視其死與？」

Mencius said: "Now suppose someone takes another's cattle and sheep to tend them for him; he would surely seek pasture and fodder for them. If he sought pasture and fodder and could not get them, would he return the cattle and sheep to that person? Or would he stand and watch them die?""

曰：「此則距心之罪也。」

The grandee said: "That is Juxin's fault.""

他日，見於王曰：「王之為都者，臣知五人焉。知其罪者，惟孔距心。為王誦之。」王曰：「此則寡人之罪也。」

Later, on another day, Mencius was received by King Xuan and said: "Of the king's governors of cities, your servant knows five. The only one who knows his own fault is Kong Juxin." Then he repeated the matter to the king. King Xuan said: "This is my fault.""

孟子謂蚔鼃曰：「子之辭靈丘而請士師，似也，為其可以言也。今既數月矣，未可以言與？」

Mencius said to Chi Wa: "You resigned from Lingqiu and asked to be a judge, which seems right, because it gives you opportunity to speak. Now it has been several months; is it still not possible to speak?""

蚔鼃諫於王而不用，致為臣而去。齊人曰：「所以為蚔鼃，則善矣；所以自為，則吾不知也。」

Chi Wa remonstrated with the king and was not used, so he gave up his post and left. The people of Qi said: "His planning for Chi Wa was good; as for his planning for himself, we do not know.""

公都子以告。曰：「吾聞之也：有官守者，不得其職則去；有言責者，不得其言則去。我無官守，我無言責也，則吾進退，豈不綽綽然有餘裕哉？」

Gongduzi told this to Mencius. Mencius said: "I have heard: one who has an official post leaves if he cannot carry out his duties; one who has the duty to speak leaves if he cannot speak. I have no official post and no duty to speak, so are my advancing and withdrawing not free and with room to spare?""

孟子為卿於齊，出吊於滕，王使蓋大夫王驩為輔行。王驩朝暮見，反齊滕之路，未嘗與之言行事也。

When Mencius was a minister in Qi, he went to Teng as an envoy for a condolence visit, and the king sent Wang Huan, grandee of Gai, as his deputy. Wang Huan met him morning and evening, and on the roads going and returning between Qi and Teng, Mencius never spoke to him about the mission."

公孫丑曰：「齊卿之位，不為小矣；齊滕之路，不為近矣。反之而未嘗與言行事，何也？」

Gongsun Chou said: "The position of a minister of Qi is not small; the road between Qi and Teng is not near. Going and returning, you never spoke to him about the mission; why?""

曰：「夫既或治之，予何言哉？」

Mencius said: "Someone was already handling it; what more should I say?""

孟子自齊葬於魯，反於齊，止於嬴。

Mencius went from Qi to Lu for a burial, and on returning to Qi, he stopped at Ying."

充虞請曰：「前日不知虞之不肖，使虞敦匠事。嚴，虞不敢請。今願竊有請也，木若以美然。」

Chong Yu asked: "Some days ago, not knowing that I was unworthy, you had me oversee the craftsmen's work. The matter was urgent and I did not dare ask. Now I would like to ask privately: the coffin seems too fine.""

曰：「古者棺槨無度，中古棺七寸，槨稱之。自天子達於庶人。非直為觀美也，然後盡於人心。不得，不可以為悅；無財，不可以為悅。得之為有財，古之人皆用之，吾何為獨不然？且比化者，無使土親膚，於人心獨無恔乎？吾聞之君子：不以天下儉其親。」

Mencius said: "In ancient times there was no fixed measure for coffins and outer coffins; in the middle ancient period the coffin was seven inches thick, and the outer coffin matched it. From the Son of Heaven down to the common people. It was not merely for appearance, but only thus was the human heart fulfilled. If one cannot get (fine wood), one cannot satisfy the heart; if one has no money, one cannot satisfy the heart. If one can get it and has the money, the ancients all used it; why should I alone not? Moreover, for the sake of the dead, not letting earth touch their flesh, is that not a comfort to the human heart? I have heard that the gentleman does not economize on his parents for the sake of the world.""

沈同以其私問曰：「燕可伐與？」

Shen Tong asked in a private capacity: "Can Yan be attacked?""

孟子曰：「可。子噲不得與人燕，子之不得受燕於子噲。有仕於此，而子悅之，不告於王而私與之吾子之祿爵；夫士也，亦無王命而私受之於子，則可乎？何以異於是？」

Mencius said: "It can. Zi Kuai should not have given Yan to another, and Zi Zhi should not have received Yan from Zi Kuai. Suppose there is an official here whom you like, and without telling the king you privately give him your salary and rank; and that man, without the king's command, privately receives it from you; would that be acceptable? How is this different?""

齊人伐燕。或問曰：「勸齊伐燕，有諸？」

The people of Qi attacked Yan. Someone asked: "Did you urge Qi to attack Yan; is there such a thing?""

曰：「未也。沈同問『燕可伐與』？吾應之曰『可』，彼然而伐之也。彼如曰『孰可以伐之』？則將應之曰：『為天吏，則可以伐之。』今有殺人者，或問之曰『人可殺與』？則將應之曰『可』。彼如曰『孰可以殺之』？則將應之曰：『為士師，則可以殺之。』今以燕伐燕，何為勸之哉？」

Mencius said: "No. Shen Tong asked, 'Can Yan be attacked?' I answered, 'It can,' and he went and attacked it. If he had asked, 'Who can attack it?' I would have answered: 'Only an officer of Heaven can attack it.' Suppose there is a murderer, and someone asks, 'Can this man be killed?' I would answer, 'He can.' If he asked, 'Who can kill him?' I would answer: 'Only a judge can kill him.' Now for one Yan to attack another Yan, why would I urge him?""

燕人畔。王曰：「吾甚慚於孟子。」

The people of Yan rebelled. King Xuan said: "I am deeply ashamed before Mencius.""

陳賈曰：「王無患焉。王自以為與周公，孰仁且智？」

Chen Jia said: "The king need not worry. Which does the king consider himself more humane and wise, the Duke of Zhou or yourself?""

王曰：「惡！是何言也？」

King Xuan said: "Ah! What kind of talk is that?""

曰：「周公使管叔監殷，管叔以殷畔。知而使之，是不仁也；不知而使之，是不智也。仁智，周公未之盡也，而況於王乎？賈請見而解之。」

Chen Jia said: "The Duke of Zhou sent Guan Shu to oversee Yin, and Guan Shu took Yin and rebelled. If he knew and still sent him, that was inhumane; if he did not know and sent him, that was unwise. In humaneness and wisdom the Duke of Zhou was not perfect, let alone the king? Jia asks to go see Mencius and explain.""

見孟子，問曰：「周公何人也？」

Chen Jia saw Mencius and asked: "What kind of man was the Duke of Zhou?""

曰：「古聖人也。」

Mencius said: "A sage of old.""

曰：「使管叔監殷，管叔以殷畔也，有諸？」

Chen Jia said: "He sent Guan Shu to oversee Yin, and Guan Shu took Yin and rebelled; is that so?""

曰：「然。」

Mencius said: "Yes.""

曰：「周公知其將畔而使之與？」

Chen Jia said: "Did the Duke of Zhou know he would rebel and still send him?""

曰：「不知也。」

Mencius said: "He did not know.""

「然則聖人且有過與？」

(Chen Jia asked:) "Then even a sage has faults?""

曰：「周公，弟也；管叔，兄也。周公之過，不亦宜乎？且古之君子，過則改之；今之君子，過則順之。古之君子，其過也，如日月之食，民皆見之；及其更也，民皆仰之。今之君子，豈徒順之，又從為之辭。」

Mencius said: "The Duke of Zhou was the younger brother; Guan Shu was the elder. Was not the Duke of Zhou's fault only natural? Moreover, gentlemen of old corrected their faults when they had them; gentlemen of today follow along with theirs. The faults of the gentlemen of old were like eclipses of the sun and moon, which all the people saw; when they corrected them, all the people looked up to them. Gentlemen today not only follow along, but even go on to defend them.""

孟子致為臣而歸。王就見孟子，曰：「前日願見而不可得，得侍，同朝甚喜。今又棄寡人而歸，不識可以繼此而得見乎？」對曰：「不敢請耳，固所願也。」

Mencius gave up his post and was about to go home. King Xuan came to see Mencius and said: "Formerly I wished to see you but could not; having been able to attend you, I was very glad to share the court. Now you again abandon me and go home; I do not know whether this can continue so that I may see you?" Mencius replied: "I dare not ask for it, but it was indeed what I wished.""

他日，王謂時子曰：「我欲中國而授孟子室，養弟子以萬鍾，使諸大夫國人皆有所矜式。子盍為我言之？」

Later, on another day, the king said to Shizi: "I wish to give Mencius a house in the capital and support his disciples with ten thousand zhong, so that the grandees and the people may all respect and imitate him. Why do you not speak to him for me?""

時子因陳子而以告孟子，陳子以時子之言告孟子。孟子曰：「然。夫時子惡知其不可也？如使予欲富，辭十萬而受萬，是為欲富乎？季孫曰：『異哉子叔疑！使己為政，不用，則亦已矣，又使其子弟為卿。人亦孰不欲富貴？而獨於富貴之中，有私龍斷焉。』古之為市也，以其所有易其所無者，有司者治之耳。有賤丈夫焉，必求龍斷而登之，以左右望而罔市利。人皆以為賤，故從而徵之。徵商，自此賤丈夫始矣。

Shizi told this to Mencius through Chenzi, and Chenzi told Mencius what Shizi said. Mencius said: "So it is. How would Shizi know that this is not acceptable? If I coveted wealth, and declined a hundred thousand to accept ten thousand, would that be coveting wealth? Jisun said: 'How strange Zishu Yi is! He had himself in government, and when not used, that was that, but then he had his sons and younger brothers made ministers. Who does not want wealth and rank? Yet among wealth and rank he alone has a private monopoly.' In ancient times markets were for exchanging what one had for what one lacked, and the officials merely regulated them. There was a base fellow who surely sought a high ridge to climb up, looking left and right to net all the market's profit. People thought him base, and so they taxed him in turn. Taxing merchants began with this base fellow.""

孟子去齊，宿於晝。

Mencius left Qi and stayed at Zhou."

有欲為王留行者，坐而言。不應，隱几而臥。客不悅曰：「弟子齊宿而後敢言，夫子臥而不聽，請勿復敢見矣。」

There was a man who wished to detain him on the king's behalf, and sat and spoke. Mencius did not answer, and leaned on his armrest and slept. The guest was displeased and said: "I fasted overnight before daring to speak, and the Master sleeps and does not listen; please let me not dare to see you again.""

曰：「坐！我明語子。昔者魯繆公無人乎子思之側，則不能安子思；洩柳、申詳，無人乎繆公之側，則不能安其身。子為長者慮，而不及子思，子絕長者乎？長者絕子乎？」

Mencius said: "Sit down! I will tell you plainly. Formerly Duke Mu of Lu, with no one at Zisi's side, could not keep Zisi at ease; Xie Liu and Shen Xiang, with no one at Duke Mu's side, could not keep themselves at ease. If you plan for an elder worse than you plan for Zisi, is it you who reject the elder, or the elder who rejects you?""

孟子去齊。尹士語人曰：「不識王之不可以為湯武，則是不明也；識其不可，然且至，則是幹澤也。千里而見王，不遇故去。三宿而後出晝，是何濡滯也？士則茲不悅。」

Mencius left Qi. Yin Shi said to someone: "If he did not know that the king could not become a Tang or a Wu, that would be unclear-sightedness; if he knew he could not and still came, that is seeking favor. He came a thousand li to see the king, and leaving because he was not met, he stayed three nights before leaving Zhou; how slow was that? I, Shi, am displeased by this.""

高子以告。曰：「夫尹士惡知予哉？千里而見王，是予所欲也；不遇故去，豈予所欲哉？予不得已也。予三宿而出晝，於予心猶以為速。王庶幾改之。王如改諸，則必反予。夫出晝而王不予追也，予然後浩然有歸志。予雖然，豈舍王哉？王由足用為善。王如用予，則豈徒齊民安，天下之民舉安。王庶幾改之，予日望之。予豈若是小丈夫然哉？諫於其君而不受，則怒，悻悻然見於其面。去則窮日之力而後宿哉？」

Gaozi told this to Mencius. Mencius said: "How would Yin Shi know me? To come a thousand li to see the king was what I wished; to leave because I was not met, was that what I wanted? I had no choice. I stayed three nights before leaving Zhou, and in my heart I still thought it quick. The king might change. If the king changed, he would surely recall me. After leaving Zhou, the king did not pursue me, and only then did I have a great desire to go home. Though I did so, how could I abandon the king? The king is still fit to do good. If the king used me, not only would the people of Qi be at peace, but the people of the whole world. The king might change, and I look forward to it day by day. Am I like that kind of petty man? Remonstrating with his ruler and not being accepted, he gets angry, his face flaring with indignation. When leaving, does he use up a whole day's strength before lodging?""

尹士聞之曰：「士誠小人也。」

Yin Shi heard this and said: "I am truly a petty man.""

孟子去齊。充虞路問曰：「夫子若有不豫色然。前日虞聞諸夫子曰：『君子不怨天，不尤人。』」

Mencius left Qi. Chong Yu asked on the road: "The Master seems to have an unhappy look. Some days ago I heard the Master say: 'The gentleman does not blame Heaven or resent people.'""

曰：「彼一時，此一時也。五百年必有王者興，其間必有名世者。由周而來，七百有餘歲矣。以其數則過矣，以其時考之則可矣。夫天，未欲平治天下也；如欲平治天下，當今之世，捨我其誰也？吾何為不豫哉？」

Mencius said: "That was one time, and this is another. Every five hundred years a true king must arise, and in between there must be one famous in his age. Since Zhou, it has been more than seven hundred years. By the count of years it has passed; by examining the circumstances it is possible. Heaven has not yet wished to bring peace to the world; if it did wish to bring peace to the world, in the present age, who is there besides me? Why should I be unhappy?""

孟子去齊，居休。

Mencius left Qi and stayed at Xiu."

公孫丑問曰：「仕而不受祿，古之道乎？」

Gongsun Chou asked: "To hold office and not accept salary, is that the way of the ancients?""

曰：「非也。於崇，吾得見王。退而有去志，不欲變，故不受也。繼而有師命，不可以請。久於齊，非我志也。」

Mencius said: "No. At Chong, I was able to see the king. After withdrawing, I had the intention of leaving and did not wish to change it, so I did not accept. Then there was an order for military service, and I could not ask for leave. To stay long in Qi was not my intention.""

滕文公為世子，將之楚，過宋而見孟子。孟子道性善，言必稱堯舜。

When Duke Wen of Teng was crown prince, he was about to go to Chu and passed through Song to see Mencius. Mencius spoke of the goodness of human nature (that human nature tends toward good), and in speaking always cited Yao and Shun."

世子自楚反，復見孟子。孟子曰：「世子疑吾言乎？夫道一而已矣。成覸謂齊景公曰：『彼丈夫也，我丈夫也，吾何畏彼哉？』顏淵曰：『舜何人也？予何人也？有為者亦若是。』公明儀曰：『文王我師也，周公豈欺我哉？』今滕，絕長補短，將五十里也，猶可以為善國。《書》曰：『若藥不瞑眩，厥疾不瘳。』」

The crown prince returned from Chu and again saw Mencius. Mencius said: "Does the crown prince doubt my words? The Way is only one. Cheng Jian said to Duke Jing of Qi: 'He is a man, and I am a man; why should I fear him?' Yan Yuan said: 'Who was Shun? Who am I? One who acts can be like that.' Gongming Yi said: 'King Wen is my teacher; would the Duke of Zhou deceive me?' Now Teng, cutting off the long to patch the short, is nearly fifty li, and can still be made into a good state. The Book of Documents says: 'If the medicine does not make one dizzy and blur the sight, the illness will not be cured.'""

滕定公薨。世子謂然友曰：「昔者孟子嘗與我言於宋，於心終不忘。今也不幸至於大故，吾欲使子問於孟子，然後行事。」

Duke Ding of Teng died. The crown prince said to Ran You: "Formerly Mencius once spoke with me in Song, and I have never forgotten it in my heart. Now, unfortunately, the great mourning has come, and I want you to go and ask Mencius, and then I will handle the matter.""

然友之鄒問於孟子。孟子曰：「不亦善乎！親喪固所自盡也。曾子曰：『生事之以禮；死葬之以禮，祭之以禮，可謂孝矣。』諸侯之禮，吾未之學也；雖然，吾嘗聞之矣。三年之喪，齊疏之服，飦粥之食，自天子達於庶人，三代共之。」

Ran You went to Zou to ask Mencius. Mencius said: "Is that not good! Mourning for one's parents is indeed where one exerts one's own heart. Zengzi said: 'When they are alive, serve them according to ritual; when they are dead, bury them according to ritual and sacrifice to them according to ritual; this can be called filial.' The rites of the feudal lords I have not studied; even so, I have heard of them. The three-year mourning, the coarse hemmed mourning garments, the diet of gruel, from the Son of Heaven down to the common people, was shared by the Three Dynasties.""

然友反命，定為三年之喪。父兄百官皆不欲，曰：「吾宗國魯先君莫之行，吾先君亦莫之行也，至於子之身而反之，不可。且志曰：『喪祭從先祖。』」曰：「吾有所受之也。」謂然友曰：「吾他日未嘗學問，好馳馬試劍。今也父兄百官不我足也，恐其不能盡於大事，子為我問孟子。」

Ran You returned to report, and the three-year mourning was fixed. The elders and all the officials were unwilling, and said: "Our ancestral state of Lu's former rulers did not practice this, and our own former rulers did not practice it either; to reverse it in your time is not acceptable. Moreover, the records say: 'Mourning and sacrifice follow the ancestors.'" The crown prince said: "I have something I received." He said to Ran You again: "In the past I did not study, and liked riding horses and testing swords. Now the elders and officials do not think I am sufficient, and I fear I cannot carry out this great affair; ask Mencius for me.""

然友復之鄒問孟子。孟子曰：「然。不可以他求者也。孔子曰：『君薨，聽於冢宰。歠粥，面深墨。即位而哭，百官有司，莫敢不哀，先之也。』上有好者，下必有甚焉者矣。『君子之德，風也；小人之德，草也。草尚之風必偃。』是在世子。」

Ran You went again to Zou to ask Mencius. Mencius said: "So it is. This cannot be sought from others. Confucius said: 'When the ruler dies, the heir listens to the prime minister. He drinks gruel, and his face is deep dark. When he takes his seat and weeps, none among the hundred officials dares not be sad, because the ruler himself has done so first.' When those above have a liking for something, those below will surely like it even more. 'The virtue of the gentleman is the wind; the virtue of the petty person is the grass. When the wind passes over the grass, it must bend.' This depends on the crown prince.""

然友反命。世子曰：「然。是誠在我。」五月居廬，未有命戒。百官族人可謂曰知。及至葬，四方來觀之，顏色之戚，哭泣之哀，弔者大悅。

Ran You returned to report. The crown prince said: "So it is. This truly depends on me." For five months he lived in the mourning hut, and did not issue orders or warnings. The officials and clansmen could be said to have understood. When the time came for burial, people came from the four quarters to watch, and the sorrow in his face and the grief of his weeping greatly won over those who came to mourn."

滕文公問為國。孟子曰：「民事不可緩也。《詩》云：『晝爾於茅，宵爾索綯；亟其乘屋，其始播百穀。』民之為道也，有恆產者有恆心，無恆產者無恆心。苟無恆心，放辟邪侈，無不為已。及陷乎罪，然後從而刑之，是罔民也。焉有仁人在位，罔民而可為也？是故賢君必恭儉禮下，取於民有制。陽虎曰：『為富不仁矣，為仁不富矣。』

Duke Wen of Teng asked how to govern the state. Mencius said: "The people's affairs cannot be put off. The Book of Odes (Odes of Bin, 'The Seventh Month') says: 'By day go cut the thatch, at night twist the rope; hurry up onto the roof to repair it, and begin sowing the hundred grains.' The way of the people is that only those with constant property have a constant heart, and those without constant property have no constant heart. If they have no constant heart, there is nothing they will not do in dissipation, depravity and wrongdoing. When they have fallen into crime and then one follows with punishments, this is trapping the people. How can there be a humane person in office who can trap the people? So a worthy ruler is respectful and thrifty, treats those below with courtesy, and takes from the people according to a system. Yang Hu said: 'One who seeks wealth is not humane, and one who seeks humaneness is not wealthy.'"

「夏后氏五十而貢，殷人七十而助，周人百畝而徹，其實皆什一也。徹者，徹也；助者，藉也。龍子曰：『治地莫善於助，莫不善於貢。貢者校數歲之中以為常。樂歲，粒米狼戾，多取之而不為虐，則寡取之；凶年，糞其田而不足，則必取盈焉。為民父母，使民盻盻然，將終歲勤動，不得以養其父母，又稱貸而益之。使老稚轉乎溝壑，惡在其為民父母也？』夫世祿，滕固行之矣。《詩》云：『雨我公田，遂及我私。』惟助為有公田。由此觀之，雖周亦助也。

(Mencius continued:) "The Xia dynasty gave fifty mu per household and levied tribute; the Yin gave seventy mu and used the mutual-aid system; the Zhou gave a hundred mu and used the common-share system; in fact all took one tenth. 'Common share' means 'through,' and 'mutual aid' means borrowing the people's strength. Longzi said: 'In governing land, nothing is better than mutual aid and nothing is worse than tribute. Tribute compares the harvests of several years and takes the average as a fixed figure. In a good year, the grain is scattered about, and taking much would not be cruel, yet little is taken; in a bad year, even with manure the fields do not yield enough, yet the full amount must be taken. To be a parent of the people, and make the people glare resentfully, working hard the whole year and unable to support their parents, and then having to borrow to make up the shortfall, so that the old and young die by turns in the ditches, how can one still be called the parent of the people?' As for hereditary salaries, Teng has already practiced them. The Book of Odes (Lesser Odes, 'The Great Field') says: 'May the rain fall on our public field, and then on our private fields.' Only under mutual aid is there a public field. From this we see that even Zhou used mutual aid."

「設為庠序學校以教之：庠者，養也；校者，教也；序者，射也。夏曰校，殷曰序，周曰庠，學則三代共之，皆所以明人倫也。人倫明於上，小民親於下。有王者起，必來取法，是為王者師也。《詩》雲『周雖舊邦，其命惟新』，文王之謂也。子力行之，亦以新子之國。」

(Mencius continued:) "Set up xiang and xu schools to teach and transform the people: xiang means nurturing, xiao means teaching, and xu means archery. The Xia called it xiao, the Yin called it xu, the Zhou called it xiang; as for learning, the Three Dynasties all had it, and all used it to make clear the human relationships. When the human relationships are made clear above, the common people are close and harmonious below. If a true king arises, he will surely come to take this as a model, and thus become the teacher of kings. The Book of Odes (Greater Odes, 'King Wen') says 'Though Zhou is an old state, its mandate is new,' which speaks of King Wen. If you work at practicing it, you too can use it to renew your state.""

使畢戰問井地。孟子曰：「子之君將行仁政，選擇而使子，子必勉之！夫仁政，必自經界始。經界不正，井地不鈞，谷祿不平。是故暴君汙吏必慢其經界。經界既正，分田制祿可坐而定也。夫滕壤地褊小，將為君子焉，將為野人焉。無君子莫治野人，無野人莫養君子。請野九一而助，國中什一使自賦。卿以下必有圭田，圭田五十畝。餘夫二十五畝。死徙無出鄉，鄉田同井。出入相友，守望相助，疾病相扶持，則百姓親睦。方里而井，井九百畝，其中為公田。八家皆私百畝，同養公田。公事畢，然後敢治私事，所以別野人也。此其大略也。若夫潤澤之，則在君與子矣。」

The Duke sent Bi Zhan to ask about the well-field system. Mencius said: "Your lord is about to practice humane government, and has chosen and sent you; you must exert yourself! Humane government must begin with land boundaries. If the boundaries are not straight, the well-fields are not equal, and grain stipends are not fair. So tyrants and corrupt officials are sure to neglect the boundaries. Once the boundaries are straight, dividing the fields and setting the stipends can be settled while sitting. Teng's land is narrow and small, yet there will be gentlemen and there will be rustic people. Without gentlemen no one will govern the rustic people, and without rustic people no one will feed the gentlemen. Please in the countryside use the nine-to-one mutual-aid system, and in the capital take one tenth and let them pay it themselves. Ministers and below must have a gui-field of fifty mu. The remaining able-bodied males get twenty-five mu. Neither death nor moving takes anyone out of the village, and fields in the village are of the same well. In going out and coming in they befriend each other, in keeping watch they help each other, in illness they support each other, and so the people become close and harmonious. A square li makes one well, one well is nine hundred mu, with the public field in the middle. The eight families each privately own a hundred mu and together cultivate the public field. Only when the public work is finished do they dare to manage private affairs; this is how rustics are distinguished. This is the outline. As for the refinement, it rests with your lord and you.""

有為神農之言者許行，自楚之滕，踵門而告文公曰：「遠方之人聞君行仁政，願受一廛而為氓。」文公與之處，其徒數十人，皆衣褐，捆屨、織蓆以為食。

Xu Xing, who followed the teachings of Shennong, came from Chu to Teng, and walking to the gate told Duke Wen: "A man from far away has heard that you practice humane government, and wishes to receive a dwelling and be your subject." The Duke gave him a dwelling, and his disciples, several tens, all wore coarse hemp cloth and made their living by weaving sandals and mats."

陳良之徒陳相與其弟辛，負耒耜而自宋之滕，曰：「聞君行聖人之政，是亦聖人也，願為聖人氓。」陳相見許行而大悅，盡棄其學而學焉。

Chen Xiang, a disciple of Chen Liang, and his younger brother Xin, carrying plows on their backs, came from Song to Teng, and said: "We have heard that you practice the government of the sages; this too is a sage, and we wish to be the subjects of a sage." Chen Xiang, on seeing Xu Xing, was greatly pleased and completely abandoned his former learning to study this."

陳相見孟子，道許行之言曰：「滕君，則誠賢君也；雖然，未聞道也。賢者與民並耕而食，饔飧而治。今也滕有倉廩府庫，則是厲民而以自養也，惡得賢？」

Chen Xiang saw Mencius and repeated Xu Xing's words, saying: "The ruler of Teng is indeed a worthy ruler; even so, he has not yet heard the Way. A worthy ruler should plow and eat together with the people, and cook his own meals and govern. Now Teng has granaries and treasuries, which means he is oppressing the people to feed himself; how can he be called worthy?""

孟子曰：「許子必種粟而後食乎？」曰：「然。」

Mencius said: "Does Master Xu surely plant his own grain before eating?" Chen Xiang said: "Yes.""

「許子必織布而後衣乎？」曰：「否。許子衣褐。」

(Mencius asked:) "Does Master Xu surely weave his own cloth before wearing it?" Chen Xiang said: "No. Master Xu wears coarse hemp.""

「許子冠乎？」曰：「冠。」

(Mencius asked:) "Does Master Xu wear a cap?" Chen Xiang said: "Yes.""

曰：「奚冠？」曰：「冠素。」

Mencius said: "What kind of cap?" Chen Xiang said: "A plain silk one.""

曰：「自織之與？」曰：「否。以粟易之。」

Mencius said: "Does he weave it himself?" Chen Xiang said: "No. He exchanges grain for it.""

曰：「許子奚為不自織？」曰：「害於耕。」

Mencius said: "Why does Master Xu not weave it himself?" Chen Xiang said: "It would interfere with farming.""

曰：「許子以釜甑爨，以鐵耕乎？」曰：「然。」

Mencius said: "Does Master Xu cook with pots and steamers and plow with iron tools?" Chen Xiang said: "Yes.""

「自為之與？」曰：「否。以粟易之。」

(Mencius asked:) "Does he make them himself?" Chen Xiang said: "No. He exchanges grain for them.""

「以粟易械器者，不為厲陶冶；陶冶亦以其械器易粟者，豈為厲農夫哉？且許子何不為陶冶。舍皆取諸其宮中而用之？何為紛紛然與百工交易？何許子之不憚煩？」曰：「百工之事，固不可耕且為也。」

(Mencius said:) "One who exchanges grain for tools is not oppressing potters and smiths; and potters and smiths who exchange their tools for grain, are they oppressing farmers? Moreover, why does Master Xu not be a potter and smith, and take everything from his own house for use? Why does he bustle about trading with the hundred craftsmen? How is Master Xu so unafraid of trouble?" Chen Xiang said: "The work of the hundred craftsmen cannot be done together with farming.""

「然則治天下獨可耕且為與？有大人之事，有小人之事。且一人之身，而百工之所為備。如必自為而後用之，是率天下而路也。故曰：或勞心，或勞力；勞心者治人，勞力者治於人；治於人者食人，治人者食於人：天下之通義也。

(Mencius said:) "Then can governing the world alone be done together with farming? There is the work of great persons, and there is the work of petty persons. Moreover, in the body of a single person, what the hundred craftsmen make must all be provided. If one must make everything oneself and only then use it, this leads the world to run about on the roads. So it is said: some labor with their minds, and some labor with their strength; those who labor with their minds govern others, and those who labor with their strength are governed by others; those who are governed by others feed others, and those who govern others are fed by others: this is the universal principle of the world."

「當堯之時，天下猶未平，洪水橫流，氾濫於天下。草木暢茂，禽獸繁殖，五穀不登，禽獸偪人。獸蹄鳥跡之道，交於中國。堯獨憂之，舉舜而敷治焉。舜使益掌火，益烈山澤而焚之，禽獸逃匿。禹疏九河，瀹濟漯，而注諸海；決汝漢，排淮泗，而注之江，然後中國可得而食也。當是時也，禹八年於外，三過其門而不入，雖欲耕，得乎？后稷教民稼穡。樹藝五穀，五穀熟而民人育。人之有道也，飽食、煖衣、逸居而無教，則近於禽獸。聖人有憂之，使契為司徒，教以人倫：父子有親，君臣有義，夫婦有別，長幼有序，朋友有信。放勳曰：『勞之來之，匡之直之，輔之翼之，使自得之，又從而振德之。』聖人之憂民如此，而暇耕乎？

(Mencius continued:) "In the time of Yao, the world was not yet at peace; floodwaters ran across the land and overflowed throughout the world. Grass and trees grew lush, birds and beasts multiplied, the five grains did not ripen, and the birds and beasts pressed in on people. The paths of beast hoofs and bird tracks crisscrossed the Central States. Yao alone was anxious about it, and raised up Shun to set out and manage the work. Shun had Yi take charge of fire, and Yi set the mountains and marshes ablaze, and the birds and beasts fled and hid. Yu dredged the Nine Rivers, cleared the Ji and Ta and led them into the sea; he opened the Ru and Han, drained the Huai and Si and led them into the Yangtze, and only then could the Central States get food. At that time, Yu was away eight years and passed his own door three times without entering; even if he had wanted to farm, could he have? Hou Ji taught the people farming, planting the five grains, and when the five grains ripened the people were nourished. The way of human beings is that when they are fed, warmly clothed and comfortably housed but have no teaching, they come close to birds and beasts. The sage was anxious about this too, and made Xie the Minister of Education to teach human relations: between father and son there is affection, between ruler and minister there is righteousness, between husband and wife there is distinction, between old and young there is order, and between friends there is good faith. Fang Xun said: 'Comfort them, call them in, set them right and make them upright, help them and shelter them, let them find it for themselves, and then follow up by rousing them and bestowing virtue.' The sages were so anxious for the people; did they have leisure to farm?

「堯以不得舜為己憂，舜以不得禹、皋陶為己憂。夫以百畝之不易為己憂者，農夫也。分人以財謂之惠，教人以善謂之忠，為天下得人者謂之仁。是故以天下與人易，為天下得人難。孔子曰：『大哉堯之為君！惟天為大，惟堯則之，蕩蕩乎民無能名焉！君哉舜也！巍巍乎有天下而不與焉！』堯舜之治天下，豈無所用其心哉？亦不用於耕耳。

(Mencius continued:) "Yao took not getting a Shun as his own worry, and Shun took not getting a Yu and a Gao Yao as his own worry. One who takes it as his own worry that his hundred mu are not well tilled is a farmer. To share one's wealth with others is called kindness, to teach others the good is called loyalty, and to find the right men for the world is called benevolence. So giving the world to someone is easy, but finding the right man for the world is hard. Confucius said: 'Great was Yao as a ruler! Only Heaven is great, and only Yao took it as his model; so vast, the people could find no words for it! A true ruler was Shun! So lofty, he held the world as if he took no part in it!' In governing the world, Yao and Shun, did they not use their minds? They just did not use them on farming."

「吾聞用夏變夷者，未聞變於夷者也。陳良，楚產也。悅周公、仲尼之道，北學於中國。北方之學者，未能或之先也。彼所謂豪傑之士也。子之兄弟事之數十年，師死而遂倍之。昔者孔子沒，三年之外，門人治任將歸，入揖於子貢，相向而哭，皆失聲，然後歸。子貢反，築室於場，獨居三年，然後歸。他日，子夏、子張、子游以有若似聖人，欲以所事孔子事之，彊曾子。曾子曰：『不可。江漢以濯之，秋陽以暴之，皜皜乎不可尚已。』今也南蠻鴃舌之人，非先王之道，子倍子之師而學之，亦異於曾子矣。吾聞出於幽谷遷於喬木者，末聞下喬木而入於幽谷者。《魯頌》曰：『戎狄是膺，荊舒是懲。』周公方且膺之，子是之學，亦為不善變矣。」

(Mencius continued:) "I have heard of using the Xia to change the Yi, but I have not heard of being changed by the Yi. Chen Liang was a man born in Chu. He delighted in the Way of the Duke of Zhou and Zhongni, and went north to study in the Central States. Among the scholars of the north, none could surpass him. He is what is called a man of outstanding stature. You brothers served him for dozens of years, and when your teacher died, you turned against him. In the past, when Confucius died, after three years the disciples packed their bags and were about to go home; they went in and bowed to Zigong, faced each other and wept until their voices were lost, and then went back. Zigong returned and built a hut at the grave site, and lived alone there for three more years, and then went back. Later, on another day, Zixia, Zizhang and Ziyou, because You Ruo resembled the sage, wished to serve him with the rites with which they had served Confucius, and pressed Zengzi. Zengzi said: 'It cannot be done. It is as if washed in the waters of the Yangtze and the Han, and bleached in the autumn sun, so white that nothing can be added.' Now this southern barbarian with a shrike's twittering speech denies the Way of the former kings, and you turn against your teacher to study with him, and you differ from Zengzi too. I have heard of coming out of a dark valley to move to a tall tree, but I have not heard of descending from a tall tree to enter a dark valley. The Odes, in the Lu hymn Bi Gong, say: 'The Rong and Di were struck, the Jing and Shu were chastised.' The Duke of Zhou still struck them, and you go to study from such a man; you are not good at changing either."

「從許子之道，則市賈不貳，國中無偽。雖使五尺之童適市，莫之或欺。布帛長短同，則賈相若；麻縷絲絮輕重同，則賈相若；五穀多寡同，則賈相若；屨大小同，則賈相若。」曰：「夫物之不齊，物之情也；或相倍蓰，或相什伯，或相千萬。子比而同之，是亂天下也。巨屨小屨同賈，人豈為之哉？從許子之道，相率而為偽者也，惡能治國家？」

(Chen Xiang said:) "If one follows Master Xu's way, then market prices will not be two, and there will be no deceit in the state. Even if a five-foot child goes to the market, no one will cheat him. If lengths of cloth and silk are the same, the prices will be close; if hemp, thread and floss are the same in weight, the prices will be close; if the five grains are the same in quantity, the prices will be close; if shoes are the same in size, the prices will be close." Mencius said: "That things are unequal is the nature of things; some differ by double or fivefold, some by tenfold or a hundredfold, some by a thousandfold or ten thousandfold. If you make them all the same and uniform, you throw the world into confusion. If large and small shoes sell at the same price, would anyone still make the large ones? To follow Master Xu's way is to lead one another into deceit; how could it govern a state?"

墨者夷之，因徐闢而求見孟子。孟子曰：「吾固願見，今吾尚病，病癒，我且往見，夷子不來！」

Yi Zhi, a Mohist, sought to see Mencius through Xu Bi. Mencius said: "I would have been willing to see him, but I am still ill; when I am well I will go to see him, so Master Yi need not come!"

他日又求見孟子。孟子曰：「吾今則可以見矣。不直，則道不見；我且直之。吾聞夷子墨者。墨之治喪也，以薄為其道也。夷子思以易天下，豈以為非是而不貴也？然而夷子葬其親厚，則是以所賤事親也。」

Another day he again asked to see Mencius. Mencius said: "I can see him now. If I am not straightforward, the Way will not show itself; I will speak plainly. I have heard that Master Yi is a Mohist. The Mohists handle funerals by taking thin burial as the way. Master Yi wishes to change the world by this; does he think that otherwise it would not be valuable? Yet Master Yi buried his own parents lavishly, so he serves his parents with what he himself despises."

徐子以告夷子。夷子曰：「儒者之道，古之人『若保赤子』，此言何謂也？之則以為愛無差等，施由親始。」

Xu Zi told this to Master Yi. Master Yi said: "The Way of the Confucians says that the ancients 'treated people as if protecting an infant'; what does that mean? I take it to mean that love has no gradations, but is carried out beginning with one's own kin."

徐子以告孟子。孟子曰：「夫夷子，信以為人之親其兄之子為若親其鄰之赤子乎？彼有取爾也。赤子匍匐將入井，非赤子之罪也。且天之生物也，使之一本，而夷子二本故也。蓋上世嘗有不葬其親者。其親死，則舉而委之於壑。他日過之，狐狸食之，蠅蚋姑嘬之。其顙有泚，睨而不視。夫泚也，非為人泚，中心達於面目。蓋歸反虆梩而掩之。掩之誠是也，則孝子仁人之掩其親，亦必有道矣。」

Xu Zi told this to Mencius. Mencius said: "Master Yi, does he truly think that a person loves his elder brother's son as he loves a neighbor's infant? That saying has a particular point. When an infant crawls and is about to fall into a well, it is not the infant's fault. Moreover, Heaven gives birth to things so that each has a single root, but Master Yi has two roots. Perhaps in an earlier age there were people who did not bury their parents. When their parents died, they carried them off and threw them in a ditch. Later, passing by, they saw foxes eating the bodies and flies and gnats biting them. Sweat broke out on their foreheads, and they looked away and did not dare look straight. That sweat was not shed for others; it was the inner heart showing through the face. Probably they went home to fetch baskets and spades and covered the bodies. If covering them was truly right, then there must also be reason in the filial son and benevolent man burying his parents."

徐子以告夷子。夷子憮然為閒曰：「命之矣。」

Xu Zi told this to Master Yi. Master Yi was silent and dazed for a while and then said: "He has taught me."

陳代曰：「不見諸侯，宜若小然；今一見之，大則以王，小則以霸。且志曰：『枉尺而直尋』，宜若可為也。」

Chen Dai said: "Not going to see the feudal lords seems too petty; if you see them now, at best you could make one of them king, and at least a hegemon. Moreover, the records say: 'Bend one foot to straighten eight feet,' and this seems doable."

孟子曰：「昔齊景公田，招虞人以旌，不至，將殺之。志士不忘在溝壑，勇士不忘喪其元。孔子奚取焉？取非其招不往也，如不待其招而往，何哉？且夫枉尺而直尋者，以利言也。如以利，則枉尋直尺而利，亦可為與？昔者趙簡子使王良與嬖奚乘，終日而不獲一禽。嬖奚反命曰：『天下之賤工也。』或以告王良。良曰：『請復之。』彊而後可，一朝而獲十禽。嬖奚反命曰：『天下之良工也。』簡子曰：『我使掌與女乘。』謂王良。良不可，曰：『吾為之範我馳驅，終日不獲一；為之詭遇，一朝而獲十。《詩》云：「不失其馳，舍矢如破。」我不貫與小人乘，請辭。』御者且羞與射者比。比而得禽獸，雖若丘陵，弗為也。如枉道而從彼，何也？且子過矣，枉己者，未有能直人者也。」

Mencius said: "In the past, Duke Jing of Qi was hunting and summoned the gamekeeper with a banner; the gamekeeper did not come, and the duke was about to kill him. A man of resolve does not forget that he may end up in a ditch, and a brave man does not forget that he may lose his head. What did Confucius approve of in him? He approved of his not going when summoned in the wrong way. If one goes without waiting to be summoned, what is that? Moreover, bending one foot to straighten eight feet is said in terms of profit. If it is in terms of profit, then bending eight feet to straighten one foot for profit would also be acceptable? In the past, Zhao Jianzi had Wang Liang drive a chariot for his favorite, Xi, and in a whole day they did not get a single bird. Xi returned and reported: 'The worst charioteer in the world.' Someone told Wang Liang. Liang said: 'Please let me try again.' After pressing him, he agreed, and in a single morning they got ten birds. Xi returned and reported: 'The best charioteer in the world.' Jianzi said: 'I will have him drive only for you.' He told Wang Liang. Liang refused, and said: 'I drove for him according to the rules and in a whole day did not get one; I drove for him by deceitful means to suit him and in a morning got ten. The Odes, in Chegong of the Lesser Odes, say: "They do not lose the rule of the gallop, and when the arrow is released it is as if it breaks through." I am not accustomed to driving for a petty man; I ask to decline.' Even a charioteer is ashamed to be bound up with an archer in this way. To bind oneself up and get birds and beasts, even if as many as hills and mounds, I would not do it. If one bends the Way to follow those people, what is that? Moreover, you are wrong; one who bends himself has never been able to straighten others."

景春曰：「公孫衍、張儀豈不誠大丈夫哉？一怒而諸侯懼，安居而天下熄。」

Jing Chun said: "Are Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi not truly great men? When they are angry the feudal lords fear, and when they live quietly the flames of war in the world die down."

孟子曰：「是焉得為大丈夫乎？子未學禮乎？丈夫之冠也，父命之；女子之嫁也，母命之，往送之門，戒之曰：『往之女家，必敬必戒，無違夫子！』以順為正者，妾婦之道也。居天下之廣居，立天下之正位，行天下之大道。得志與民由之，不得志獨行其道。富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈。此之謂大丈夫。」

Mencius said: "How can these be called great men? Have you not studied ritual? When a young man is capped, his father instructs him; when a young woman is married, her mother instructs her, sees her off at the door, and warns her: 'When you go to your husband's family, you must be respectful, you must be careful, and do not disobey your husband!' To take obedience as right is the way of a concubine or wife. A great man dwells in the widest dwelling in the world (benevolence), stands in the most correct place in the world (ritual), and walks the greatest road in the world (righteousness). If he attains his aim, he goes along with the people; if he does not, he practices his Way alone. Wealth and rank cannot corrupt him, poverty and low station cannot move him, and power and force cannot bend him. This is what is called a great man."

周霄問曰：「古之君子仕乎？」

Zhou Xiao asked: "Did gentlemen of old take office?"

孟子曰：「仕。傳曰：『孔子三月無君，則皇皇如也，出疆必載質。』公明儀曰：『古之人三月無君則吊。』」

Mencius said: "They did. The record says: 'When Confucius was three months without a ruler, he was anxious, and when he left a state he always carried a gift for audience.' Gongming Yi said: 'The ancients, when three months without a ruler, would go to offer condolence.'"

「三月無君則吊，不以急乎？」

(Zhou Xiao asked:) "To offer condolence when three months without a ruler, is that not too hasty?"

曰：「士之失位也，猶諸侯之失國家也。禮曰：『諸侯耕助，以供粢盛；夫人蠶繅，以為衣服。犧牲不成，粢盛不潔，衣服不備，不敢以祭。惟士無田，則亦不祭。』牲殺器皿衣服不備，不敢以祭，則不敢以宴，亦不足吊乎？」

Mencius said: "For a scholar to lose his position is like a feudal lord losing his state. The Rites say: 'A feudal lord personally plows to help provide sacrificial grain; his wife raises silkworms and reels silk to make sacrificial garments. If the animals are not fat, the grain not clean, or the garments not complete, they dare not sacrifice. Only a scholar without land likewise does not sacrifice.' If the animals, vessels and garments are not complete, they dare not sacrifice, and then they dare not feast either; is that not worth offering condolence for?"

「出疆必載質，何也？」

(Zhou Xiao asked:) "He always carried a gift when leaving the state; why?"

曰：「士之仕也，猶農夫之耕也，農夫豈為出疆舍其耒耜哉？」

Mencius said: "A scholar's taking office is like a farmer's plowing; would a farmer put down his plow because he leaves the state?"

曰：「晉國亦仕國也，未嘗聞仕如此其急。仕如此其急也，君子之難仕，何也？」

Zhou Xiao said: "The state of Jin is also a state where one can take office, yet I have never heard of anyone so anxious for office. If one is so anxious for office, why is it hard for a gentleman to take office?"

曰：「丈夫生而願為之有室，女子生而願為之有家。父母之心，人皆有之。不待父母之命、媒妁之言，鑽穴隙相窺，逾牆相從，則父母國人皆賤之。古之人未嘗不欲仕也，又惡不由其道。不由其道而往者，與鑽穴隙之類也。」

Mencius said: "When a son is born, parents wish to find him a wife; when a daughter is born, they wish to find her a husband's family. This feeling of parents everyone has. Without waiting for the parents' command and the matchmaker's word, if they bore holes and peep at each other through chinks, and climb over walls to be together, their parents and the people of the state will despise them. The ancients never did not want office, but they also hated not going by the proper way. To go by an improper way is of a kind with boring holes and peeping through chinks."

彭更問曰：「後車數十乘，從者數百人，以傳食於諸侯，不以泰乎？」

Peng Geng asked: "To have dozens of carriages behind you and hundreds of followers, and to be fed from one feudal lord to another, is that not excessive?"

孟子曰：「非其道，則一簞食不可受於人；如其道，則舜受堯之天下，不以為泰，子以為泰乎？」

Mencius said: "If it is not the right Way, one may not accept even a basket of rice from another; if it is the right Way, Shun accepted the world from Yao and did not think it excessive; do you think it excessive?"

曰：「否。士無事而食，不可也。」

Peng Geng said: "No. But a scholar who has no work and eats is not acceptable."

曰：「子不通功易事，以羨補不足，則農有餘粟，女有餘布；子如通之，則梓匠輪輿皆得食於子。於此有人焉，入則孝，出則悌，守先王之道，以待後之學者，而不得食於子。子何尊梓匠輪輿而輕為仁義者哉？」

Mencius said: "If you do not exchange the products of labor and make up for shortages with surplus, farmers will have surplus grain and women will have surplus cloth; but if you promote exchange, carpenters, wheelwrights and carriage-makers can all get food from you. Suppose there is a man here who is filial at home and respectful abroad, keeps the Way of the former kings, and awaits later scholars, yet cannot get food from you. Why do you honor carpenters, wheelwrights and carriage-makers and slight one who practices benevolence and righteousness?"

曰：「梓匠輪輿，其志將以求食也；君子之為道也，其志亦將以求食與？」

Peng Geng said: "The aim of carpenters, wheelwrights and carriage-makers is to seek food; is the aim of a gentleman who practices the Way also to seek food?"

曰：「子何以其志為哉？其有功於子，可食而食之矣。且子食志乎？食功乎？」

Mencius said: "Why must you speak in terms of aims? If he has done something for you, you may give him food, and that is that. And do you give food according to aim, or according to merit?"

曰：「食志。」

Peng Geng said: "According to aim."

曰：「有人於此，毀瓦畫墁，其志將以求食也，則子食之乎？」

Mencius said: "Suppose a man here smashes roof tiles and scrawls on walls, and his aim is to seek food; would you give him food?"

曰：「否。」

Peng Geng said: "No."

曰：「然則子非食志也，食功也。」

Mencius said: "Then you do not give food according to aim, but according to merit."

萬章問曰：「宋，小國也。今將行王政，齊楚惡而伐之，則如之何？」

Wan Zhang asked: "Song is a small state. Now it is about to practice kingly government, and Qi and Chu hate it and attack it; what then?"

孟子曰：「湯居亳，與葛為鄰，葛伯放而不祀。湯使人問之曰：『何為不祀？』曰：『無以供犧牲也。』湯使遺之牛羊。葛伯食之，又不以祀。湯又使人問之曰：『何為不祀？』曰：『無以供粢盛也。』湯使亳眾往為之耕，老弱饋食。葛伯率其民，要其有酒食黍稻者奪之，不授者殺之。有童子以黍肉餉，殺而奪之。《書》曰：『葛伯仇餉。』此之謂也。為其殺是童子而徵之，四海之內皆曰：『非富天下也，為匹夫匹婦復讎也。』『湯始徵，自葛載』，十一徵而無敵於天下。東面而徵，西夷怨；南面而徵，北狄怨，曰：『奚為後我？』民之望之，若大旱之望雨也。歸市者弗止，芸者不變，誅其君，吊其民，如時雨降。民大悅。《書》曰：『徯我後，後來其無罰。』『有攸不惟臣，東征，綏厥士女，匪厥玄黃，紹我周王見休，惟臣附於大邑周。』其君子實玄黃於匪以迎其君子，其小人簞食壺漿以迎其小人，救民於水火之中，取其殘而已矣。《太誓》曰：『我武惟揚，侵於之疆，則取於殘，殺伐用張，於湯有光。』不行王政云爾，苟行王政，四海之內皆舉首而望之，欲以為君。齊楚雖大，何畏焉？」

Mencius said: "Tang lived at Bo and was a neighbor of Ge; the lord of Ge was dissolute and did not sacrifice. Tang sent someone to ask him: 'Why do you not sacrifice?' He said: 'We have nothing to provide the sacrificial animals.' Tang sent him oxen and sheep. The lord of Ge ate them and again did not sacrifice with them. Tang again sent to ask: 'Why do you not sacrifice?' He said: 'We have no grain to provide the offerings.' Tang had the people of Bo go and plow for him, with the old and weak bringing meals. The lord of Ge led his people to intercept those who carried wine, food, millet and rice and seized it, and killed those who would not hand it over. There was a child who brought a meal of millet and meat, and he was killed and the food seized. The Documents say: 'The lord of Ge made an enemy of those who brought food.' This is what it means. Because he killed this child, Tang attacked him, and all within the four seas said: 'He is not greedy for the world's wealth, but avenges a common man and woman.' 'When Tang began his campaigns, he started from Ge,' and after eleven campaigns he had no rival in the world. When he marched east, the western barbarians complained; when he marched south, the northern barbarians complained, saying: 'Why does he put us last?' The people looked to him as in a great drought they look for rain. Merchants did not stop going to market and weeders did not change their work; he punished their rulers and comforted their people, like timely rain falling. The people were greatly pleased. The Documents say: 'We await our lord, and when our lord comes we will have no punishment.' 'Some did not submit; he marched east and pacified their men and women, who filled baskets with dark and yellow silks to see the glory of our Zhou king, and wished to submit to the great city of Zhou.' The gentlemen filled baskets with dark and yellow silks to welcome the gentleman, and the common people welcomed the common people with food in baskets and drink in jars; he saved the people from water and fire, and only removed their oppressors. The Great Declaration says: 'My martial might is displayed, and invades that territory, and removes the cruel; slaughter is thus extended, and shines even more than Tang.' It is only a matter of not practicing kingly government; if one practices kingly government, all within the four seas will lift their heads and look, wishing to take him as their lord. Though Qi and Chu are large, what is there to fear?"

孟子謂戴不勝曰：「子欲子之王之善與？我明告子。有楚大夫於此，欲其子之齊語也，則使齊人傅諸？使楚人傅諸？」

Mencius said to Dai Busheng: "Do you want your king to be good? I will tell you plainly. Suppose there is a grand master of Chu here who wants his son to speak the Qi language; will he have a man of Qi teach him, or a man of Chu teach him?"

曰：「使齊人傅之。」

Dai Busheng said: "He will have a man of Qi teach him."

曰：「一齊人傅之，眾楚人咻之，雖日撻而求其齊也，不可得矣；引而置之莊嶽之間數年，雖日撻而求其楚，亦不可得矣。子謂薛居州，善士也。使之居於王所。在於王所者，長幼卑尊，皆薛居州也，王誰與為不善？在王所者，長幼卑尊，皆非薛居州也，王誰與為善？一薛居州，獨如宋王何？」

Mencius said: "If one man of Qi teaches him and many men of Chu shout and disturb him, even if he is whipped every day to make him speak Qi, he will not get it; if he is taken and placed in the Zhuang and Yue streets for several years, even if he is whipped every day to make him speak Chu, he will not get it. You say Xue Juzhou is a good scholar, and have him live with the king. If all those with the king, old and young, high and low, are Xue Juzhou, with whom will the king do wrong? If all those with the king, old and young, high and low, are not Xue Juzhou, with whom will the king do good? What can a single Xue Juzhou do alone to the King of Song?"

公孫丑問曰：「不見諸侯何義？」

Gongsun Chou asked: "What is the principle of not going to see the feudal lords?"

孟子曰：「古者不為臣不見。段幹木逾垣而闢之，洩柳閉門而不內，是皆已甚。迫，斯可以見矣。陽貨欲見孔子而惡無禮，大夫有賜於士，不得受於其家，則往拜其門。陽貨矙孔子之亡也，而饋孔子蒸豚；孔子亦矙其亡也，而往拜之。當是時，陽貨先，豈得不見？曾子曰：『脅肩諂笑，病於夏畦。』子路曰：『未同而言，觀其色赧赧然，非由之所知也。』由是觀之，則君子之所養可知已矣。」

Mencius said: "In ancient times, if one was not a minister, one did not go to see them. Duangan Mu climbed over a wall to avoid him, and Xie Liu shut his door and would not admit him; these were both excessive. If pressed, one may see him. Yang Huo wanted to see Confucius but disliked acting against ritual; when a grand master gives a gift to a scholar and the scholar cannot receive it at home, he must go to the grand master's door to bow. Yang Huo watched for a time when Confucius was out and sent him a steamed piglet; Confucius also watched for a time when Yang Huo was out and went to thank him. At that time, since Yang Huo came first, how could he refuse to see him? Zengzi said: 'To hunch the shoulders and smile ingratiatingly is more painful than watering a garden in summer.' Zilu said: 'To speak with someone whose purpose is different and to see his face flush with embarrassment is not something I can understand.' From this one can know what a gentleman cultivates."

戴盈之曰：「什一，去關市之徵，今茲未能。請輕之，以待來年，然後已，何如？」

Dai Yingzhi said: "A tithe of one-tenth, and removing the taxes on passes and markets, we cannot yet do this year. May we first reduce them, and wait until next year to stop them entirely; what do you say?"

孟子曰：「今有人日攘其鄰之雞者，或告之曰：『是非君子之道。』曰：『請損之，月攘一雞，以待來年，然後已。』如知其非義，斯速已矣，何待來年。」

Mencius said: "Suppose a man steals one of his neighbor's chickens every day, and someone tells him: 'This is not the way of a gentleman.' He says: 'Let me reduce it to one chicken a month, and wait until next year to stop entirely.' If you know it is not right, stop at once; why wait until next year?"

公都子曰：「外人皆稱夫子好辯，敢問何也？」

Gongdu Zi said: "People outside all say that the Master is fond of argument; may I ask why?"

孟子曰：「予豈好辯哉？予不得已也。天下之生久矣，一治一亂。當堯之時，水逆行，氾濫於中國。蛇龍居之，民無所定。下者為巢，上者為營窟。《書》曰：『洚水警餘。』洚水者，洪水也。使禹治之，禹掘地而注之海，驅蛇龍而放之菹。水由地中行，江、淮、河、漢是也。險阻既遠，鳥獸之害人者消，然後人得平土而居之。

Mencius said: "Am I fond of argument? I have no choice. The world has had people for a long time, with one period of order followed by one of chaos. In the time of Yao, water flowed backward and flooded the Central States. Snakes and dragons dwelt there, and the people had no place of rest. Those in low places made nests, and those in high places made caves. The Documents say: 'The flood warns me.' The flood is the great flood. Yu was made to put it in order, and he dug the earth and led the water into the sea and drove the snakes and dragons into the grassy marshes. The water ran through the earth, which is the Yangtze, Huai, Yellow River and Han. When the dangers and obstacles were far removed and the birds and beasts that harmed people were gone, then people could dwell on level ground.

「堯、舜既沒，聖人之道衰。暴君代作，壞宮室以為汙池，民無所安息；棄田以為園囿，使民不得衣食。邪說暴行又作，園囿、汙池、沛澤多而禽獸至。及紂之身，天下又大亂。周公相武王，誅紂伐奄，三年討其君，驅飛廉於海隅而戮之。滅國者五十，驅虎、豹、犀、象而遠之。天下大悅。《書》曰：『丕顯哉，文王謨！丕承哉，武王烈！佑啟我後人，鹹以正無缺。』

(Mencius continued:) "After Yao and Shun passed away, the Way of the sages declined. Tyrants rose one after another, destroying houses to make ponds, so that the people had no place to rest; abandoning fields to make parks, so that the people could get no clothing or food. Perverse theories and violent deeds arose again, and parks, ponds and marshes multiplied, and birds and beasts came. By the time of Zhou, the world was again in great chaos. The Duke of Zhou assisted King Wu, executed Zhou and attacked Yan, and for three years punished their ruler, and drove Fei Lian to the corner of the sea and killed him. Fifty states were destroyed, and tigers, leopards, rhinoceroses and elephants were driven far away. The world was greatly pleased. The Documents say: 'How greatly illustrious were the plans of King Wen! How greatly continued were the achievements of King Wu! They aid and enlighten us, their later generations, with the right way and without gaps.'

「世衰道微，邪說暴行有作，臣弒其君者有之，子弒其父者有之。孔子懼，作《春秋》。《春秋》，天子之事也。是故孔子曰：『知我者其惟春秋乎！罪我者其惟春秋乎！』

(Mencius continued:) "When the age declined and the Way grew faint, perverse theories and violent deeds arose again, ministers killed their rulers and sons killed their fathers. Confucius was alarmed and made the Spring and Autumn. The Spring and Autumn is the business of the Son of Heaven. So Confucius said: 'Those who understand me will do so only through the Spring and Autumn; those who blame me will do so only through the Spring and Autumn!'"

「聖王不作，諸侯放恣，處士橫議，楊朱、墨翟之言盈天下。天下之言，不歸楊，則歸墨。楊氏為我，是無君也；墨氏兼愛，是無父也。無父無君，是禽獸也。公明儀曰：『庖有肥肉，廄有肥馬，民有飢色，野有餓莩，此率獸而食人也。』楊墨之道不息，孔子之道不著，是邪說誣民，充塞仁義也。仁義充塞，則率獸食人，人將相食。吾為此懼，閒先聖之道，距楊墨，放淫辭，邪說者不得作。作於其心，害於其事；作於其事，害於其政。聖人復起，不易吾言矣。

(Mencius continued:) "When no sage king arises, the feudal lords run wild, unemployed scholars hold forth, and the words of Yang Zhu and Mo Di fill the world. The words of the world return either to Yang or to Mo. The school of Yang is for the self, which is to have no ruler; the school of Mo is universal love, which is to have no father. To have no father and no ruler is to be a beast. Gongming Yi said: 'There is fat meat in the kitchen and fat horses in the stable, yet the people have hunger on their faces and starved corpses lie in the wilds; this is leading beasts to devour people.' If the way of Yang and Mo does not stop, and the way of Confucius is not made plain, then perverse theories will deceive the people and block benevolence and righteousness. When benevolence and righteousness are blocked, beasts will be led to eat people, and people will eat each other. I am alarmed by this, and so I defend the Way of the former sages, oppose Yang and Mo, and banish excessive talk, so that those who hold perverse theories cannot arise. What arises in the heart harms conduct; what arises in conduct harms government. When a sage arises again, he will not change my words."

「昔者禹抑洪水而天下平，周公兼夷狄驅猛獸而百姓寧，孔子成《春秋》而亂臣賊子懼。《詩》云：『戎狄是膺，荊舒是懲，則莫我敢承。』無父無君，是周公所膺也。我亦欲正人心，息邪說，距詖行，放淫辭，以承三聖者；豈好辯哉？予不得已也。能言距楊墨者，聖人之徒也。」

(Mencius continued:) "In the past Yu held back the flood and the world was at peace; the Duke of Zhou subdued the barbarians and drove off the fierce beasts and the people were at peace; Confucius completed the Spring and Autumn and rebellious ministers and wicked sons were afraid. The Odes, in the Lu hymn Bi Gong, say: 'The Rong and Di were struck, the Jing and Shu were chastised, and none dared resist me.' To have no father and no ruler is what the Duke of Zhou struck down. I too want to set people's hearts right, put an end to perverse theories, oppose one-sided conduct, and banish excessive words, in order to carry on the work of the three sages; am I fond of argument? I have no choice. Whoever can use words to oppose Yang and Mo is a disciple of the sages."

匡章曰：「陳仲子豈不誠廉士哉？居於陵，三日不食，耳無聞，目無見也。井上有李，螬食實者過半矣，匍匐往將食之，三咽，然後耳有聞，目有見。」

Kuang Zhang said: "Is Chen Zhongzi not truly an honest scholar? He lived in Yuling and went without food for three days, so that his ears could not hear and his eyes could not see. There was a plum by the well, with more than half of its flesh eaten by grubs; he crawled over and was about to eat it, swallowed three mouthfuls, and then his ears could hear and his eyes could see."

孟子曰：「於齊國之士，吾必以仲子為巨擘焉。雖然，仲子惡能廉？充仲子之操，則蚓而後可者也。夫蚓，上食槁壤，下飲黃泉。仲子所居之室，伯夷之所築與？抑亦盜跖之所築與？所食之粟，伯夷之所樹與？抑亦盜跖之所樹與？是未可知也。」

Mencius said: "Among the scholars of Qi, I would certainly count Zhongzi as the thumb. Even so, how can Zhongzi be called honest? To fill out Zhongzi's principle, one would have to become an earthworm, and only then would it be possible. The earthworm eats dry earth above and drinks yellow springs below. Was the house where Zhongzi lives built by Bo Yi, or built by Robber Zhi? Was the millet he eats planted by Bo Yi, or planted by Robber Zhi? This is still not known."

曰：「是何傷哉？彼身織屨，妻辟纑，以易之也。」

Kuang Zhang said: "What harm is there in it? He weaves sandals himself and his wife spins hemp, and they exchange them for goods."

曰：「仲子，齊之世家也。兄戴，蓋祿萬鍾。以兄之祿為不義之祿而不食也，以兄之室為不義之室而不居也，闢兄離母，處於於陵。他日歸，則有饋其兄生鵝者，己頻顣曰：『惡用是鶃鶃者為哉？』他日，其母殺是鵝也，與之食之。其兄自外至，曰：『是鶃鶃之肉也。』出而哇之。以母則不食，以妻則食之；以兄之室則弗居，以於陵則居之。是尚為能充其類也乎？若仲子者，蚓而後充其操者也。」

Mencius said: "Zhongzi was from a hereditary house of Qi. His elder brother Dai had a revenue of ten thousand zhong from Gai. He considered his brother's revenue unrighteous and would not eat it, considered his brother's house unrighteous and would not live in it, avoided his brother and left his mother, and lived in Yuling. Later he went home, and someone had presented his brother with a live goose; Zhongzi knit his brows and said: 'What use is this thing that goes yi yi?' Later his mother killed the goose and gave it to him to eat. His brother came in from outside and said: 'This is the meat of the yi yi.' He went out and vomited it. He would not eat what was his mother's but ate what was his wife's; would not live in his brother's house but lived in Yuling. Can this be called filling out his type? Someone like Zhongzi would have to become an earthworm before he could fill out his principle."

孟子曰：「離婁之明，公輸子之巧，不以規矩，不能成方員：師曠之聰，不以六律，不能正五音；堯舜之道，不以仁政，不能平治天下。今有仁心仁聞而民不被其澤，不可法於後世者，不行先王之道也。

Mencius said: "With the sharp eyes of Li Lou and the skill of Gongshu Zi, without compass and square one cannot make squares and circles; with the keen ears of Shi Kuang, without the six pitch-pipes one cannot correct the five notes; with the Way of Yao and Shun, without benevolent government one cannot bring peace to the world. Now there are those who have a benevolent heart and a benevolent reputation, yet the people receive no benefit from them and they cannot be a model for later ages, because they do not practice the Way of the former kings.

「故曰，徒善不足以為政，徒法不能以自行。《詩》云：『不愆不忘，率由舊章。』遵先王之法而過者，未之有也。聖人既竭目力焉，繼之以規矩準繩，以為方員平直，不可勝用也；既竭耳力焉，繼之以六律，正五音，不可勝用也；既竭心思焉，繼之以不忍人之政，而仁覆天下矣。

(Mencius continued:) "So it is said, goodness alone is not enough for government, and laws alone cannot run themselves. The Odes, in Jia Le of the Greater Odes, say: 'Without error, without forgetting, follow the old statutes.' There has never been anyone who followed the laws of the former kings and erred. When the sages had exhausted their eyesight, they went on to use compass, square, level and plumb line to make squares, circles, flats and straights, and these could never be used up; when they had exhausted their hearing, they went on to use the six pitch-pipes to correct the five notes, and these could never be used up; when they had exhausted their thought, they went on to use a government that cannot bear to see others suffer, and benevolence covered the world.

「故曰，為高必因丘陵，為下必因川澤。為政不因先王之道，可謂智乎？是以惟仁者宜在高位。不仁而在高位，是播其惡於眾也。上無道揆也。下無法守也，朝不信道，工不信度，君子犯義，小人犯刑，國之所存者幸也。

(Mencius continued:) "So it is said, to build high one must rely on hills and mounds, and to dig low one must rely on rivers and marshes. To govern without relying on the Way of the former kings, can this be called wise? So only the benevolent should be in high positions. If the unbenevolent are in high positions, they spread their evil to the multitude. When above there is no Way by which to measure, and below there are no laws to observe, when the court does not believe in the Way and the officials do not believe in standards, when gentlemen violate righteousness and petty people violate punishments, the state's survival is mere luck.

「故曰，城郭不完，兵甲不多，非國之災也；田野不闢，貨財不聚，非國之害也。上無禮，下無學，賊民興，喪無日矣。《詩》曰：『天之方蹶，無然洩洩。』洩洩，猶沓沓也。事君無義，進退無禮，言則非先王之道者，猶沓沓也。故曰：責難於君謂之恭，陳善閉邪謂之敬，吾君不能謂之賊。」

(Mencius continued:) "So it is said, if city walls are not complete and weapons and armor are not many, it is not a calamity for the state; if fields are not opened up and goods and wealth are not gathered, it is not a harm to the state. When above there is no ritual and below no learning, and rebellious people arise, ruin is not many days off. The Odes, in Ban of the Greater Odes, say: 'Heaven is now in upheaval; do not be so lax.' 'Lax' means being slack. To serve a ruler without righteousness, to advance and retreat without ritual, and to speak against the Way of the former kings is to be slack. So it is said: to demand of one's ruler what is difficult is called respect; to set forth the good and shut out the wicked is called reverence; to say 'my ruler cannot do it' is called being a thief."

孟子曰：「規矩，方員之至也；聖人，人倫之至也。欲為君盡君道，欲為臣盡臣道，二者皆法堯舜而已矣。不以舜之所以事堯事君，不敬其君者也；不以堯之所以治民治民，賊其民者也。孔子曰：『道二：仁與不仁而已矣。』暴其民甚，則身弒國亡；不甚，則身危國削。名之曰『幽厲』，雖孝子慈孫，百世不能改也。《詩》雲『殷鑑不遠，在夏後之世』，此之謂也。」

Mencius said: "The compass and square are the utmost standard of squares and circles; the sage is the utmost standard of human relations. If one wants to be a ruler, he should fulfill the Way of a ruler; if one wants to be a minister, he should fulfill the Way of a minister; both simply take Yao and Shun as models. To serve one's ruler without using the way in which Shun served Yao is not to respect one's ruler; to govern the people without using the way in which Yao governed the people is to injure one's people. Confucius said: 'There are only two ways: benevolence and non-benevolence.' If one is extremely cruel to his people, he is himself killed and his state perishes; if not extreme, he himself is endangered and his state is diminished. He is given the posthumous names 'You' and 'Li,' and even filial sons and loving grandsons cannot change it in a hundred generations. The Odes, in Dang of the Greater Odes, say: 'The mirror of Yin is not far; it is in the age of the Xia sovereign.' This is what it means."

孟子曰：「三代之得天下也以仁，其失天下也以不仁。國之所以廢興存亡者亦然。天子不仁，不保四海；諸侯不仁，不保社稷；卿大夫不仁，不保宗廟；士庶人不仁，不保四體。今惡死亡而樂不仁，是猶惡醉而強酒。」

Mencius said: "The Three Dynasties won the world through benevolence and lost it through non-benevolence. The rise and fall, survival and ruin of states are likewise so. If the Son of Heaven is not benevolent, he cannot protect the four seas; if the feudal lords are not benevolent, they cannot protect the altars of the state; if the high officials are not benevolent, they cannot protect the ancestral temple; if scholars and commoners are not benevolent, they cannot protect their four limbs. Now people hate death yet delight in non-benevolence, which is like hating drunkenness yet forcing oneself to drink."

孟子曰：「愛人不親反其仁，治人不治反其智，禮人不答反其敬。行有不得者，皆反求諸己，其身正而天下歸之。《詩》云：『永言配命，自求多福。』」

Mencius said: "If you love others and they are not close to you, turn back and examine your own benevolence; if you govern others and they are not well governed, turn back and examine your own wisdom; if you treat others with ritual and they do not respond, turn back and examine your own respect. Whenever what you do does not get results, seek the cause in yourself, and when you are upright yourself the world turns to you. The Odes, in King Wen of the Greater Odes, say: 'Always think of matching the mandate, and seek many blessings by yourself.'"

孟子曰：「人有恆言，皆曰『天下國家』。天下之本在國，國之本在家，家之本在身。」

Mencius said: "People have a common saying, and they all say 'the world, the state, the family.' The root of the world is the state, the root of the state is the family, and the root of the family is the person."

孟子曰：「為政不難，不得罪於巨室。巨室之所慕，一國慕之；一國之所慕，天下慕之；故沛然德教溢乎四海。」

Mencius said: "Governing is not hard: do not offend the great houses. What the great houses admire, the whole state admires; what a whole state admires, the world admires; and so virtuous teaching flows abundantly to the four seas."

孟子曰：「天下有道，小德役大德，小賢役大賢；天下無道，小役大，弱役強。斯二者天也。順天者存，逆天者亡。齊景公曰：『既不能令，又不受命，是絕物也。』涕出而女於吳。

Mencius said: "When the world has the Way, those of small virtue are employed by those of great virtue, and those of small worth are employed by those of great worth; when the world has no Way, the small are employed by the large and the weak by the strong. These two are Heaven. Those who follow Heaven survive, those who defy Heaven perish. Duke Jing of Qi said: 'If I can neither give orders nor receive orders, I am cut off from others.' Weeping, he married his daughter to Wu.

今也小國師大國而恥受命焉，是猶弟子而恥受命於先師也。如恥之，莫若師文王。師文王，大國五年，小國七年，必為政於天下矣。《詩》云：『商之孫子，其麗不億。上帝既命，侯於周服。侯服於周，天命靡常。殷士膚敏，祼將於京。』孔子曰：『仁不可為眾也。夫國君好仁，天下無敵。』今也欲無敵於天下而不以仁，是猶執熱而不以濯也。《詩》云：『誰能執熱，逝不以濯？』」

(Mencius continued:) Now small states take large states as models yet are ashamed to receive their orders, which is like disciples being ashamed to receive their former teacher's orders. If they are ashamed, they would do better to take King Wen as their model. If they take King Wen as a model, a large state will in five years, and a small state in seven, surely govern the world. The Odes, in King Wen of the Greater Odes, say: 'The descendants of Shang number not only a hundred thousand. The Lord on High has already commanded, and they all submit to Zhou. Submitting to Zhou, the mandate of Heaven is not constant. The fine and quick gentlemen of Yin perform the libation in the capital.' Confucius said: 'Benevolence cannot be matched by numbers. If the ruler of a state loves benevolence, he has no rival in the world.' Now to wish to have no rival in the world and yet not use benevolence is like holding something hot and not rinsing it in water. The Odes, in Sang Rou of the Greater Odes, say: 'Who can hold something hot and not wash it?'"

孟子曰：「不仁者可與言哉？安其危而利其菑，樂其所以亡者。不仁而可與言，則何亡國敗家之有？有孺子歌曰：『滄浪之水清兮，可以濯我纓；滄浪之水濁兮，可以濯我足。』孔子曰：『小子聽之！清斯濯纓，濁斯濯足矣，自取之也。』夫人必自侮，然後人侮之；家必自毀，而後人毀之；國必自伐，而後人伐之。《太甲》曰：『天作孽，猶可違；自作孽，不可活。』此之謂也。」

Mencius said: "Can one speak with the unbenevolent? They are at ease in their danger, profit from their calamity, and delight in what leads to their ruin. If one could speak with the unbenevolent, how would there be ruined states and families? There was a boy who sang: 'When the Canglang waters are clear, I can wash the ribbons of my cap; when the Canglang waters are muddy, I can wash my feet.' Confucius said: 'Listen, children! When it is clear one washes the cap ribbons, when muddy one washes the feet; it is something one brings on oneself.' A person must first insult himself before others insult him; a family must first destroy itself before others destroy it; a state must first attack itself before others attack it. The Documents, in Tai Jia, say: 'Calamity sent by Heaven can still be avoided; calamity made by oneself cannot be survived.' This is what it means."

孟子曰：「桀紂之失天下也，失其民也；失其民者，失其心也。得天下有道：得其民，斯得天下矣；得其民有道：得其心，斯得民矣；得其心有道：所欲與之聚之，所惡勿施爾也。民之歸仁也，猶水之就下、獸之走壙也。故為淵敺魚者，獺也；為叢敺爵者，鸇也；為湯武敺民者，桀與紂也。今天下之君有好仁者，則諸侯皆為之敺矣。雖欲無王，不可得已。今之慾王者，猶七年之病求三年之艾也。苟為不畜，終身不得。苟不志於仁，終身憂辱，以陷於死亡。《詩》雲『其何能淑，載胥及溺』，此之謂也。」

Mencius said: "Jie and Zhou lost the world because they lost the people; they lost the people because they lost the people's hearts. There is a way to win the world: win the people and you win the world; there is a way to win the people: win their hearts and you win the people; there is a way to win their hearts: gather for them what they desire, and do not impose on them what they dislike, and that is all. The people turn to benevolence as water flows downward and beasts run to the wilds. So the otter drives the fish into the deep pool; the hawk drives the sparrows into the thicket; and Jie and Zhou drove the people to Tang and Wu. Now if among the rulers of the world there is one who loves benevolence, all the feudal lords will drive the people to him. Even if he did not want to become king, he could not avoid it. Now those who want to become king are like someone ill for seven years who seeks three-year-old mugwort. If they do not store it up, they will never get it in their lifetime. If they do not set their will on benevolence, they will grieve and be disgraced all their lives until they die. The Odes, in Sang Rou, say: 'How can they become good? They only drag each other down.' This is what it means."

孟子曰：「自暴者，不可與有言也；自棄者，不可與有為也。言非禮義，謂之自暴也；吾身不能居仁由義，謂之自棄也。仁，人之安宅也；義，人之正路也。曠安宅而弗居，舍正路而不由，哀哉！」

Mencius said: "One who harms himself cannot be spoken with; one who throws himself away cannot be acted with. To speak against ritual and righteousness is called self-abuse; to be unable to dwell in benevolence and follow righteousness is called self-abandonment. Benevolence is a person's secure dwelling; righteousness is a person's proper road. To leave the secure dwelling empty and not live in it, and to give up the proper road and not walk on it, how sad!"

孟子曰：「道在爾而求諸遠，事在易而求之難。人人親其親、長其長而天下平。」

Mencius said: "The Way is near, yet people seek it afar; the task is easy, yet people seek it in difficulty. If everyone loves his own parents and respects his own elders, the world will be at peace."

孟子曰：「居下位而不獲於上，民不可得而治也。獲於上有道：不信於友，弗獲於上矣；信於友有道：事親弗悅，弗信於友矣；悅親有道：反身不誠，不悅於親矣；誠身有道：不明乎善，不誠其身矣。是故誠者，天之道也；思誠者，人之道也。至誠而不動者，未之有也；不誠，未有能動者也。」

Mencius said: "One who is in a low position but does not win the trust of those above cannot govern the people. There is a way to win the trust of those above: if one is not trusted by friends, one will not win the trust of those above; there is a way to be trusted by friends: if one does not please his parents, one will not be trusted by friends; there is a way to please one's parents: if on examining oneself one is not sincere, one cannot please one's parents; there is a way to be sincere: if one does not understand what is good, one cannot be sincere in oneself. So sincerity is the Way of Heaven; thinking about sincerity is the Way of man. There has never been one of utmost sincerity who could not move others; without sincerity, none can move others."

孟子曰：「伯夷闢紂，居北海之濱，聞文王作，興曰：『盍歸乎來！吾聞西伯善養老者。』太公闢紂，居東海之濱，聞文王作，興曰：『盍歸乎來！吾聞西伯善養老者。』二老者，天下之大老也，而歸之，是天下之父歸之也。天下之父歸之，其子焉往？諸侯有行文王之政者，七年之內，必為政於天下矣。」

Mencius said: "Bo Yi, avoiding Zhou, lived on the shore of the North Sea, and hearing that King Wen had risen, was stirred and said: 'Why not go back! I have heard that the Earl of the West is good at caring for the old.' Taigong, avoiding Zhou, lived on the shore of the East Sea, and hearing that King Wen had risen, was stirred and said: 'Why not go back! I have heard that the Earl of the West is good at caring for the old.' These two old men were the greatest old men in the world, and when they turned to him, it was the fathers of the world turning to him. When the fathers of the world turn to him, where can their sons go? If any feudal lord practices the government of King Wen, within seven years he will surely govern the world."

孟子曰：「求也為季氏宰，無能改於其德，而賦粟倍他日。孔子曰：『求非我徒也，小子鳴鼓而攻之可也。』由此觀之，君不行仁政而富之，皆棄於孔子者也。況於為之強戰？爭地以戰，殺人盈野；爭城以戰，殺人盈城。此所謂率土地而食人肉，罪不容於死。故善戰者服上刑，連諸侯者次之，闢草萊、任土地者次之。」

Mencius said: "Ran Qiu served as steward of the Ji family, and could not change his lord's conduct, and the grain taxes were twice what they used to be. Confucius said: 'Qiu is no disciple of mine; you, my young ones, may beat the drum and denounce him.' From this we see that those who make a ruler rich without practicing benevolent government are all rejected by Confucius. How much more those who fight wars for him by force? Fighting for land, the killed fill the countryside; fighting for cities, the killed fill the city. This is what is called leading the land to eat human flesh, and death is too light a punishment for it. So those who are good at war should receive the severest punishment, those who ally the feudal lords the next, and those who open up wasteland and assign the land to use next after that."

孟子曰：「存乎人者，莫良於眸子。眸子不能掩其惡。胸中正，則眸子瞭焉；胸中不正，則眸子眊焉。聽其言也，觀其眸子，人焉廋哉？」

Mencius said: "Of what exists in a person, nothing is better than the pupil of the eye. The pupil cannot hide a person's evil. If the heart is upright, the pupil is bright; if the heart is not upright, the pupil is clouded. Listen to his words and look at his pupils, and how can a person hide?"

孟子曰：「恭者不侮人，儉者不奪人。侮奪人之君，惟恐不順焉，惡得為恭儉？恭儉豈可以聲音笑貌為哉？」

Mencius said: "The respectful do not insult others, and the frugal do not take from others. A ruler who insults and takes from others fears only that people will not obey him; how can he be called respectful or frugal? Can respect and frugality be faked by voice and smile?"

淳于髡曰：「男女授受不親，禮與？」

Chunyu Kun said: "That men and women do not hand things directly to each other is ritual?"

孟子曰：「禮也。」

Mencius said: "It is ritual."

曰：「嫂溺則援之以手乎？」

Chunyu Kun said: "If one's sister-in-law is drowning, does one pull her out with one's hand?"

曰：「嫂溺不援，是豺狼也。男女授受不親，禮也；嫂溺援之以手者，權也。」

Mencius said: "Not to pull out a drowning sister-in-law is to be a wolf. That men and women do not hand things directly to each other is ritual; to pull a drowning sister-in-law out with one's hand is expediency."

曰：「今天下溺矣，夫子之不援，何也？」

Chunyu Kun said: "Now the world is drowning, and the Master does not pull it out; why?"

曰：「天下溺，援之以道；嫂溺，援之以手。子欲手援天下乎？」

Mencius said: "When the world is drowning, one pulls it out with the Way; when a sister-in-law is drowning, one pulls her out with the hand. Do you want me to pull the world out with my hand?"

公孫丑曰：「君子之不教子，何也？」

Gongsun Chou said: "The gentleman does not teach his own son himself; why?"

孟子曰：「勢不行也。教者必以正；以正不行，繼之以怒；繼之以怒，則反夷矣。『夫子教我以正，夫子未出於正也。』則是父子相夷也。父子相夷，則惡矣。古者易子而教之。父子之間不責善。責善則離，離則不祥莫大焉。」

Mencius said: "The circumstances do not allow it. The teacher must use what is right; when using what is right does not work, he then gets angry; when he gets angry, it turns around and does harm. 'The Master teaches me what is right, but the Master himself has not acted rightly.' Then father and son harm each other. When father and son harm each other, it is bad. In ancient times people exchanged sons to teach them. Between father and son one does not demand goodness. To demand goodness leads to estrangement, and nothing is more ill-omened than estrangement."

孟子曰：「事孰為大？事親為大；守孰為大？守身為大。不失其身而能事其親者，吾聞之矣；失其身而能事其親者，吾未之聞也。孰不為事？事親，事之本也；孰不為守？守身，守之本也。曾子養曾皙，必有酒肉。將徹，必請所與。問有餘，必曰『有』。曾皙死，曾元養曾子，必有酒肉。將徹，不請所與。問有餘，曰『亡矣』。將以復進也。此所謂養口體者也。若曾子，則可謂養志也。事親若曾子者，可也。」

Mencius said: "What is the greatest service? Serving one's parents is the greatest. What is the greatest thing to guard? Guarding oneself is the greatest. I have heard of those who do not lose themselves and can serve their parents; I have not heard of those who lose themselves and can serve their parents. Who does not do service? Serving one's parents is the root of service; who does not guard? Guarding oneself is the root of guarding. When Zengzi nourished Zeng Xi, he always had wine and meat. When about to clear away, he always asked to whom the rest should be given. When asked if there was any left, he always said 'There is.' When Zeng Xi died, Zeng Yuan nourished Zengzi, and there was always wine and meat. When about to clear away, he did not ask to whom to give it. When asked if there was any left, he said 'There is none,' intending to serve it up again. This is called nourishing the mouth and body. Only one like Zengzi can be called nourishing the aim. Serving one's parents as Zengzi did is enough."

孟子曰：「人不足與適也，政不足間也。惟大人為能格君心之非。君仁莫不仁，君義莫不義，君正莫不正。一正君而國定矣。」

Mencius said: "Such people are not worth criticizing, nor are their policies worth faulting. Only a great man can correct the error in the ruler's heart. If the ruler is benevolent, none are not benevolent; if the ruler is righteous, none are not righteous; if the ruler is upright, none are not upright. Once the ruler is set right, the state is settled."

孟子曰：「有不虞之譽，有求全之毀。」

Mencius said: "There is praise that comes unexpectedly, and there is blame that comes from demanding perfection."

孟子曰：「人之易其言也，無責耳矣。」

Mencius said: "People speak lightly only because they have no responsibility."

孟子曰：「人之患在好為人師。」

Mencius said: "The fault of people is that they like to be other people's teachers."

樂正子從於子敖之齊。樂正子見孟子。孟子曰：「子亦來見我乎？」曰：「先生何為出此言也？」曰：「子來幾日矣？」曰：「昔昔。」曰：「昔昔，則我出此言也，不亦宜乎？」曰：「舍館未定。」曰：「子聞之也，舍館定，然後求見長者乎？」曰：「克有罪。」

Yuezheng Zi followed Zi Ao to Qi. Yuezheng Zi saw Mencius. Mencius said: "Do you also come to see me?" Yuezheng Zi said: "Why does the Master say such a thing?" Mencius said: "How many days have you been here?" Yuezheng Zi said: "Since yesterday." Mencius said: "Since yesterday; then is it not right that I say this?" Yuezheng Zi said: "My lodging was not yet settled." Mencius said: "Have you heard that one first settles one's lodging and only then seeks to see an elder?" Yuezheng Zi said: "Ke is at fault."

孟子謂樂正子曰：「子之從於子敖來，徒餔啜也。我不意子學古之道，而以餔啜也。」

Mencius said to Yuezheng Zi: "You followed Zi Ao here only to eat and drink. I did not think that you had studied the Way of the ancients in order to use it to eat and drink."

孟子曰：「不孝有三，無後為大。舜不告而娶，為無後也，君子以為猶告也。」

Mencius said: "There are three kinds of unfilial conduct, and having no heir is the greatest. Shun married without informing his parents, because of having no heir, and the gentleman regards it as if he had informed them."

孟子曰：「仁之實，事親是也；義之實，從兄是也。智之實，知斯二者弗去是也；禮之實，節文斯二者是也；樂之實，樂斯二者，樂則生矣；生則惡可已也，惡可已，則不知足之蹈之、手之舞之。」

Mencius said: "The substance of benevolence is serving one's parents; the substance of righteousness is obeying one's elder brother. The substance of wisdom is to know these two and not let go of them; the substance of ritual is to regulate and adorn these two; the substance of music is to delight in these two, and when delight arises, how can it be stopped, and when it cannot be stopped, one does not know that one's feet are stepping and one's hands are dancing."

孟子曰：「天下大悅而將歸己。視天下悅而歸己，猶草芥也。惟舜為然。不得乎親，不可以為人；不順乎親，不可以為子。舜盡事親之道而瞽瞍厎豫，瞽瞍厎豫而天下化，瞽瞍厎豫而天下之為父子者定，此之謂大孝。」

Mencius said: "The world is greatly pleased and about to turn to him. To regard the world's pleasure and turning to him as grass and weeds, only Shun was like that. If one cannot win his parents' hearts, one cannot be a person; if one cannot comply with his parents, one cannot be a son. Shun fulfilled the Way of serving his parents and made Gusou come to be pleased; when Gusou came to be pleased, the world was transformed; when Gusou came to be pleased, all the fathers and sons of the world were settled; this is called great filial piety."

孟子曰：「舜生於諸馮，遷於負夏，卒於鳴條，東夷之人也。文王生於岐周，卒於畢郢，西夷之人也。地之相去也，千有餘裡；世之相後也，千有餘歲。得志行乎中國，若合符節。先聖後聖，其揆一也。」

Mencius said: "Shun was born at Zhufeng, moved to Fuxia, and died at Mingtiao; he was a man of the eastern barbarians. King Wen was born at Qizhou and died at Biying; he was a man of the western barbarians. Their lands were over a thousand li apart, and their times were over a thousand years apart. Yet when they achieved their aims and practiced in the Central States, it was like two halves of a tally fitting together. The earlier sage and the later sage had one and the same standard."

子產聽鄭國之政，以其乘輿濟人於溱洧。孟子曰：「惠而不知為政。歲十一月徒槓成，十二月輿梁成，民未病涉也。君子平其政，行闢人可也。焉得人人而濟之？故為政者，每人而悅之，日亦不足矣。」

Zi Chan took charge of the government of Zheng, and used his own carriage to carry people across the Zhen and Wei rivers. Mencius said: "He was kind, but did not know how to govern. When in the eleventh month the footbridge is finished and in the twelfth month the carriage bridge is finished, the people will not suffer from wading. If a gentleman governs well, he can even have people cleared out of his way when he travels. How could he ferry each person across? So if a ruler tries to please every single person, he will not have enough days."

孟子告齊宣王曰：「君之視臣如手足，則臣視君如腹心；君之視臣如犬馬，則臣視君如國人；君之視臣如土芥，則臣視君如寇讎。」

Mencius told King Xuan of Qi: "When a ruler regards his ministers as hands and feet, the ministers regard the ruler as their belly and heart; when a ruler regards his ministers as dogs and horses, the ministers regard the ruler as a stranger; when a ruler regards his ministers as mud and weeds, the ministers regard the ruler as a bandit and enemy."

王曰：「禮，為舊君有服，何如斯可為服矣？」

King Xuan said: "By ritual, one wears mourning for a former lord. Under what circumstances should one wear mourning for him?"

曰：「諫行言聽，膏澤下於民；有故而去，則君使人導之出疆，又先於其所往；去三年不反，然後收其田裡。此之謂三有禮焉。如此，則為之服矣。今也為臣。諫則不行，言則不聽；膏澤不下於民；有故而去，則君搏執之，又極之於其所往；去之日，遂收其田裡。此之謂寇讎。寇讎何服之有？」

Mencius said: "If his remonstrance is followed and his advice heeded, so that benefits reach the people; if he leaves for some reason and the lord sends someone to escort him out of the territory and sends word ahead to where he is going; and if he does not return after three years, only then are his fields and house taken back: this is called the three ritual treatments. When this is so, he wears mourning for the lord. But now ministers are treated differently: their remonstrance is not followed and their advice not heeded; benefits do not reach the people; when they leave for some reason, the lord has them seized and, moreover, brings them to utter distress in the place they went; and on the day they leave, their fields and house are taken back. This is called being treated as a bandit and enemy. What mourning dress is there for a bandit and enemy?"

孟子曰：「無罪而殺士，則大夫可以去；無罪而戮民，則士可以徙。」

Mencius said: "When scholars are killed without guilt, the high officials may leave; when the people are slaughtered without guilt, the scholars may move away."

孟子曰：「君仁莫不仁，君義莫不義。」

Mencius said: "When the ruler is benevolent, none is not benevolent; when the ruler is righteous, none is not righteous."

孟子曰：「非禮之禮，非義之義，大人弗為。」

Mencius said: "Ritual that is not truly ritual and righteousness that is not truly righteousness, the great man does not practice."

孟子曰：「中也養不中，才也養不才，故人樂有賢父兄也。如中也棄不中，才也棄不才，則賢不肖之相去，其閒不能以寸。」

Mencius said: "Those who are upright nurture those who are not upright, and those who are talented nurture those who are not talented, and so people delight in having worthy fathers and elder brothers. If the upright abandon those who are not upright, and the talented abandon those who are not talented, then the gap between the worthy and the unworthy could not be measured by an inch."

孟子曰：「人有不為也，而後可以有為。」

Mencius said: "A person must have things he will not do, and only then can he accomplish things."

孟子曰：「言人之不善，當如後患何？」

Mencius said: "How would you face the consequences of speaking of the faults of others?"

孟子曰：「仲尼不為已甚者。」

Mencius said: "Confucius did not do things that went too far."

孟子曰：「大人者，言不必信，行不必果，惟義所在。」

Mencius said: "The great man need not keep every word, nor see through every deed to completion; he considers only where righteousness lies."

孟子曰：「大人者，不失其赤子之心者也。」

Mencius said: "The great man is one who does not lose his child's heart."

孟子曰：「養生者不足以當大事，惟送死可以當大事。」

Mencius said: "Nourishing the living is not enough to be considered a great matter; only seeing off the dead can be considered a great matter."

孟子曰：「君子深造之以道，欲其自得之也。自得之，則居之安；居之安，則資之深；資之深，則取之左右逢其原，故君子欲其自得之也。」

Mencius said: "The gentleman pursues deep attainment by the Way because he wishes to gain it for himself. When one gains it for oneself, one dwells in it securely; when one dwells securely, one's reliance on it is deep; when one's reliance is deep, whatever one draws from it, one finds the source on every side. This is why the gentleman wishes to gain it for himself."

孟子曰：「博學而詳說之，將以反說約也。」

Mencius said: "Learn broadly and explain in detail, so as to return and speak in essentials."

孟子曰：「以善服人者，未有能服人者也；以善養人，然後能服天下。天下不心服而王者，未之有也。」

Mencius said: "Those who use goodness to make others submit have never made anyone submit; those who use goodness to nourish others can afterwards win the world. That anyone has become king without winning the hearts of the world has never happened."

孟子曰：「言無實不祥。不祥之實，蔽賢者當之。」

Mencius said: "Words without substance are inauspicious. The inauspicious substance falls on one who obstructs the worthy."

徐子曰：「仲尼亟稱於水，曰：『水哉，水哉！』何取於水也？」

Master Xu said: "Confucius often praised water, saying: 'Water, oh water!' What did he take from water?"

孟子曰：「原泉混混，不捨晝夜。盈科而後進，放乎四海，有本者如是，是之取爾。苟為無本，七八月之閒雨集，溝澮皆盈；其涸也，可立而待也。故聲聞過情，君子恥之。」

Mencius said: "A spring wells up without ceasing, day and night. It fills the hollows and then goes forward, reaching the four seas. Whatever has a source is like this, and this is what was taken. If there is no source, then in the seventh and eighth months when rain gathers, the ditches and channels are all full, but one can stand and wait for them to dry up. Therefore the gentleman is ashamed when reputation exceeds reality."

孟子曰：「人之所以異於禽於獸者幾希，庶民去之，君子存之。舜明於庶物，察於人倫，由仁義行，非行仁義也。」

Mencius said: "What distinguishes humans from beasts is very little; the common people discard it, and the gentleman preserves it. Shun understood all things and discerned human relations; he acted from benevolence and righteousness, and did not practice benevolence and righteousness as a means."

孟子曰：「禹惡旨酒而好善言。湯執中，立賢無方。文王視民如傷，望道而未之見。武王不洩邇，不忘遠。周公思兼三王，以施四事；其有不合者，仰而思之，夜以繼日；幸而得之，坐以待旦。」

Mencius said: "Yu disliked fine wine and loved good words. Tang held to the mean, and in promoting the worthy was not limited by fixed rules. King Wen looked at the people as if they were wounded, and looked toward the Way as if he had not yet seen it. King Wu did not neglect those near and did not forget those far. The Duke of Zhou wished to combine the work of the three kings and carry out their four undertakings; when something did not fit, he looked up and thought, continuing from night into day; if by luck he got it, he sat waiting for the dawn."

孟子曰：「王者之跡熄而詩亡，詩亡然後春秋作。晉之乘，楚之檮杌，魯之春秋，一也。其事則齊桓、晉文，其文則史。孔子曰：『其義則丘竊取之矣。』」

Mencius said: "When the deeds of true kings faded, the Odes were lost; after the Odes were lost, the Spring and Autumn Annals was made. The Sheng of Jin, the Taowu of Chu, and the Spring and Autumn of Lu are of one kind. Their subject matter was Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin, and their style was that of the historian. Confucius said: 'As for the righteousness in it, I have privately taken it for my own.'"

孟子曰：「君子之澤五世而斬，小人之澤五世而斬。予未得為孔子徒也，予私淑諸人也。」

Mencius said: "The lingering influence of a gentleman ends after five generations, and the lingering influence of a petty man ends after five generations. I was not able to be a disciple of Confucius; I privately learned well from others."

孟子曰：「可以取，可以無取，取傷廉；可以與，可以無與，與傷惠；可以死，可以無死，死傷勇。」

Mencius said: "When one may take and may not take, to take harms integrity; when one may give and may not give, to give harms generosity; when one may die and may not die, to die harms courage."

逄蒙學射於羿，盡羿之道，思天下惟羿為愈己，於是殺羿。孟子曰：「是亦羿有罪焉。」公明儀曰：「宜若無罪焉。」曰：「薄乎云爾，惡得無罪？鄭人使子濯孺子侵衛，衛使庾公之斯追之。子濯孺子曰：『今日我疾作，不可以執弓，吾死矣夫！』問其僕曰：『追我者誰也？』其僕曰：『庾公之斯也。』曰：『吾生矣。』其僕曰：『庾公之斯，衛之善射者也，夫子曰「吾生」，何謂也？』曰：『庾公之斯學射於尹公之他，尹公之他學射於我。夫尹公之他，端人也，其取友必端矣。』庾公之斯至，曰：『夫子何為不執弓？』曰：『今日我疾作，不可以執弓。』曰：『小人學射於尹公之他，尹公之他學射於夫子。我不忍以夫子之道反害夫子。雖然，今日之事，君事也，我不敢廢。』抽矢扣輪，去其金，發乘矢而後反。」

Peng Meng learned archery from Yi, and having learned all of Yi's art, thought that only Yi in the world surpassed him, and so killed Yi. Mencius said: "Yi too was at fault." Gongming Yi said: "It seems he was not at fault." Mencius said: "Only slightly; how could he not be at fault? The men of Zheng sent Zizhuo Ruzi to raid Wei, and Wei sent Yu Gongzhi Si to pursue him. Zizhuo Ruzi said: 'Today my illness has flared up and I cannot hold a bow; I am going to die!' He asked his charioteer: 'Who is pursuing me?' The charioteer said: 'Yu Gongzhi Si.' He said: 'Then I live.' The charioteer said: 'Yu Gongzhi Si is a good archer of Wei; why does the master say "I live"?' He said: 'Yu Gongzhi Si learned archery from Yin Gongzhi Tuo, and Yin Gongzhi Tuo learned archery from me. Yin Gongzhi Tuo is an upright man, and the friends he chooses must be upright.' When Yu Gongzhi Si arrived, he said: 'Why does the master not hold his bow?' He said: 'Today my illness has flared up and I cannot hold a bow.' He said: 'I, your inferior, learned archery from Yin Gongzhi Tuo, who learned archery from you. I cannot bear to use the master's own art to harm the master in return. Even so, today's affair is my lord's affair, and I dare not neglect it.' He took out his arrows and knocked them against the wheel, removed the heads, shot four arrows, and then returned."

孟子曰：「西子蒙不潔，則人皆掩鼻而過之。雖有惡人，齊戒沐浴，則可以祀上帝。」

Mencius said: "If Xi Shi were covered in filth, everyone would hold their noses as they passed by. Even an ugly person who fasts and bathes may offer sacrifice to God above."

孟子曰：「天下之言性也，則故而已矣。故者以利為本。所惡於智者，為其鑿也。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，千歲之日至，可坐而致也。」

Mencius said: "When people in the world speak of nature, they speak only of what has already come to be. What has come to be takes what is natural as its root. What I dislike about cleverness is that it bores through to force things. If the clever were like Yu guiding the waters, there would be nothing to dislike about cleverness. Yu guiding the waters was acting where there was nothing forced. If the clever also acted where there was nothing forced, their cleverness would be great indeed. Heaven is so high and the stars so far, yet if one seeks their causes, one can sit and work out the winter solstice a thousand years hence."

公行子有子之喪，右師往吊，入門，有進而與右師言者，有就右師之位而與右師言者。孟子不與右師言，右師不悅曰：「諸君子皆與驩言，孟子獨不與驩言，是簡驩也。」

Gongxing Zi held mourning for his son, and the Minister of the Right went to offer condolences. On entering the door, some came forward to speak to the Minister of the Right, and some went to the Minister of the Right's seat to speak to him. Mencius did not speak to the Minister of the Right, and the Minister of the Right was displeased and said: "All the gentlemen speak with me, yet Mencius alone does not speak with me; this shows disrespect to me."

孟子聞之，曰：「禮，朝廷不歷位而相與言，不逾階而相揖也。我欲行禮，子敖以我為簡，不亦異乎？」

Mencius heard this and said: "By ritual, at court one does not cross over places to speak to one another, nor cross the steps to bow to one another. I wished to follow ritual, and Zi Ao thinks I was disrespectful; is that not strange?"

孟子曰：「君子所以異於人者，以其存心也。君子以仁存心，以禮存心。仁者愛人，有禮者敬人。愛人者人恆愛之，敬人者人恆敬之。有人於此，其待我以橫逆，則君子必自反也：我必不仁也，必無禮也，此物奚宜至哉？其自反而仁矣，自反而有禮矣，其橫逆由是也，君子必自反也：我必不忠。自反而忠矣，其橫逆由是也，君子曰：『此亦妄人也已矣。如此則與禽獸奚擇哉？於禽獸又何難焉？』是故君子有終身之憂，無一朝之患也。乃若所憂則有之：舜人也，我亦人也。舜為法於天下，可傳於後世，我由未免為鄉人也，是則可憂也。憂之如何？如舜而已矣。若夫君子所患則亡矣。非仁無為也，非禮無行也。如有一朝之患，則君子不患矣。」

Mencius said: "What distinguishes the gentleman from others is what he keeps in his heart. The gentleman keeps benevolence in his heart and keeps ritual in his heart. The benevolent love others, and those with ritual honor others. Those who love others are always loved by others; those who honor others are always honored by others. Suppose there is someone who treats me with rudeness. The gentleman will surely look back at himself: 'I must be unbenevolent, I must be lacking in ritual; how else would this have come about?' If, on looking back, he finds he was benevolent and was ritually correct, and the rudeness continues, the gentleman will surely look back again: 'I must not have been loyal.' If, on looking back, he finds he was loyal, and the rudeness continues, the gentleman says: 'This is only a reckless man. How is such a man different from a beast? Why should I blame a beast?' So the gentleman has a lifelong worry but not a single morning's trouble. As for what he worries about, there is this: Shun was a man, and I am also a man. Shun became a model for the world, whose teachings can be handed down to later ages, while I am still only a villager; this is what is worth worrying about. What does he do about the worry? He simply becomes like Shun. As for what the gentleman is troubled by, there is nothing. He does not do what is not benevolent, and does not act where it is not ritual. If there were a trouble of a single morning, the gentleman would not be troubled by it."

禹、稷當平世，三過其門而不入，孔子賢之。顏子當亂世，居於陋巷。一簞食，一瓢飲。人不堪其憂，顏子不改其樂，孔子賢之。孟子曰：「禹、稷、顏回同道。禹思天下有溺者，由己溺之也；稷思天下有飢者，由己飢之也，是以如是其急也。禹、稷、顏子易地則皆然。今有同室之人鬬者，救之，雖被髮纓冠而救之，可也。鄉鄰有鬬者，被髮纓冠而往救之，則惑也，雖閉戶可也。」

Yu and Ji lived in a peaceful age, and passed their own doors three times without entering, and Confucius thought them worthy. Yan Hui lived in a disorderly age, dwelling in a narrow lane, with a bamboo basket of rice and a gourd of water. Others could not bear such worry, but Yan Hui did not change his joy, and Confucius thought him worthy. Mencius said: "Yu, Ji, and Yan Hui followed one and the same way. Yu thought that if anyone in the world was drowning, it was as if he had drowned him himself; Ji thought that if anyone in the world was hungry, it was as if he had starved him himself; and so they were as urgent as that. Yu, Ji, and Yan Hui would all have acted the same had they exchanged places. Now if people of the same household are fighting, one goes to rescue them, and even with hair loose and cap strings not yet tied, one may do so. If neighbors in the village are fighting, and one rushes to rescue them with hair loose and cap strings untied, one is confused; even if one closes the door, it would be fine."

公都子曰：「匡章，通國皆稱不孝焉。夫子與之遊，又從而禮貌之，敢問何也？」

Gongdu Zi said: "Kuang Zhang is called unfilial by the whole country. You, Master, associate with him and even follow by treating him with courtesy; may I ask why?"

孟子曰：「世俗所謂不孝者五：惰其四支，不顧父母之養，一不孝也；博弈好飲酒，不顧父母之養，二不孝也；好貨財，私妻子，不顧父母之養，三不孝也；從耳目之欲，以為父母戮，四不孝也；好勇鬥很，以危父母，五不孝也。章子有一於是乎？夫章子，子父責善而不相遇也。責善，朋友之道也；父子責善，賊恩之大者。夫章子，豈不欲有夫妻子母之屬哉？為得罪於父，不得近。出妻屏子，終身不養焉。其設心以為不若是，是則罪之大者，是則章子已矣。

Mencius said: "The things that common custom calls unfilial are five: being lazy in the four limbs and neglecting the care of one's parents is the first unfilial act; gambling, playing chess, and being fond of drinking and neglecting the care of one's parents is the second; being fond of goods and wealth and showing partiality to one's wife and children and neglecting the care of one's parents is the third; indulging the desires of the ears and eyes and bringing shame on one's parents is the fourth; being fond of bravery and fighting fiercely and endangering one's parents is the fifth. Does Master Zhang have any of these? Master Zhang was one whose father and he urged each other to do good and could not get along. Urging each other to do good is the way of friends; for father and son to urge each other to do good is the greatest harm to affection. Would Master Zhang not wish to have the belonging of husband and wife, mother and child? It is because he offended his father that he cannot be near him. He sent away his wife and dismissed his son, and for the rest of his life does not receive their care. In his heart he thought that if he did not do this, his guilt would be greater, and this is just Master Zhang."

曾子居武城，有越寇。或曰：「寇至，盍去諸？」曰：「無寓人於我室，毀傷其薪木。」寇退，則曰：「修我牆屋，我將反。」寇退，曾子反。左右曰：「待先生，如此其忠且敬也。寇至則先去以為民望，寇退則反，殆於不可。」沈猶行曰：「是非汝所知也。昔沈猶有負芻之禍，從先生者七十人，未有與焉。」

Zengzi lived in Wucheng, and there were Yue raiders. Someone said: "The raiders are coming; why not leave?" Zengzi said: "Do not let people lodge in my house and damage its trees." When the raiders had withdrawn, he said: "Repair my walls and house; I am going to return." When the raiders withdrew, Zengzi returned. Those around him said: "He treats the master with such loyalty and respect. When the raiders came, he left first as an example to the people, and when they withdrew he returned; this may not be right." Shen You Xing said: "This is not what you know. Once Shen You suffered the calamity of Fu Chu, and of the seventy who followed the master, none took part."

子思居於衛，有齊寇。或曰：「寇至，盍去諸？」子思曰：「如伋去，君誰與守？」

Zisi lived in Wei, and there were Qi raiders. Someone said: "The raiders are coming; why not leave?" Zisi said: "If Ji leaves, with whom would the lord guard the state?"

孟子曰：「曾子、子思同道。曾子，師也，父兄也；子思，臣也，微也。曾子、子思易地則皆然。」

Mencius said: "Zengzi and Zisi followed one and the same way. Zengzi was a teacher, one in the position of a father and elder brother; Zisi was a minister, of lowly standing. Zengzi and Zisi would both have acted the same had they exchanged places."

儲子曰：「王使人瞷夫子，果有以異於人乎？」

Chu Zi said: "The king sent someone to spy on you; do you truly have anything that differs from others?"

孟子曰：「何以異於人哉？堯舜與人同耳。」

Mencius said: "How should I differ from others? Yao and Shun were just the same as other people."

齊人有一妻一妾而處室者，其良人出，則必饜酒肉而後反。其妻問所與飲食者，則盡富貴也。其妻告其妾曰：「良人出，則必饜酒肉而後反；問其與飲食者，盡富貴也，而未嘗有顯者來，吾將瞷良人之所之也。」

A man of Qi had one wife and one concubine living at home. When her husband went out, he always came back having eaten his fill of wine and meat. The wife asked who ate and drank with him, and they were all wealthy and noble people. The wife told the concubine: "When our husband goes out, he always returns having eaten his fill of wine and meat; when I ask who eats and drinks with him, they are all wealthy and noble people, yet no distinguished person has ever come here. I am going to spy on where our husband goes."

蚤起，施從良人之所之，遍國中無與立談者。卒之東郭墦閒，之祭者，乞其餘；不足，又顧而之他，此其為饜足之道也。其妻歸，告其妾曰：「良人者，所仰望而終身也。今若此。」與其妾訕其良人，而相泣於中庭。而良人未之知也，施施從外來，驕其妻妾。

(The man's wife) rose early and followed her husband at a slant wherever he went; throughout the whole city no one stood and spoke with him. In the end he went to the graveyard outside the east wall, approached those performing sacrifices, and begged for their leftovers; if that was not enough, he turned around and went to another place; this was his way of eating his fill. The wife returned and told the concubine: "A husband is the one we look up to for the rest of our lives, and now he is like this." She and the concubine reviled their husband together and wept facing each other in the central courtyard. The husband, not knowing, came in from outside looking pleased with himself and boasted to his wife and concubine.

由君子觀之，則人之所以求富貴利達者，其妻妾不羞也，而不相泣者，幾希矣。

As the gentleman sees it, among the means by which people seek wealth, honor, profit, and advancement, there are few whose wives and concubines would not be ashamed and would not weep facing each other.

萬章問曰：「舜往于田，號泣於旻天，何為其號泣也？」

Wan Zhang asked: "When Shun went to the fields, he cried out to vast Heaven in tears. Why did he cry out in tears?"

孟子曰：「怨慕也。」

Mencius said: "It was resentment and longing."

萬章曰：「父母愛之，喜而不忘；父母惡之，勞而不怨。然則舜怨乎？」

Wan Zhang said: "When his parents loved him, he was glad and did not forget it; when his parents disliked him, he toiled and did not resent it. Then did Shun resent?"

曰：「長息問於公明高曰：『舜往于田，則吾既得聞命矣；號泣於旻天，於父母，則吾不知也。』公明高曰：『是非爾所知也。』夫公明高以孝子之心，為不若是恝，我竭力耕田，共為子職而已矣，父母之不我愛，於我何哉？帝使其子九男二女，百官牛羊倉廩備，以事舜於畎畝之中。天下之士多就之者，帝將胥天下而遷之焉。為不順於父母，如窮人無所歸。天下之士悅之，人之所欲也，而不足以解憂；好色，人之所欲，妻帝之二女，而不足以解憂；富，人之所欲，富有天下，而不足以解憂；貴，人之所欲，貴為天子，而不足以解憂。人悅之、好色、富貴，無足以解憂者，惟順於父母，可以解憂。人少，則慕父母；知好色，則慕少艾；有妻子，則慕妻子；仕則慕君，不得於君則熱中。大孝終身慕父母。五十而慕者，予於大舜見之矣。」

Mencius said: "Chang Xi asked Gongming Gao: 'As to Shun going to the fields, I have learned that; as to crying out to vast Heaven and to his parents in tears, I do not know.' Gongming Gao said: 'This is not something you can know.' Gongming Gao thought that the heart of a filial son could not be so indifferent: 'I exert my strength in farming and respectfully do my duty as a son, that is all; if my parents do not love me, what has that to do with me?' The emperor sent his nine sons and two daughters, with the hundred officials, oxen, sheep, and granaries in readiness, to serve Shun in the fields. Many scholars of the world went to him, and the emperor was about to transfer the whole world to him. Yet because he could not please his parents, he was like a poor man with nowhere to return. The pleasure of the world's scholars is something people desire, yet it was not enough to dispel his worry; beauty is something people desire, and he married the emperor's two daughters, yet it was not enough to dispel his worry; wealth is something people desire, and he was rich with the world, yet it was not enough to dispel his worry; rank is something people desire, and he was honored as Son of Heaven, yet it was not enough to dispel his worry. Of people's pleasure, beauty, wealth, and rank, none was enough to dispel his worry; only pleasing his parents could dispel it. When people are young, they long for their parents; when they come to know beauty, they long for youth and beauty; when they have a wife, they long for their wife; when they take office, they long for their lord, and if they do not win their lord's favor, they burn inside. The greatly filial long for their parents all their lives. One who at fifty still longs for them, I have seen in the Great Shun."

萬章問曰：「《詩》云：『娶妻如之何？必告父母。』信斯言也，宜莫如舜。舜之不告而娶，何也？」

Wan Zhang asked: "The Book of Songs, in 'Nanshan' of the Odes of Qi, says: 'How should one take a wife? One must inform one's parents.' If one believes these words, no one should be the equal of Shun. Shun married without informing his parents; why?"

孟子曰：「告則不得娶。男女居室，人之大倫也。如告，則廢人之大倫，以懟父母，是以不告也。」

Mencius said: "If he had informed them, he could not have married. A man and woman setting up a household is the great relation of human life. If he had informed them, he would have abandoned the great human relation and thereby aroused resentment toward his parents, and so he did not inform them."

萬章曰：「舜之不告而娶，則吾既得聞命矣；帝之妻舜而不告，何也？」

Wan Zhang said: "That Shun married without informing his parents I have already learned; that the emperor gave his daughters to Shun without informing Shun's parents, why?"

曰：「帝亦知告焉則不得妻也。」

Mencius said: "The emperor too knew that if he informed them, he could not marry them to him."

萬章曰：「父母使舜完廩，捐階，瞽瞍焚廩。使浚井，出，從而揜之。象曰：『謨蓋都君鹹我績。牛羊父母，倉廩父母，干戈朕，琴朕，弤朕，二嫂使治朕棲。』象往入舜宮，舜在床琴。象曰：『鬱陶思君爾。』忸怩。舜曰：『惟茲臣庶，汝其於予治。』不識舜不知象之將殺己與？」

Wan Zhang said: "His parents had Shun repair the granary and removed the ladder, and Gusou set fire to the granary. They had him dredge the well, and he came out, and they followed by filling in the mouth of the well. Xiang said: 'The scheme to cover him over is all my merit. The cattle and sheep go to my parents, the granaries go to my parents, the shields and spears are mine, the zither is mine, the carved bow is mine, and the two sisters-in-law I shall have make my bed.' Xiang went into Shun's palace, and Shun was sitting on his bed playing the zither. Xiang said: 'I was thinking of you in gloom.' His face showed embarrassment. Shun said: 'These ministers and people, you govern them for me.' I do not know whether Shun knew that Xiang was about to kill him?"

曰：「奚而不知也？象憂亦憂，象喜亦喜。」

Mencius said: "How could he not know? When Xiang worried, he worried too; when Xiang rejoiced, he rejoiced too."

曰：「然則舜偽喜者與？」

Wan Zhang said: "Then was Shun pretending to be pleased?"

曰：「否。昔者有饋生魚於鄭子產，子產使校人畜之池。校人烹之，反命曰：『始舍之圉圉焉，少則洋洋焉，攸然而逝。』子產曰『得其所哉！得其所哉！』校人出，曰：『孰謂子產智？予既烹而食之，曰：得其所哉？得其所哉。』故君子可欺以其方，難罔以非其道。彼以愛兄之道來，故誠信而喜之，奚偽焉？」

Mencius said: "No. In the past someone gave a live fish to Zichan of Zheng, and Zichan had the pond keeper keep it in the pond. The pond keeper cooked and ate it, and returned to report: 'When I first put it in, it was dazed; a moment later it was lively, and then it swam away at ease.' Zichan said: 'It found its proper place! It found its proper place!' The pond keeper went out and said: 'Who says Zichan is wise? I have already cooked and eaten it, and he still says: it found its proper place?' Thus a gentleman can be deceived by what accords with reason, but is hard to deceive by what is against the Way. He came with the way of loving his brother, and so he was sincerely glad; how could he be pretending?"

萬章問曰：「象日以殺舜為事，立為天子，則放之，何也？」

Wan Zhang asked: "Xiang daily took killing Shun as his business, yet when Shun was made Son of Heaven he only banished him; why?"

孟子曰：「封之也，或曰放焉。」

Mencius said: "He was enfeoffed; some say he was banished."

萬章曰：「舜流共工於幽州，放驩兜於崇山，殺三苗於三危，殛鯀於羽山，四罪而天下鹹服，誅不仁也。象至不仁，封之有庳。有庳之人奚罪焉？仁人固如是乎？在他人則誅之，在弟則封之。」

Wan Zhang said: "Shun exiled Gong Gong to Youzhou, banished Huan Dou to Mount Chong, killed the Three Miao at Sanwei, and executed Gun at Mount Yu; when these four were punished the whole world submitted, for it was punishing the unbenevolent. Xiang was extremely unbenevolent, yet he was enfeoffed at Youbi. What wrong had the people of Youbi done? Is this how a benevolent man behaves? With others he executes, and with his brother he enfeoffs."

曰：「仁人之於弟也，不藏怒焉，不宿怨焉，親愛之而已矣。親之慾其貴也，愛之慾其富也。封之有庳，富貴之也。身為天子，弟為匹夫，可謂親愛之乎？」

Mencius said: "A benevolent man toward his brother does not hide his anger nor keep resentment overnight; he simply loves him. Because he is close to him he wants him to be honored, and because he loves him he wants him to be rich. Enfeoffing him at Youbi was making him rich and honored. If he himself were Son of Heaven while his brother were a commoner, could that be called loving?"

「敢問或曰放者，何謂也？」

(Wan Zhang asked:) "May I ask what it means when some say he was banished?"

曰：「象不得有為於其國，天子使吏治其國，而納其貢稅焉，故謂之放，豈得暴彼民哉？雖然，欲常常而見之，故源源而來。『不及貢，以政接於有庳』，此之謂也。」

Mencius said: "Xiang could not do anything in his own state; the Son of Heaven sent officials to govern his state and he paid tribute and taxes, and so it is called banishment; how could he oppress the people there? Even so, he wished to see him often, so he came again and again. 'Not waiting for the time of tribute, he met Youbi through state affairs': this is what that says."

鹹丘蒙問曰：「語云：『盛德之士，君不得而臣，父不得而子。』舜南面而立，堯帥諸侯北面而朝之，瞽瞍亦北面而朝之。舜見瞽瞍，其容有蹙。孔子曰：『於斯時也，天下殆哉，岌岌乎！』不識此語誠然乎哉？」

Xianqiu Meng asked: "The common saying goes: 'A scholar of splendid virtue cannot be treated as a minister by his lord, nor treated as a son by his father.' Shun stood facing south, and Yao led the lords in facing north to pay him audience, and Gusou also faced north to pay him audience. When Shun saw Gusou, his face showed distress. Confucius said: 'At this time the world was in danger, perilously so!' I do not know whether these words are really so."

孟子曰：「否。此非君子之言，齊東野人之語也。堯老而舜攝也。《堯典》曰：『二十有八載，放勳乃徂落，百姓如喪考妣，三年，四海遏密八音。』孔子曰：『天無二日，民無二王。』舜既為天子矣，又帥天下諸侯以為堯三年喪，是二天子矣。」

Mencius said: "No. These are not the words of a gentleman; they are the words of country people of eastern Qi. When Yao was old Shun acted as regent. The Canon of Yao says: 'After twenty-eight years, Fangxun died, and the people mourned as if for a father or mother for three years, and the four seas ceased their music.' Confucius said: 'In heaven there are not two suns, and among the people there are not two kings.' If Shun had already been Son of Heaven and had also led the lords of the world to mourn Yao for three years, there would have been two Sons of Heaven."

鹹丘蒙曰：「舜之不臣堯，則吾既得聞命矣。《詩》云：『普天之下，莫非王土；率土之濱，莫非王臣。』而舜既為天子矣，敢問瞽瞍之非臣，如何？」

Xianqiu Meng said: "That Shun did not treat Yao as a minister I have already learned. The Book of Songs, in 'Beishan' of the Lesser Odes, says: 'Under the whole sky, there is no land that is not the king's; along the land to the sea, there is none who is not the king's minister.' Since Shun was already Son of Heaven, may I ask how Gusou was not a minister?"

曰：「是詩也，非是之謂也；勞於王事，而不得養父母也。曰：『此莫非王事，我獨賢勞也。』故說《詩》者，不以文害辭，不以辭害志。以意逆志，是為得之。如以辭而已矣，《雲漢》之詩曰：『周餘黎民，靡有孑遺。』信斯言也，是周無遺民也。孝子之至，莫大乎尊親；尊親之至，莫大乎以天下養。為天子父，尊之至也；以天下養，養之至也。《詩》曰：『永言孝思，孝思維則。』此之謂也。《書》曰：『祗載見瞽瞍，夔夔齊栗，瞽瞍亦允若。』是為父不得而子也。」

Mencius said: "This poem does not mean that. It is about someone who toils at the king's business and so cannot care for his parents. It says: 'All these are the king's business, yet I alone am worn out with worthy toil.' Therefore one who explains the Odes must not let the words harm the phrases, nor let the phrases harm the intent. To meet the author's intent with one's own understanding is how one gets it. If one looks only at the phrases, the ode 'Yunhan' says: 'Of the remaining people of Zhou, not one is left.' If one believed these words, then Zhou would have no remaining people. The utmost of filial devotion is nothing greater than honoring one's parents; the utmost of honoring one's parents is nothing greater than supporting them with the whole world. To be the father of the Son of Heaven is the utmost of honor; to support him with the whole world is the utmost of support. The Book of Songs, in 'Xiawu' of the Greater Odes, says: 'Forever think of filial devotion, and filial devotion is the model.' This is what it means. The Book of Documents says: 'Reverently he went to see Gusou, trembling and fasting in awe, and Gusou too was sincere and compliant.' This is how a father cannot treat him as his son."

萬章曰：「堯以天下與舜，有諸？」

Wan Zhang said: "Did Yao give the world to Shun? Is there such a thing?"

孟子曰：「否。天子不能以天下與人。」

Mencius said: "No. The Son of Heaven cannot give the world to anyone."

「然則舜有天下也，孰與之？」

(Wan Zhang asked:) "Then who gave Shun the world?"

曰：「天與之。」

Mencius said: "Heaven gave it."

「天與之者，諄諄然命之乎？」

(Wan Zhang asked:) "When Heaven gave it, did it command him earnestly?"

曰：「否。天不言，以行與事示之而已矣。」

Mencius said: "No. Heaven does not speak; it only shows it through conduct and events."

曰：「以行與事示之者如之何？」

Wan Zhang said: "How does it show it through conduct and events?"

曰：「天子能薦人於天，不能使天與之天下；諸侯能薦人於天子，不能使天子與之諸侯；大夫能薦人於諸侯，不能使諸侯與之大夫。昔者堯薦舜於天而天受之，暴之於民而民受之，故曰：天不言，以行與事示之而已矣。」

Mencius said: "The Son of Heaven can recommend a man to Heaven, but cannot make Heaven give him the world; a lord can recommend a man to the Son of Heaven, but cannot make the Son of Heaven give him a lordship; a high official can recommend a man to a lord, but cannot make the lord give him a high office. In the past Yao recommended Shun to Heaven and Heaven accepted him; he presented him to the people and the people accepted him. So it is said: Heaven does not speak; it only shows through conduct and events."

曰：「敢問薦之於天而天受之，暴之於民而民受之，如何？」

Wan Zhang said: "May I ask what it is like to recommend him to Heaven and Heaven accepts, and present him to the people and the people accept?"

曰：「使之主祭而百神享之，是天受之；使之主事而事治，百姓安之，是民受之也。天與之，人與之，故曰：天子不能以天下與人。舜相堯二十有八載，非人之所能為也，天也。堯崩，三年之喪畢，舜避堯之子於南河之南。天下諸侯朝覲者，不之堯之子而之舜；訟獄者，不之堯之子而之舜；謳歌者，不謳歌堯之子而謳歌舜，故曰天也。夫然後之中國，踐天子位焉。而居堯之宮，逼堯之子，是篡也，非天與也。《太誓》曰：『天視自我民視，天聽自我民聽』，此之謂也。」

Mencius said: "He was made to preside over the sacrifices and the hundred spirits enjoyed them; this is Heaven accepting. He was made to preside over affairs and the affairs were well managed and the people were at peace; this is the people accepting. Heaven gave it to him and the people gave it to him, and so it is said: the Son of Heaven cannot give the world to anyone. Shun assisted Yao for twenty-eight years; this is not something a person could do, it was Heaven. When Yao died, after the three-year mourning was complete, Shun withdrew to the south of the Southern River to avoid Yao's son. The lords of the world who came to pay court did not go to Yao's son but to Shun; those with lawsuits did not go to Yao's son but to Shun; those singing praises did not sing the praises of Yao's son but of Shun; so it is said to be Heaven. Only afterward did he go to the central state and take the seat of the Son of Heaven. If he had moved into Yao's palace and pressed Yao's son, it would have been usurpation, not Heaven's gift. The Great Declaration says: 'Heaven sees as our people see; Heaven hears as our people hear.' This is what it means."

萬章問曰：「人有言：『至於禹而德衰，不傳於賢而傳於子。』有諸？」

Wan Zhang asked: "People have a saying: 'When it came to Yu, virtue declined; it was not passed on to a worthy man but to his son.' Is there such a thing?"

孟子曰：「否，不然也。天與賢，則與賢；天與子，則與子。昔者舜薦禹於天，十有七年，舜崩。三年之喪畢，禹避舜之子於陽城。天下之民從之，若堯崩之後，不從堯之子而從舜也。禹薦益於天，七年，禹崩。三年之喪畢，益避禹之子於箕山之陰。朝覲訟獄者不之益而之啟，曰：『吾君之子也。』謳歌者不謳歌益而謳歌啟，曰：『吾君之子也。』丹朱之不肖，舜之子亦不肖。舜之相堯，禹之相舜也，歷年多，施澤於民久。啟賢，能敬承繼禹之道。益之相禹也，歷年少，施澤於民未久。舜、禹、益相去久遠，其子之賢不肖，皆天也，非人之所能為也。莫之為而為者，天也；莫之致而至者，命也。匹夫而有天下者，德必若舜禹，而又有天子薦之者，故仲尼不有天下。繼世以有天下，天之所廢，必若桀紂者也，故益、伊尹、周公不有天下。伊尹相湯以王於天下。湯崩，太丁未立，外丙二年，仲壬四年。太甲顛覆湯之典刑，伊尹放之於桐。三年，太甲悔過，自怨自艾，於桐處仁遷義；三年，以聽伊尹之訓己也，復歸於亳。周公之不有天下，猶益之於夏，伊尹之於殷也。孔子曰：『唐虞禪，夏後、殷、周繼，其義一也。』」

Mencius said: "No, it is not so. When Heaven gives it to a worthy man, it goes to a worthy man; when Heaven gives it to a son, it goes to the son. In the past Shun recommended Yu to Heaven, and after seventeen years Shun died. After the three-year mourning was complete, Yu withdrew to Yangcheng to avoid Shun's son. The people of the world followed him, just as after Yao died they did not follow Yao's son but followed Shun. Yu recommended Yi to Heaven, and after seven years Yu died. After the three-year mourning was complete, Yi withdrew to the north of Mount Ji to avoid Yu's son. Those coming to court and those with lawsuits did not go to Yi but to Qi, saying: 'He is the son of our lord.' Those singing praises did not sing of Yi but of Qi, saying: 'He is the son of our lord.' Danzhu was unworthy, and Shun's son was also unworthy. Shun assisted Yao and Yu assisted Shun, and they passed through many years and bestowed their favors on the people for a long time. Qi was worthy and could respectfully continue Yu's Way. Yi assisted Yu for few years and bestowed favor on the people for not long. Shun, Yu, and Yi were far apart in time; whether a son is worthy or unworthy is all Heaven, not something people can do. What is accomplished when nobody does it is Heaven; what comes when nobody brings it is fate. A commoner who obtains the world must have virtue like Shun and Yu and also a recommendation from a Son of Heaven, and so Confucius did not obtain the world. One who inherits the world and is discarded by Heaven must be like Jie and Zhou, and so Yi, Yi Yin, and the Duke of Zhou did not obtain the world. Yi Yin assisted Tang and made him king of the world. When Tang died, Taiding did not take the throne; Waibing reigned two years and Zhongren four. Taijia overturned Tang's laws, and Yi Yin banished him to Tong. After three years Taijia repented of his faults, blamed himself and corrected himself, dwelt in benevolence at Tong and moved toward righteousness; after three years he listened to Yi Yin's instruction to himself and returned to Bo. The Duke of Zhou did not obtain the world, just as Yi with respect to Xia and Yi Yin with respect to Yin. Confucius said: 'Tang and Yu abdicated in favor of the worthy, and the Xia, Yin, and Zhou passed the rule down in succession; the righteousness is one.'"

萬章問曰：「人有言『伊尹以割烹要湯』有諸？」

Wan Zhang asked: "People say: 'Yi Yin sought Tang through cooking.' Is there such a thing?"

孟子曰：「否，不然。伊尹耕於有莘之野，而樂堯舜之道焉。非其義也，非其道也，祿之以天下，弗顧也；繫馬千駟，弗視也。非其義也，非其道也，一介不以與人，一介不以取諸人，湯使人以幣聘之，囂囂然曰：『我何以湯之聘幣為哉？我豈若處畎畝之中，由是以樂堯舜之道哉？』湯三使往聘之，既而幡然改曰：『與我處畎畝之中，由是以樂堯舜之道，吾豈若使是君為堯舜之君哉？吾豈若使是民為堯舜之民哉？吾豈若於吾身親見之哉？天之生此民也，使先知覺後知，使先覺覺後覺也。予，天民之先覺者也；予將以斯道覺斯民也。非予覺之，而誰也？』思天下之民匹夫匹婦有不被堯舜之澤者，若己推而內之溝中。其自任以天下之重如此，故就湯而說之以伐夏救民。吾未聞枉己而正人者也，況辱己以正天下者乎？聖人之行不同也，或遠或近，或去或不去，歸潔其身而已矣。吾聞其以堯舜之道要湯，未聞以割烹也。伊訓曰：『天誅造攻自牧宮，朕載自亳。』」

Mencius said: "No, it is not so. Yi Yin farmed in the countryside of Youxin and delighted in the Way of Yao and Shun. If it was not according to his righteousness or his Way, even if he were given the whole world as salary, he would not look back; even if a thousand teams of horses were tethered for him, he would not look at them. If it was not according to his righteousness or his Way, he would not give a single straw to anyone, nor take a single straw from anyone. Tang sent people with gifts of silk to summon him, and he said calmly: 'What would I do with Tang's gifts of silk? How could that compare with staying in the fields, delighting in the Way of Yao and Shun there?' When Tang sent three times to summon him, he then changed his mind and said: 'Rather than stay in the fields delighting in the Way of Yao and Shun, how could that compare with making this ruler a ruler like Yao and Shun? How could it compare with making these people the people of Yao and Shun? How could it compare with seeing it in my own person? Heaven gave birth to these people to let those who know first awaken those who know later, and to let those who awaken first awaken those who awaken later. I am one of Heaven's people who has awakened first; I shall use this Way to awaken these people. If I do not awaken them, who will?' He thought that if any commoner, man or woman, in the world had not received the benefit of Yao and Shun, it was as if he himself had pushed them into a ditch. Thus he took the heavy burden of the world on himself, and so he went to Tang and spoke of attacking Xia and saving the people. I have never heard of one who bent himself and yet could straighten others, much less one who disgraced himself in order to set the world right. The conduct of sages differs: some are distant and some near, some leave and some do not leave, but it all comes down to keeping oneself pure. I have heard that he sought Tang through the Way of Yao and Shun; I have not heard it was through cooking. The Instructions of Yi says: 'Heaven's punishment began its attack at Mugong, and I began at Bo.'"

萬章問曰：「或謂孔子於衛主癰疽，於齊主侍人瘠環，有諸乎？」

Wan Zhang asked: "Some say that in Wei Confucius lodged with a carbuncle-healer, and in Qi lodged with the eunuch Ji Huan. Is there such a thing?"

孟子曰：「否，不然也。好事者為之也。於衛主顏讎由。彌子之妻與子路之妻，兄弟也。彌子謂子路曰：『孔子主我，衛卿可得也。』子路以告。孔子曰：『有命。』孔子進以禮，退以義，得之不得曰『有命』。而主癰疽與侍人瘠環，是無義無命也。孔子悅於魯衛，遭宋桓司馬將要而殺之，微服而過宋。是時孔子當阨，主司城貞子，為陳侯周臣。吾聞觀近臣，以其所為主；觀遠臣，以其所主。若孔子主癰疽與侍人瘠環，何以為孔子？」

Mencius said: "No, it is not so. It was made up by busybodies. In Wei he lodged with Yan Chouyou. The wife of Mi Zi and the wife of Zilu were sisters. Mi Zi said to Zilu: 'If Confucius lodges with me, the position of high minister in Wei can be had.' Zilu told Confucius. Confucius said: 'It is a matter of fate.' Confucius advanced by ritual and withdrew by righteousness, and whether he got something or not he said 'it is fate.' But if he had lodged with a carbuncle-healer and the eunuch Ji Huan, that would have been without righteousness and without regard for fate. When Confucius was ill received in Lu and Wei, and met the plan of Sima Huan of Song to waylay and kill him, he changed into plain clothes and passed through Song. At that time Confucius was in hardship and lodged with Sicheng Zhenzi, a minister of Marquis Zhou of Chen. I have heard that to judge ministers who are near, one looks at whom they receive as hosts; to judge ministers who are far, one looks at whom they lodge with. If Confucius had lodged with a carbuncle-healer and the eunuch Ji Huan, how could he be Confucius?"

萬章問曰：「或曰：『百里奚自鬻於秦養牲者，五羊之皮，食牛，以要秦穆公。』信乎？」

Wan Zhang asked: "Some say: 'Baili Xi sold himself to a cattle-keeper in Qin for five sheepskins, and tended cattle, to seek the favor of Duke Mu of Qin.' Is this credible?"

孟子曰：「否，不然。好事者為之也。百里奚，虞人也。晉人以垂棘之璧與屈產之乘，假道於虞以伐虢。宮之奇諫，百里奚不諫。知虞公之不可諫而去，之秦，年已七十矣，曾不知以食牛幹秦穆公之為汙也，可謂智乎？不可諫而不諫，可謂不智乎？知虞公之將亡而先去之，不可謂不智也。時舉於秦，知穆公之可與有行也而相之，可謂不智乎？相秦而顯其君於天下，可傳於後世，不賢而能之乎？自鬻以成其君，鄉黨自好者不為，而謂賢者為之乎？」

Mencius said: "No, it is not so. It was made up by busybodies. Baili Xi was a man of Yu. The men of Jin used the jade of Chuiji and horses bred at Qu to borrow passage through Yu to attack Guo. Gong Zhiqi remonstrated, but Baili Xi did not. Knowing that Duke Yu could not be remonstrated with, he left and went to Qin, when he was already seventy years old; he did not know that seeking Duke Mu of Qin by tending cattle was disgraceful; can that be called wise? Not remonstrating when one could not be heeded, can that be called unwise? Knowing that Duke Yu was about to be destroyed and leaving first cannot be called unwise. At that time he was promoted by Qin, and knowing that Duke Mu could accomplish things together with him he assisted him; can that be called unwise? Assisting Qin and making his lord famous throughout the world, so that it could be handed down to later ages, could one who was not worthy do that? Selling oneself to accomplish one's lord, even a villager who values himself would not do; how could one say a worthy man would?"

孟子曰：「伯夷，目不視惡色，耳不聽惡聲。非其君不事，非其民不使。治則進，亂則退。橫政之所出，橫民之所止，不忍居也。思與鄉人處，如以朝衣朝冠坐於塗炭也。當紂之時，居北海之濱，以待天下之清也。故聞伯夷之風者，頑夫廉，懦夫有立志。

Mencius said: "Boyi would not let his eyes look at evil sights nor his ears listen to evil sounds. He would not serve a ruler who was not his own, nor direct people who were not his own. When there was order he advanced, and when there was disorder he withdrew. Where violent government arose and where violent people stayed, he could not bear to remain. He thought of living with country people as being like sitting in court robes and cap on mud and coal. In the time of Zhou, he lived by the North Sea, waiting for the world to become clear and peaceful. Therefore those who heard of Boyi's character, the greedy became honest and the weak had resolve.

「伊尹曰：『何事非君？何使非民？』治亦進，亂亦進。曰：『天之生斯民也，使先知覺後知，使先覺覺後覺。予，天民之先覺者也；予將以此道覺此民也。』思天下之民匹夫匹婦有不與被堯舜之澤者，若己推而內之溝中，其自任以天下之重也。

(Mencius continued:) "Yi Yin said: 'What ruler can I not serve? What people can I not direct?' He advanced in order and advanced in disorder. He said: 'Heaven gave birth to these people to let those who know first awaken those who know later, and to let those who awaken first awaken those who awaken later. I am one of Heaven's people who has awakened first; I shall use this Way to awaken these people.' He thought that if any commoner, man or woman, in the world had not received the benefit of Yao and Shun, it was as if he himself had pushed them into a ditch; he took the heavy burden of the world on himself.

「柳下惠，不羞汙君，不辭小官。進不隱賢，必以其道。遺佚而不怨，阨窮而不憫。與鄉人處，由由然不忍去也。『爾為爾，我為我，雖袒裼裸裎於我側，爾焉能浼我哉？』故聞柳下惠之風者，鄙夫寬，薄夫敦。

(Mencius continued:) "Liuxia Hui did not feel it shameful to serve a corrupt ruler, and did not decline a small post. When advanced, he did not hide his worth, and always followed his Way. When cast aside he did not resent it, and when in hardship he was not worried. Living with country people, he was at ease and could not bear to leave them. 'You are you and I am I; even if you stood beside me bare-armed and naked, how could you defile me?' Therefore those who heard of Liuxia Hui's character, the narrow-minded became broad and the mean became generous.

「孔子之去齊，接淅而行；去魯，曰：『遲遲吾行也。』去父母國之道也。可以速而速，可以久而久，可以處而處，可以仕而仕，孔子也。」

(Mencius continued:) "When Confucius left Qi, he left without waiting for the rice he had washed to be strained; when he left Lu, he said: 'Let me go slowly.' This is the way of leaving the state of one's parents. He went quickly when he could go quickly, stayed long when he could stay long, lived in retirement when he could retire, and took office when he could take office: this was Confucius."

孟子曰：「伯夷，聖之清者也；伊尹，聖之任者也；柳下惠，聖之和者也；孔子，聖之時者也。孔子之謂集大成。集大成也者，金聲而玉振之也。金聲也者，始條理也；玉振之也者，終條理也。始條理者，智之事也；終條理者，聖之事也。智，譬則巧也；聖，譬則力也。由射於百步之外也，其至，爾力也；其中，非爾力也。」

Mencius said: "Boyi was the sage who was pure; Yi Yin was the sage who took responsibility; Liuxia Hui was the sage who was harmonious; Confucius was the sage who suited the time. Confucius is called the one who brought it all together. To bring it all together is like the bell sounding and the jade chime striking. The bell sounding is the beginning of the arrangement; the jade chime striking is the end of the arrangement. Beginning the arrangement is the matter of wisdom; ending the arrangement is the matter of sagehood. Wisdom is like skill, and sagehood is like strength. It is like shooting an arrow from a hundred paces away: that it reaches is your strength; that it hits the target is not by your strength alone."

北宮錡問曰：「周室班爵祿也，如之何？」

Beigong Qi asked: "How did the house of Zhou arrange ranks and emoluments?"

孟子曰：「其詳不可得聞也。諸侯惡其害己也，而皆去其籍。然而軻也，嘗聞其略也。天子一位，公一位，侯一位，伯一位，子、男同一位，凡五等也。君一位，卿一位，大夫一位，上士一位，中士一位，下士一位，凡六等。

Mencius said: "The details cannot be heard. The lords disliked them as harmful to themselves and removed those records. Yet I, Ke, have heard the outline. The Son of Heaven is one rank, the duke one rank, the marquis one rank, the earl one rank, and the viscount and baron share one rank, so there are five grades in all. The ruler is one rank, the minister one rank, the high official one rank, the senior scholar one rank, the middle scholar one rank, and the junior scholar one rank, so there are six grades in all.

「天子之制，地方千里，公侯皆方百里，伯七十里，子、男五十里，凡四等。不能五十里，不達於天子，附於諸侯，曰附庸。天子之卿受地視侯，大夫受地視伯，元士受地視子、男。

(Mencius continued:) "In the Son of Heaven's system, his land is a thousand li square, dukes and marquises are each a hundred li square, earls seventy li, and viscounts and barons fifty li, four grades in all. Those under fifty li, who cannot reach the Son of Heaven directly and attach themselves to the lords, are called attached states. The Son of Heaven's ministers receive land equal to marquises, high officials receive land equal to earls, and chief scholars receive land equal to viscounts and barons.

「大國地方百里，君十卿祿，卿祿四大夫，大夫倍上士，上士倍中士，中士倍下士，下士與庶人在官者同祿，祿足以代其耕也。次國地方七十里，君十卿祿，卿祿三大夫，大夫倍上士，上士倍中士，中士倍下士，下士與庶人在官者同祿，祿足以代其耕也。小國地方五十里，君十卿祿，卿祿二大夫，大夫倍上士，上士倍中士，中士倍下士，下士與庶人在官者同祿，祿足以代其耕也。耕者之所獲，一夫百畝。百畝之糞，上農夫食九人，上次食八人，中食七人，中次食六人，下食五人。庶人在官者，其祿以是為差。」

(Mencius continued:) "In a great state with land a hundred li square, the ruler's emolument is ten times that of a minister, a minister's four times that of a high official, a high official's double that of a senior scholar, a senior scholar's double that of a middle scholar, a middle scholar's double that of a junior scholar, and a junior scholar has the same emolument as commoners in government service, enough to replace farming. In a middle state with land seventy li square, the ruler has ten times the minister's, the minister three times the high official's, the high official double the senior scholar's, the senior scholar double the middle scholar's, the middle scholar double the junior scholar's, and the junior scholar has the same as commoners in government service, enough to replace farming. In a small state with land fifty li square, the ruler has ten times the minister's, the minister twice the high official's, the high official double the senior scholar's, the senior scholar double the middle scholar's, the middle scholar double the junior scholar's, and the junior scholar has the same as commoners in government service, enough to replace farming. The yield of those who farm is a hundred mu per man. With the hundred mu fertilized, the best farmer supports nine people, the next best eight, the middle seven, the next six, and the lowest five. Commoners in government service are paid according to these grades."

萬章問曰：「敢問友。」

Wan Zhang asked: "May I ask about making friends?"

孟子曰：「不挾長，不挾貴，不挾兄弟而友。友也者，友其德也，不可以有挾也。孟獻子，百乘之家也，有友五人焉：樂正裘、牧仲，其三人，則予忘之矣。獻子之與此五人者友也，無獻子之家者也。此五人者，亦有獻子之家，則不與之友矣。非惟百乘之家為然也。雖小國之君亦有之。費惠公曰：『吾於子思，則師之矣；吾於顏般，則友之矣；王順、長息則事我者也。』非惟小國之君為然也，雖大國之君亦有之。晉平公之於亥唐也，入雲則入，坐雲則坐，食雲則食。雖疏食菜羹，未嘗不飽，蓋不敢不飽也。然終於此而已矣。弗與共天位也，弗與治天職也，弗與食天祿也，士之尊賢者也，非王公之尊賢也。舜尚見帝，帝館甥於貳室，亦饗舜，迭為賓主，是天子而友匹夫也。用下敬上，謂之貴貴；用上敬下，謂之尊賢。貴貴、尊賢，其義一也。」

Mencius said: "Do not rely on age, do not rely on rank, and do not rely on the position of brothers in making friends. To make friends is to befriend a person's virtue, and one may not rely on anything else. Meng Xianzi was the head of a house of a hundred chariots, and had five friends: Yuezheng Qiu, Mu Zhong, and three others whom I have forgotten. When Xianzi befriended these five, he did not hold in mind the house of Xianzi. If these five had also had in mind the house of Xianzi, they would not have befriended him. It is not only houses of a hundred chariots that are like this. Even rulers of small states have done so. Duke Hui of Bi said: 'Toward Zisi I take him as my teacher; toward Yan Ban I take him as my friend; as for Wang Shun and Chang Xi, they serve me.' It is not only rulers of small states. Even rulers of great states have done so. Duke Ping of Jin toward Hai Tang, if he said come in, he went in; if he said sit, he sat; if he said eat, he ate. Even if it was coarse rice and vegetable soup, he never failed to eat his fill, probably because he dared not fail to. But that was as far as it went. He did not share Heaven's position with him, did not share in governing Heaven's duties with him, and did not share Heaven's emoluments with him; this is a scholar honoring the worthy, not a king or duke honoring the worthy. When Shun went up to see the emperor, the emperor lodged his son-in-law in the secondary residence, and also feasted Shun, taking turns being host and guest; this was a Son of Heaven being friends with a commoner. The lower respecting the higher is called honoring the honorable; the higher respecting the lower is called honoring the worthy. Honoring the honorable and honoring the worthy are of the same righteousness."

萬章問曰：「敢問交際何心也？」

Wan Zhang asked: "May I ask what attitude one should have in social dealings?"

孟子曰：「恭也。」

Mencius said: "Reverence."

曰：「卻之卻之為不恭，何哉？」

Wan Zhang said: "Refusing again and again is considered disrespectful; why?"

曰：「尊者賜之，曰『其所取之者，義乎，不義乎」，而後受之，以是為不恭，故弗卻也。」

Mencius said: "When a superior gives something and one says 'was what he got righteous or not righteous?' before accepting it, this is considered disrespectful, and so one does not refuse."

曰：「請無以辭卻之，以心卻之，曰『其取諸民之不義也』，而以他辭無受，不可乎？」

Wan Zhang said: "Suppose one does not refuse in words but refuses in one's heart, saying 'he took this from the people unrighteously,' and declines with other words; is that not acceptable?"

曰：「其交也以道，其接也以禮，斯孔子受之矣。」

Mencius said: "If his dealings accord with the Way and his reception accords with ritual, even Confucius would accept it."

萬章曰：「今有御人於國門之外者，其交也以道，其餽也以禮，斯可受御與？」

Wan Zhang said: "Now suppose someone waylays and robs people outside the city gate, and his dealings accord with the Way and his gifts accord with ritual; may one accept such stolen goods?"

曰：「不可。《康誥》曰：『殺越人於貨，閔不畏死，凡民罔不譈。』是不待教而誅者也。殷受夏，周受殷，所不辭也。於今為烈，如之何其受之？」

Mencius said: "No. The Announcement to Kang says: 'Those who kill people and rob goods, who are fierce and do not fear death, none among the common people does not resent them.' These are to be executed without waiting for instruction. Yin received this from Xia and Zhou received it from Yin, and it was not refused. Now it is even worse; how could one accept it?"

曰：「今之諸侯取之於民也，猶御也。苟善其禮際矣，斯君子受之，敢問何說也？」

Wan Zhang said: "The lords of today take from the people, just like highway robbers. If one manages ritual relations well, the gentleman accepts; may I ask how to explain this?"

曰：「子以為有王者作，將比今之諸侯而誅之乎？其教之不改而後誅之乎？夫謂非其有而取之者盜也，充類至義之盡也。孔子之仕於魯也，魯人獵較，孔子亦獵較。獵較猶可，而況受其賜乎？」

Mencius said: "Do you think that if a true king arose, he would execute all the lords of today together? Or would he teach them and execute only those who did not change? To say that taking what is not one's own is robbery is extending the analogy to the extreme of righteousness. When Confucius held office in Lu, the people of Lu competed in hunting for sacrificial offerings, and Confucius also competed in hunting. If hunting competition was acceptable, how much more is accepting gifts?"

曰：「然則孔子之仕也，非事道與？」

Wan Zhang said: "Then in holding office, was Confucius not serving the Way?"

曰：「事道也。」

Mencius said: "He was serving the Way."

「事道奚獵較也？」

(Wan Zhang asked:) "If serving the Way, why did he join the hunting competition?"

曰：「孔子先簿正祭器，不以四方之食供簿正。」

Mencius said: "Confucius first fixed the sacrificial vessels by register, and did not use supplies of food from all quarters to fill what the register set."

曰：「奚不去也？」

Wan Zhang said: "Why did he not leave?"

曰：「為之兆也。兆足以行矣，而不行，而後去，是以未嘗有所終三年淹也。孔子有見行可之仕，有際可之仕，有公養之仕也。於季桓子，見行可之仕也；於衛靈公，際可之仕也；於衛孝公，公養之仕也。」

Mencius said: "He was making a beginning. When the beginning was enough to be carried out but was not carried out, then he left, and so he never stayed to the end of three years. Confucius took office when he saw that the Way could be practiced, took office when treated with fitting reception, and took office when supported by the public. With Ji Huanzi, it was seeing that the Way could be practiced; with Duke Ling of Wei, it was fitting reception; with Duke Xiao of Wei, it was being supported by the public."

孟子曰：「仕非為貧也，而有時乎為貧；娶妻非為養也，而有時乎為養。為貧者，辭尊居卑，辭富居貧。辭尊居卑，辭富居貧，惡乎宜乎？抱關擊柝。孔子嘗為委吏矣，曰『會計當而已矣』。嘗為乘田矣，曰『牛羊茁壯，長而已矣』。位卑而言高，罪也；立乎人之本朝，而道不行，恥也」

Mencius said: "Taking office is not for the sake of poverty, but sometimes it is for the sake of poverty; marrying a wife is not for the sake of support, but sometimes it is for the sake of support. One who takes office because of poverty declines a high position and stays in a low one, declines wealth and stays in poverty. What is fitting for one who declines a high position and stays in a low one, who declines wealth and stays in poverty? Guarding the gate and striking the watch. Confucius once served as a granary clerk and said: 'The accounts must be right, that is all.' He once served as a keeper of livestock and said: 'The cattle and sheep must grow strong, that is all.' To be in a low position and speak of lofty matters is an offense; to stand in another's court while the Way cannot be practiced is a shame."

萬章曰：「士之不託諸侯，何也？」

Wan Zhang said: "Why does a scholar not live as a dependent of a lord?"

孟子曰：「不敢也。諸侯失國，而後托於諸侯，禮也；士之託於諸侯，非禮也。」

Mencius said: "He does not dare. When a lord loses his state and then depends on another lord, that is ritual; when a scholar depends on a lord, that is not ritual."

萬章曰：「君餽之粟，則受之乎？」

Wan Zhang said: "If the ruler gives grain, does he accept it?"

曰：「受之。」

Mencius said: "He accepts."

「受之何義也？」

(Wan Zhang asked:) "What is the righteousness in accepting?"

曰：「君之於氓也，固周之。」

Mencius said: "The ruler toward the people who come from elsewhere is originally to give them relief."

曰：「周之則受，賜之則不受，何也？」

Wan Zhang said: "If it is relief he accepts, but if it is a gift he does not accept; why?"

曰：「不敢也。」

Mencius said: "He does not dare."

曰：「敢問其不敢何也？」

Wan Zhang said: "May I ask why he does not dare?"

曰：「抱關擊柝者，皆有常職以食於上。無常職而賜於上者，以為不恭也。」

Mencius said: "Those who guard the gate and strike the watch all have fixed duties and receive food from above. To receive gifts from above without a fixed duty is considered disrespectful."

曰：「君餽之，則受之，不識可常繼乎？」

Wan Zhang said: "If the ruler gives something, he accepts it; I do not know whether this can be continued regularly?"

曰：「繆公之於子思也，亟問，亟餽鼎肉。子思不悅。於卒也，摽使者出諸大門之外，北面稽首再拜而不受。曰：『今而後知君之犬馬畜伋。』蓋自是臺無餽也。悅賢不能舉，又不能養也，可謂悅賢乎？」

Mencius said: "Duke Mu toward Zisi inquired after him repeatedly and repeatedly sent gifts of cauldron meat. Zisi was displeased. In the end he drove the messenger out of the main gate, faced north, bowed twice with his head to the ground, and did not accept. He said: 'From now on I know the ruler keeps Ji like a dog or horse.' Probably from then on the low officials sent no more gifts. To delight in the worthy yet be unable to promote him and also unable to support him, can that be called delighting in the worthy?"

曰：「敢問國君欲養君子，如何斯可謂養矣？」

Wan Zhang said: "May I ask, when a ruler wishes to support a gentleman, how can it be called supporting?"

曰：「以君命將之，再拜稽首而受。其後廩人繼粟，庖人繼肉，不以君命將之。子思以為鼎肉，使己僕僕爾亟拜也，非養君子之道也。堯之於舜也，使其子九男事之，二女女焉，百官牛羊倉廩備，以養舜於畎畝之中，後舉而加諸上位。故曰：王公之尊賢者也。」

Mencius said: "When the gift was sent in the ruler's name, he bowed twice, touching his head to the ground, and accepted it. After that, the granary keeper continued to send grain and the cook continued to send meat, without any message from the ruler. Zisi felt that the cauldron meat made him bow wearily again and again, and this was not the way to support an exemplary person. In the case of Yao and Shun, he sent his nine sons to serve Shun and gave him his two daughters in marriage, and the hundred officials, oxen, sheep and granaries were all provided, supporting Shun among the fields, and afterward raised him up to a high position. Hence it is said: this is a king or duke honoring the worthy."

萬章曰：「敢問不見諸侯，何義也？」

Wan Zhang said: "May I ask what principle there is in not going to see the feudal lords?"

孟子曰：「在國曰市井之臣，在野曰草莽之臣，皆謂庶人。庶人不傳質為臣，不敢見於諸侯，禮也。」

Mencius said: "In the city, he is called a minister of the marketplace; in the countryside, a minister of the grass and thickets; both are called commoners. A commoner who has not presented the gift of a minister's service does not dare to go to see a feudal lord; this is ritual."

萬章曰：「庶人，召之役，則往役；君欲見之，召之，則不往見之，何也？」

Wan Zhang said: "When a commoner is summoned for service, he goes and serves; but when the ruler wishes to see him and summons him, he does not go to see him; why?"

曰：「往役，義也；往見，不義也。且君之慾見之也，何為也哉？」

Mencius said: "To go and serve is righteousness; to go and see him is not righteousness. Moreover, why does the ruler wish to see him?"

曰：「為其多聞也，為其賢也。」

Wan Zhang said: "Because he is learned and because he is worthy."

曰：「為其多聞也，則天子不召師，而況諸侯乎？為其賢也，則吾未聞欲見賢而召之也。繆公亟見於子思，曰：『古千乘之國以友士，何如？』子思不悅，曰：『古之人有言：曰事之云乎，豈曰友之云乎？』子思之不悅也，豈不曰：『以位，則子，君也；我，臣也。何敢與君友也？以德，則子事我者也。奚可以與我友？』千乘之君求與之友，而不可得也，而況可召與？齊景公田，招虞人以旌，不至，將殺之。志士不忘在溝壑，勇士不忘喪其元。孔子奚取焉？取非其招不往也。」

Mencius said: "If it is because he is learned, even the Son of Heaven does not summon his teacher, much less a feudal lord. If it is because he is worthy, I have never heard of anyone who wanted to see a worthy man and summoned him. Duke Mu repeatedly went to see Zisi and said: 'In ancient times a state of a thousand chariots befriended scholars; how was that?' Zisi was displeased and said: 'The ancients had a saying: it means serving him; how can it mean befriending him?' Was Zisi's displeasure not to say: 'In terms of position, you are the ruler and I am the subject; how dare I befriend the ruler? In terms of virtue, you are the one who serves me; how can you befriend me?' When a ruler of a thousand chariots seeks to befriend him and cannot, how much less can he summon him? When Duke Jing of Qi was hunting, he summoned the gamekeeper with a banner; the man did not come, and the duke was about to kill him. A scholar of resolve does not forget that he may end up in a ditch; a man of courage does not forget that he may lose his head. What did Confucius approve in him? He approved that he did not go when summoned by the wrong summons."

曰：「敢問招虞人何以？」

Wan Zhang said: "May I ask what is used to summon a gamekeeper?"

曰：「以皮冠。庶人以旃，士以旗，大夫以旌。以大夫之招招虞人，虞人死不敢往。以士之招招庶人，庶人豈敢往哉。況乎以不賢人之招招賢人乎？欲見賢人而不以其道，猶欲其入而閉之門也。夫義，路也；禮，門也。惟君子能由是路，出入是門也。《詩》云：『周道如砥，其直如矢；君子所履，小人所視。』」

Mencius said: "A leather cap. A commoner is summoned with a plain banner, a scholar with a dragon banner, and a high official with a feathered banner. If one summons a gamekeeper with a high official's summons, the gamekeeper would die before daring to go. If one summons a commoner with a scholar's summons, how would the commoner dare to go? How much less to summon a worthy man with the summons for an unworthy man! To wish to see a worthy man without following his way is like wanting him to come in while shutting the door. Righteousness is the road; ritual is the door. Only the exemplary person can follow this road and go in and out through this door. The Book of Songs, in the Lesser Odes, 'Da Dong,' says: 'The road of Zhou is like a whetstone, straight as an arrow; the exemplary person walks it, and the petty person looks at it.'"

萬章曰：「孔子，君命召，不俟駕而行。然則孔子非與？」

Wan Zhang said: "When Confucius was summoned by the ruler's command, he set out without waiting for the carriage to be harnessed. Then was Confucius wrong?"

曰：「孔子當仕有官職，而以其官召之也。」

Mencius said: "Confucius at the time held office and had an official post, and he was summoned according to his official post."

孟子謂萬章曰：「一鄉之善士，斯友一鄉之善士；一國之善士，斯友一國之善士；天下之善士，斯友天下之善士。以友天下之善士為未足，又尚論古之人。頌其詩，讀其書，不知其人，可乎？是以論其世也。是尚友也。」

Mencius said to Wan Zhang: "A good scholar of one village befriends the good scholars of that village; a good scholar of one state befriends the good scholars of that state; a good scholar of the world befriends the good scholars of the world. To befriend the good scholars of the world is still not enough, so one goes further and discusses the ancients. To recite their poems and read their books without knowing what sort of men they were, is that acceptable? So one discusses their age. This is going upward to befriend the ancients."

齊宣王問卿。孟子曰：「王何卿之問也？」

King Xuan of Qi asked about the ministers. Mencius said: "What kind of ministers does Your Majesty ask about?"

王曰：「卿不同乎？」

King Xuan of Qi said: "Are the ministers different?"

曰：「不同。有貴戚之卿，有異姓之卿。」

Mencius said: "They are different. There are ministers of noble kinship, and there are ministers of a different surname."

王曰：「請問貴戚之卿。」

King Xuan of Qi said: "May I ask about the ministers of noble kinship."

曰：「君有大過則諫，反覆之而不聽，則易位。」

Mencius said: "If the ruler has a great fault, they remonstrate; if after repeated remonstrance he does not listen, they replace him."

王勃然變乎色。曰：「王勿異也。王問臣，臣不敢不以正對。」

King Xuan of Qi suddenly changed color. (Mencius said:) "Your Majesty should not be offended. Your Majesty asked your minister, and your minister dares not answer other than correctly."

王色定，然後請問異姓之卿。曰：「君有過則諫，反覆之而不聽，則去。」

The king's countenance settled, and then he asked about the ministers of a different surname. Mencius said: "If the ruler has a fault, they remonstrate; if after repeated remonstrance he does not listen, they leave."

告子曰：「性，猶杞柳也；義，猶桮棬也。以人性為仁義，猶以杞柳為桮棬。」

Gaozi said: "Human nature is like the willow; righteousness is like cups and bowls. To make humaneness and righteousness out of human nature is like making cups and bowls out of the willow."

孟子曰：「子能順杞柳之性而以為桮棬乎？將戕賊杞柳而後以為桮棬也？如將戕賊杞柳而以為桮棬，則亦將戕賊人以為仁義與？率天下之人而禍仁義者，必子之言夫！」

Mencius said: "Can you follow the nature of the willow and make cups and bowls from it? Or must you violate the willow and then make cups and bowls from it? If you must violate the willow to make cups and bowls, then must you also violate people to make humaneness and righteousness? Those who lead the world to harm humaneness and righteousness will surely be your words!"

告子曰：「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。」

Gaozi said: "Human nature is like swift water: breach it to the east and it flows east; breach it to the west and it flows west. Human nature has no distinction of good and not good, just as water has no distinction of east and 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。今夫水，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。人之可使為不善，其性亦猶是也。」

Mencius said: "Water indeed has no distinction of east and west. But has it no distinction of up and down? The goodness of human nature is like water flowing downward. There is no person who is not good, and no water that does not flow downward. Now, with this water, strike it and make it leap, and you can make it go over your forehead; dam it and drive it, and you can make it stay on a mountain. Is this the nature of water? It is the force that makes it so. People can be made to do what is not good, and their nature is like this."

告子曰：「生之謂性。」

Gaozi said: "What is born with one is called nature."

孟子曰：「生之謂性也，猶白之謂白與？」曰：「然。」

Mencius said: "Is what is born with one called nature, just as white is called white?" Gaozi said: "Yes."

「白羽之白也，猶白雪之白；白雪之白，猶白玉之白與？」曰：「然。」

(Mencius asked:) "Is the whiteness of white feathers like the whiteness of white snow, and the whiteness of white snow like the whiteness of white jade?" Gaozi said: "Yes."

「然則犬之性，猶牛之性；牛之性，猶人之性與？」

(Mencius asked:) "Then is the nature of a dog like the nature of an ox, and the nature of an ox like the nature of a human?"

告子曰：「食色，性也。仁，內也，非外也；義，外也，非內也。」

Gaozi said: "Food and sex are nature. Humaneness is internal, not external; righteousness is external, not internal."

孟子曰：「何以謂仁內義外也？」

Mencius said: "Why do you say humaneness is internal and righteousness 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。」

Gaozi said: "He is older and I treat him as elder; it is not that I originally have the elder in me. It is like his being white and my taking him as white; it comes from the whiteness outside, so it is called 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: "The whiteness of a white horse is no different from the whiteness of a white person; but is the 'elder' of an old horse no different from the 'elder' of an old person? And moreover, do you say that the older person is the righteousness, or that the one who treats him as elder is the righteousness?"

曰：「吾弟則愛之，秦人之弟則不愛也，是以我為悅者也，故謂之內。長楚人之長，亦長吾之長，是以長為悅者也，故謂之外也。」

Gaozi said: "My own younger brother I love, but the younger brother of a man of Qin I do not love; this is because I take it as my own pleasure, so it is called internal. I respect the elders of Chu just as I respect my own elders; this is because I take pleasure in the elder, so it is called 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: "Relishing the roast meat of the people of Qin is no different from relishing my own roast meat. Things are also like this; then is relishing roast meat also external?"

孟季子問公都子曰：「何以謂義內也？」曰：「行吾敬，故謂之內也。」

Meng Jizi asked Gongdu Zi: "Why do you say righteousness is internal?" Gongdu Zi said: "It is because I carry out my own respect, so it is called internal."

「鄉人長於伯兄一歲，則誰敬？」曰：「敬兄。」

(Meng Jizi asked:) "If a fellow villager is one year older than your eldest brother, whom do you respect?" Gongdu Zi said: "I respect my brother."

「酌則誰先？」曰：「先酌鄉人。」

(Meng Jizi asked:) "When pouring wine, whom do you pour for first?" Gongdu Zi said: "I pour first for the villager."

「所敬在此，所長在彼，果在外，非由內也。」

(Meng Jizi said:) "What you respect is here, and what you treat as elder is there; so it is indeed external, not from within."

公都子不能答，以告孟子。孟子曰：「敬叔父乎？敬弟乎？彼將曰『敬叔父』。曰：『弟為屍，則誰敬？』彼將曰『敬弟。』子曰：『惡在其敬叔父也？』彼將曰『在位故也。』子亦曰：『在位故也。庸敬在兄，斯須之敬在鄉人。』」

Gongdu Zi could not answer and told Mencius. Mencius said: "Ask him: do you respect your uncle, or your younger brother? He will say 'my uncle.' Say: 'If your younger brother is the impersonator of the dead at a sacrifice, whom do you respect?' He will say 'my younger brother.' You say: 'Then where is respect for your uncle?' He will say 'because of the position.' You too say: 'because of the position. Ordinary respect is for the elder brother, and respect for the moment is for the villager.'"

季子聞之曰：「敬叔父則敬，敬弟則敬，果在外，非由內也。」

Jizi heard this and said: "Respect the uncle and one respects; respect the younger brother and one respects; so it is indeed external, not from within."

公都子曰：「冬日則飲湯，夏日則飲水，然則飲食亦在外也？」

Gongdu Zi said: "In winter one drinks hot water and in summer one drinks cold water; then is drinking and eating also external?"

公都子曰：「告子曰：『性無善無不善也。』或曰：『性可以為善，可以為不善；是故文武興，則民好善；幽厲興，則民好暴。』或曰：『有性善，有性不善；是故以堯為君而有象，以瞽瞍為父而有舜；以紂為兄之子且以為君，而有微子啟、王子比干。』今曰『性善』，然則彼皆非與？」

Gongdu Zi said: "Gaozi said: 'Nature is neither good nor not good.' Some say: 'Nature can be made good and can be made not good; therefore when Kings Wen and Wu arose the people loved goodness, and when Kings You and Li arose the people loved violence.' Some say: 'There are those whose nature is good and those whose nature is not good; therefore with Yao as ruler there was Xiang, with Gusou as father there was Shun, and with Zhou as nephew and ruler there were the Viscount of Wei, Qi, and Prince Bi Gan.' Now you say that 'nature is good'; then are all those wrong?"

孟子曰：「乃若其情，則可以為善矣，乃所謂善也。若夫為不善，非才之罪也。惻隱之心，人皆有之；羞惡之心，人皆有之；恭敬之心，人皆有之；是非之心，人皆有之。惻隱之心，仁也；羞惡之心，義也；恭敬之心，禮也；是非之心，智也。仁義禮智，非由外鑠我也，我固有之也，弗思耳矣。故曰：『求則得之，舍則失之。』或相倍蓰而無算者，不能盡其才者也。《詩》曰：『天生蒸民，有物有則。民之秉夷，好是懿德。』孔子曰：『為此詩者，其知道乎！故有物必有則，民之秉夷也，故好是懿德。』」

Mencius said: "As for its feelings, they can be made good, and this is what I mean by good. As for doing what is not good, that is not the fault of one's natural endowment. The heart of compassion is possessed by all people; the heart of shame and dislike is possessed by all people; the heart of respect and reverence is possessed by all people; the heart of right and wrong is possessed by all people. The heart of compassion is humaneness; the heart of shame and dislike is righteousness; the heart of respect and reverence is ritual; the heart of right and wrong is wisdom. Humaneness, righteousness, ritual and wisdom were not smelted into me from outside; I originally have them, but I simply do not think about them. So it is said: 'Seek and you get it; let go and you lose it.' Some differ by twice, five times, or without number, because they cannot fully use their natural endowment. The Book of Songs, in the Greater Odes, 'Zheng Min,' says: 'Heaven gave birth to the multitude of people; where there is a thing there is a rule. The people hold to their constant nature and love this fine virtue.' Confucius said: 'The one who made this poem must have known the Way! So where there is a thing there must be a rule; the people hold to their constant nature, and so they love this fine virtue.'"

孟子曰：「富歲，子弟多賴；凶歲，子弟多暴，非天之降才爾殊也，其所以陷溺其心者然也。今夫麰麥，播種而耰之，其地同，樹之時又同，浡然而生，至於日至之時，皆熟矣。雖有不同，則地有肥磽，雨露之養，人事之不齊也。故凡同類者，舉相似也，何獨至於人而疑之？聖人與我同類者。故龍子曰：『不知足而為屨，我知其不為蕢也。』屨之相似，天下之足同也。口之於味，有同耆也。易牙先得我口之所耆者也。如使口之於味也，其性與人殊，若犬馬之與我不同類也，則天下何耆皆從易牙之於味也？至於味，天下期於易牙，是天下之口相似也惟耳亦然。至於聲，天下期於師曠，是天下之耳相似也。惟目亦然。至於子都，天下莫不知其姣也。不知子都之姣者，無目者也。故曰：口之於味也，有同耆焉；耳之於聲也，有同聽焉；目之於色也，有同美焉。至於心，獨無所同然乎？心之所同然者何也？謂理也，義也。聖人先得我心之所同然耳。故理義之悅我心，猶芻豢之悅我口。」

Mencius said: "In years of plenty, the young people mostly become lazy; in years of calamity, the young people mostly become violent. It is not that the natural endowment sent down by Heaven is so different; it is that what drowns their hearts makes them so. Take barley, sown and covered with soil: the land is the same and the planting season is the same, it grows vigorously, and by the summer solstice it is all ripe. Even if there are differences, those are because the soil is rich or poor, because the nourishment of rain and dew differs, and because human effort is uneven. So whatever is of the same kind is alike; why only in the case of humans should we doubt it? The sage is of the same kind as I am. So Longzi said: 'Not knowing the foot, I make shoes, yet I know I will not make a basket.' Shoes are alike because the feet of the world are the same. The mouth has the same preferences for flavors. Yi Ya was the first to grasp what our mouths prefer. If the mouth's relation to flavor were by nature different from other people's, as dogs and horses are of different kinds from us, then why would the whole world follow Yi Ya in its taste for flavors? As for flavor, the world looks to Yi Ya, which means the mouths of the world are alike. The ears are the same. As for sound, the world looks to Shi Kuang, which means the ears of the world are alike. The eyes are the same. As for Zidu, there is no one in the world who does not know he is handsome. One who does not know that Zidu is handsome has no eyes. So it is said: the mouth has the same preferences for flavor; the ears have the same hearing for sound; the eyes have the same beauty for color. As for the heart, is it alone without a common approval? What does the heart approve in common? It is called principle, called righteousness. The sage was the first to grasp what our hearts approve in common. So principle and righteousness please my heart, just as grass-fed and grain-fed meats please my mouth."

孟子曰：「牛山之木嘗美矣，以其郊於大國也，斧斤伐之，可以為美乎？是其日夜之所息，雨露之所潤，非無萌櫱之生焉，牛羊又從而牧之，是以若彼濯濯也。人見其濯濯也，以為未嘗有材焉，此豈山之性也哉？雖存乎人者，豈無仁義之心哉？其所以放其良心者，亦猶斧斤之於木也，旦旦而伐之，可以為美乎？其日夜之所息，平旦之氣，其好惡與人相近也者幾希，則其旦晝之所為，有梏亡之矣。梏之反覆，則其夜氣不足以存；夜氣不足以存，則其違禽獸不遠矣。人見其禽獸也，而以為未嘗有才焉者，是豈人之情也哉？故苟得其養，無物不長；苟失其養，無物不消。孔子曰：『操則存，舍則亡；出入無時，莫知其鄉。』惟心之謂與？」

Mencius said: "The trees of Ox Mountain were once beautiful; because it lies on the outskirts of a great state, axes and hatchets cut them down, so can it remain beautiful? What grows by day and night and is moistened by rain and dew does not fail to send out sprouts and shoots, but cattle and sheep come to graze there too, and so it is bare like that. People see its bareness and think there was never any timber; is this the nature of the mountain? Even in what remains in human beings, how could there be no heart of humaneness and righteousness? The way they let go of their good heart is like axes and hatchets with trees: cut down day after day, can it remain beautiful? What grows by day and night, the qi of the calm dawn, in which their likes and dislikes are close to those of others, is very little, and what they do during the day again shackles and destroys it. When shackling and destroying are repeated, the night qi is not enough to preserve it; when the night qi is not enough to preserve it, one is not far from the beasts. People see him as a beast and think he never had natural endowment; is this the feeling of the human? So if it gets nourishment, nothing fails to grow; if it loses nourishment, nothing fails to perish. Confucius said: 'Hold fast and it remains; let go and it is lost; its coming and going have no fixed time, and no one knows its direction.' Is it not the heart that this speaks of?"

孟子曰：「無或乎王之不智也，雖有天下易生之物也，一日暴之、十日寒之，未有能生者也。吾見亦罕矣，吾退而寒之者至矣，吾如有萌焉何哉？今夫弈之為數，小數也；不專心致志，則不得也。弈秋，通國之善弈者也。使弈秋誨二人弈，其一人專心致志，惟弈秋之為聽。一人雖聽之，一心以為有鴻鵠將至，思援弓繳而射之，雖與之俱學，弗若之矣。為是其智弗若與？曰非然也。」

Mencius said: "Do not be surprised at the king's lack of wisdom. Even among the things in the world that grow easily, if you bask it one day and freeze it ten days, nothing can grow. I see him rarely, and when I withdraw, those who freeze him arrive; what can I do about the sprouts? Now, chess is a skill, a minor skill; without concentrating one's whole mind, one cannot master it. Yi Qiu was the best chess player in the whole country. Suppose Yi Qiu taught two men chess: one concentrates his whole mind and listens only to Yi Qiu. The other, though he listens, thinks all the time that a swan is about to arrive, and wants to take a bow and arrow to shoot it; though he studies together with the other, he is not as good. Is it because his intelligence is not as good? I say it is not so."

孟子曰：「魚，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍魚而取熊掌者也。生，亦我所欲也；義，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，捨生而取義者也。生亦我所欲，所欲有甚於生者，故不為苟得也；死亦我所惡，所惡有甚於死者，故患有所不闢也。如使人之所欲莫甚於生，則凡可以得生者，何不用也？使人之所惡莫甚於死者，則凡可以闢患者，何不為也？由是則生而有不用也，由是則可以闢患而有不為也。是故所欲有甚於生者，所惡有甚於死者，非獨賢者有是心也，人皆有之，賢者能勿喪耳。一簞食，一豆羹，得之則生，弗得則死。嘑爾而與之，行道之人弗受；蹴爾而與之，乞人不屑也。萬鍾則不辨禮義而受之。萬鍾於我何加焉？為宮室之美、妻妾之奉、所識窮乏者得我與？鄉為身死而不受，今為宮室之美為之；鄉為身死而不受，今為妻妾之奉為之；鄉為身死而不受，今為所識窮乏者得我而為之，是亦不可以已乎？此之謂失其本心。」

Mencius said: "Fish is something I want; bear's paw is also something I want; if I cannot have both, I give up the fish and take the bear's paw. Life is also something I want; righteousness is also something I want; if I cannot have both, I give up life and take righteousness. Life is something I want, but there is something I want more than life, so I will not obtain it in a base way; death is something I dislike, but there is something I dislike more than death, so there are calamities I do not avoid. Suppose what people want were nothing more than life; then why would they not use any means by which life could be obtained? Suppose what people dislike were nothing more than death; then why would they not do whatever could avoid calamity? There are ways by which life could be obtained that people do not use, and ways by which calamity could be avoided that people do not do. Therefore there is something they want more than life and something they dislike more than death; it is not only the worthy who have this heart, everyone has it, but the worthy can avoid losing it. A basket of rice and a bowl of soup: with them one lives, without them one dies. If given with a shout, even a passer-by would not accept it; if given with a kick, even a beggar would not deign to take it. But ten thousand zhong of grain one accepts without distinguishing ritual and righteousness. What do ten thousand zhong add to me? Is it for the beauty of the house, the support of wives and concubines, or the gratitude of acquaintances in need? Formerly one would rather die than accept; now one does it for the beauty of the house; formerly one would rather die than accept; now one does it for the support of wives and concubines; formerly one would rather die than accept; now one does it for the gratitude of acquaintances in need; can this not be stopped? This is called losing one's original heart."

孟子曰：「仁，人心也；義，人路也。舍其路而弗由，放其心而不知求，哀哉！人有雞犬放，則知求之；有放心，而不知求。學問之道無他，求其放心而已矣。」

Mencius said: "Humaneness is the human heart; righteousness is the human road. To abandon the road and not follow it, to lose the heart and not know to seek it, how sad! When people lose chickens or dogs, they know to seek them; when they lose their heart, they do not know to seek it. The way of learning is nothing other than seeking the lost heart."

孟子曰：「今有無名之指，屈而不信，非疾痛害事也，如有能信之者，則不遠秦楚之路，為指之不若人也。指不若人，則知惡之；心不若人，則不知惡，此之謂不知類也。」

Mencius said: "Now suppose someone has a fourth finger that is bent and cannot straighten; it is not painful or harmful to his work, yet if there were someone who could straighten it, he would not think the journey to Qin or Chu too far, because his finger is not like other people's. When a finger is not like other people's, he knows to dislike it; when the heart is not like other people's, he does not know to dislike it; this is called not knowing the kinds of things."

孟子曰：「拱把之桐梓，人苟欲生之，皆知所以養之者。至於身，而不知所以養之者，豈愛身不若桐梓哉？弗思甚也。」

Mencius said: "As for a tung or catalpa tree of a handspan or two in girth, if people want it to grow they all know how to nurture it. But as for their own persons, they do not know how to nurture them. Do they love their own persons less than tung and catalpa trees? Their failure to think is extreme."

孟子曰：「人之於身也，兼所愛。兼所愛，則兼所養也。無尺寸之膚不愛焉，則無尺寸之膚不養也。所以考其善不善者，豈有他哉？於己取之而已矣。體有貴賤，有小大。無以小害大，無以賤害貴。養其小者為小人，養其大者為大人。今有場師，舍其梧檟，養其樲棘，則為賤場師焉。養其一指而失其肩背，而不知也，則為狼疾人也。飲食之人，則人賤之矣，為其養小以失大也。飲食之人無有失也，則口腹豈適為尺寸之膚哉？」

Mencius said: "People love their bodies in every part. If they love every part, they nourish every part. There is not an inch of skin they do not love, so there is not an inch of skin they do not nourish. So how does one examine whether he is good or not? Is there anything other than what he selects for himself? The body has noble and base parts, and small and great parts. Do not harm the great by the small, or the noble by the base. One who nourishes the small is a petty person, and one who nourishes the great is a great person. Now suppose a gardener abandons the wutong and the catalpa and nurtures the thorny jujube; he is a poor gardener. One who nourishes one finger while losing his shoulder and back without knowing it is a muddled and confused person. People despise one who only attends to food and drink, because he nourishes the small and loses the great. If one who only attends to food and drink had no loss, then would his mouth and belly be merely an inch of skin?"

公都子問曰：「鈞是人也，或為大人，或為小人，何也？」

Gongdu Zi asked: "All are equally human, yet some become great persons and some become petty persons; why?"

孟子曰：「從其大體為大人，從其小體為小人。」

Mencius said: "Those who follow their great part are great persons; those who follow their small part are petty persons."

曰：「鈞是人也，或從其大體，或從其小體，何也？」

Gongdu Zi said: "All are equally human, yet some follow their great part and some follow their small part; why?"

曰：「耳目之官不思，而蔽於物，物交物，則引之而已矣。心之官則思，思則得之，不思則不得也。此天之所與我者，先立乎其大者，則其小者弗能奪也。此為大人而已矣。」

Mencius said: "The organs of the ears and eyes do not think and are obscured by things; when a thing meets a thing, it simply draws it along. The organ of the heart thinks; if it thinks it gets it, and if it does not think it does not get it. This is what Heaven gave to me; if one first establishes the great part, the small part cannot seize it. This is simply what makes a great person."

孟子曰：「有天爵者，有人爵者。仁義忠信，樂善不倦，此天爵也；公卿大夫，此人爵也。古之人修其天爵，而人爵從之。今之人修其天爵，以要人爵；既得人爵，而棄其天爵，則惑之甚者也，終亦必亡而已矣。」

Mencius said: "There are heavenly ranks and there are human ranks. Humaneness, righteousness, loyalty and trustworthiness, delighting in goodness without weariness: these are the heavenly ranks; dukes, ministers and high officials are the human ranks. The ancients cultivated their heavenly ranks and the human ranks followed. People today cultivate their heavenly ranks in order to seek human ranks; once they have obtained human ranks, they throw away their heavenly ranks; those who are so deeply deluded will in the end certainly lose even these."

孟子曰：「欲貴者，人之同心也。人人有貴於己者，弗思耳。人之所貴者，非良貴也。趙孟之所貴，趙孟能賤之。《詩》云：『既醉以酒，既飽以德。』言飽乎仁義也，所以不願人之膏粱之味也；令聞廣譽施於身，所以不願人之文繡也。」

Mencius said: "The desire to be honored is a mind common to all people. Everyone has something honorable in himself, but simply does not think about it. What others honor is not true honor. What Zhao Meng honors, Zhao Meng can make base. The Book of Songs, in the Greater Odes, 'Ji Zui,' says: 'Already drunk with wine, already full of virtue.' This means being full of humaneness and righteousness, and so one does not envy the taste of other people's fine meats and grains; with a good reputation and wide renown upon one's person, one does not envy other people's embroidered robes."

孟子曰：「仁之勝不仁也，猶水勝火。今之為仁者，猶以一杯水，救一車薪之火也；不熄，則謂之水不勝火，此又與於不仁之甚者也。亦終必亡而已矣。」

Mencius said: "Humaneness overcomes inhumaneness as water overcomes fire. Those who practice humaneness today are like using a cup of water to save a cartload of burning firewood; when the fire is not put out, they say water cannot overcome fire, and this again helps the most extreme of inhumaneness. In the end they too will certainly be lost."

孟子曰：「五穀者，種之美者也；苟為不熟，不如荑稗。夫仁亦在乎熟之而已矣。」

Mencius said: "The five grains are the best of seeds; but if they do not ripen, they are worse than tares and wild grass. Humaneness too lies in bringing it to ripeness."

孟子曰：「羿之教人射，必志於彀；學者亦必志於彀。大匠誨人，必以規矩；學者亦必以規矩。」

Mencius said: "When Yi taught people archery, he surely aimed at drawing the bow to the full; and those who learned also surely aimed at drawing the bow to the full. When a master carpenter teaches people, he surely uses the compass and square; and those who learn also surely use the compass and square."

任人有問屋廬子曰：「禮與食孰重？」曰：「禮重。」

A man of the state of Ren asked Wulu Zi: "Which is more important, ritual or food?" Wulu Zi said: "Ritual is more important."

「色與禮孰重？」曰：「禮重。」

(The man asked:) "Which is more important, sex or ritual?" Wulu Zi said: "Ritual is more important."

曰：「以禮食，則飢而死；不以禮食，則得食，必以禮乎？親迎，則不得妻；不親迎，則得妻，必親迎乎！」

The man said: "If one eats according to ritual, he will starve to death; if one does not eat according to ritual, he will get food; must one follow ritual? If one personally goes to meet the bride, he will not get a wife; if one does not personally go to meet her, he will get a wife; must one personally go to meet her?"

屋廬子不能對，明日之鄒以告孟子。孟子曰：「於答是也何有？不揣其本而齊其末，方寸之木可使高於岑樓。金重於羽者，豈謂一鉤金與一輿羽之謂哉？取食之重者，與禮之輕者而比之，奚翅食重？取色之重者，與禮之輕者而比之，奚翅色重？往應之曰：『紾兄之臂而奪之食，則得食；不紾，則不得食，則將紾之乎？逾東家牆而摟其處子，則得妻；不摟，則不得妻，則將摟之乎？』」

Wulu Zi could not answer, and the next day went to Zou and told Mencius. Mencius said: "What is difficult about answering this? If one does not measure the base but only levels the tops, a piece of wood an inch square can be made higher than a pinnacle tower. Gold is heavier than feathers; does that mean a single hook's worth of gold and a cartload of feathers? Take the weightiest part of food and compare it with the lightest part of ritual, and how could it be only that food is heavier? Take the weightiest part of sex and compare it with the lightest part of ritual, and how could it be only that sex is heavier? Go and answer him: 'If by twisting your elder brother's arm and snatching his food you get food, and if you do not twist it you do not get food, will you twist it? If by climbing over your eastern neighbor's wall and embracing his daughter you get a wife, and if you do not embrace her you do not get a wife, will you embrace her?'"

曹交問曰：「人皆可以為堯舜，有諸？」

Cao Jiao asked: "They say everyone can become a Yao or a Shun; is there such a saying?"

孟子曰：「然。」

Mencius said: "Yes."

「交聞文王十尺，湯九尺，今交九尺四寸以長，食粟而已，如何則可？」

Cao Jiao said: "I have heard that King Wen was ten chi tall and Tang was nine chi; now I am nine chi four cun tall, and I only eat grain; how can I do it?"

曰：「奚有於是？亦為之而已矣。有人於此，力不能勝一匹雛，則為無力人矣；今曰舉百鈞，則為有力人矣。然則舉烏獲之任，是亦為烏獲而已矣。夫人豈以不勝為患哉？弗為耳。徐行後長者謂之弟，疾行先長者謂之不弟。夫徐行者，豈人所不能哉？所不為也。堯舜之道，孝弟而已矣。子服堯之服，誦堯之言，行堯之行，是堯而已矣；子服桀之服，誦桀之言，行桀之行，是桀而已矣。」

Mencius said: "What does that matter? It is simply a matter of doing it. Suppose someone here whose strength cannot overcome even a chick; he is a person without strength. Now if he says he can lift a hundred jun, he is a person of strength. Then one who lifts the load that Wu Huo lifted is simply being Wu Huo. Do people worry that they cannot bear it? It is only that they do not do it. To walk slowly behind an elder is called brotherly deference, and to walk fast and get ahead of an elder is called lack of deference. Is walking slowly something people cannot do? It is what they do not do. The Way of Yao and Shun is simply filial piety and brotherly deference. If you wear Yao's clothes, recite Yao's words and do Yao's deeds, you are simply Yao; if you wear Jie's clothes, recite Jie's words and do Jie's deeds, you are simply Jie."

曰：「交得見於鄒君，可以假館，願留而受業於門。」

Cao Jiao said: "If I could see the Lord of Zou, I could borrow lodgings, and I would like to stay and receive instruction at your door."

曰：「夫道，若大路然，豈難知哉？人病不求耳。子歸而求之，有餘師。」

Mencius said: "The Way is like a great road; is it hard to know? The failing of people is only that they do not seek it. Go back and seek it, and there will be enough teachers."

公孫丑問曰：「高子曰：『《小弁》，小人之詩也。』」

Gongsun Chou asked: "Gaozi said: 'The Xiao Pan is the poem of a petty person.'"

孟子曰：「何以言之？」

Mencius said: "On what ground does he say so?"

曰：「怨。」

Gongsun Chou said: "Because of resentment."

曰：「固哉，高叟之為《詩》也！有人於此，越人關弓而射之，則己談笑而道之；無他，疏之也。其兄關弓而射之，則己垂涕泣而道之；無他，戚之也。小弁之怨，親親也。親親，仁也。固矣夫，高叟之為《詩》也！」

Mencius said: "How narrow-minded, that old Gao should read the Songs this way! Suppose someone here, and a man of Yue draws a bow to shoot him; he himself will speak of it laughing and chatting; there is no other reason than that the man is a stranger. If his elder brother draws a bow to shoot him, he himself will speak of it weeping with tears; there is no other reason than that he is close. The resentment of the Xiao Pan is love for one's kin. Love for one's kin is humaneness. How narrow-minded, that old Gao should read the Songs this way!"

曰：「《凱風》何以不怨？」

Gongsun Chou said: "Why is there no resentment in the Kai Feng?"

曰：「《凱風》，親之過小者也；《小弁》，親之過大者也。親之過大而不怨，是愈疏也；親之過小而怨，是不可磯也。愈疏，不孝也；不可磯，亦不孝也。孔子曰：『舜其至孝矣，五十而慕。』」

Mencius said: "In the Kai Feng, the fault of the parent is small; in the Xiao Pan, the fault of the parent is great. When the parent's fault is great and one does not resent it, that is to grow more distant; when the parent's fault is small and one resents it, that is being unable to bear the slightest provocation. To grow more distant is unfilial; to be unable to bear provocation is also unfilial. Confucius said: 'Shun was most filial; at fifty he still longed for his parents.'"

宋牼將之楚，孟子遇於石丘。曰：「先生將何之？」

Song Keng was going to Chu, and Mencius met him at Shiqiu. Mencius said: "Where is the master going?"

曰：「吾聞秦楚構兵，我將見楚王說而罷之。楚王不悅，我將見秦王說而罷之，二王我將有所遇焉。」

Song Keng said: "I have heard that Qin and Chu are fighting; I will go see the King of Chu and persuade him to stop the war. If the King of Chu is not pleased, I will go see the King of Qin and persuade him to stop the war; with one of the two kings I will find agreement."

曰：「軻也請無問其詳，願聞其指。說之將何如？」

Mencius said: "I, Ke, will not ask for details, and would like to hear the gist. How will you persuade them?"

曰：「我將言其不利也。」

Song Keng said: "I will tell them it is not profitable."

曰：「先生之志則大矣，先生之號則不可。先生以利說秦楚之王，秦楚之王悅於利，以罷三軍之師，是三軍之士樂罷而悅於利也。為人臣者懷利以事其君，為人子者懷利以事其父，為人弟者懷利以事其兄。是君臣、父子、兄弟終去仁義，懷利以相接，然而不亡者，未之有也。先生以仁義說秦楚之王，秦楚之王悅於仁義，而罷三軍之師，是三軍之士樂罷而悅於仁義也。為人臣者懷仁義以事其君，為人子者懷仁義以事其父，為人弟者懷仁義以事其兄，是君臣、父子、兄弟去利，懷仁義以相接也。然而不王者，未之有也。何必曰利？」

Mencius said: "Your aim is great, but your slogan will not do. If you persuade the kings of Qin and Chu with profit, and the kings of Qin and Chu are pleased with profit and disband the armies of the three forces, then the soldiers of the three forces will be glad to disband and be pleased with profit. A subject will serve his ruler with thoughts of profit, a son will serve his father with thoughts of profit, and a younger brother will serve his elder brother with thoughts of profit. In this way ruler and subject, father and son, elder and younger brother will in the end abandon humaneness and righteousness and deal with one another with thoughts of profit; there has never been one who did this and did not perish. If you persuade the kings of Qin and Chu with humaneness and righteousness, and the kings of Qin and Chu are pleased with humaneness and righteousness and disband the armies of the three forces, then the soldiers of the three forces will be glad to disband and be pleased with humaneness and righteousness. A subject will serve his ruler with humaneness and righteousness, a son will serve his father with humaneness and righteousness, and a younger brother will serve his elder brother with humaneness and righteousness; in this way ruler and subject, father and son, elder and younger brother will abandon profit and deal with one another with humaneness and righteousness. There has never been one who did this and did not become a true king. Why must you speak of profit?"

孟子居鄒，季任為任處守，以幣交，受之而不報。處於平陸，儲子為相，以幣交，受之而不報。他日由鄒之任，見季子；由平陸之齊，不見儲子。屋廬子喜曰：「連得閒矣。」問曰：「夫子之任見季子，之齊不見儲子，為其為相與？」

Mencius, while living in Zou, was approached by Ji Ren, who was regent of the state of Ren, with gifts of money; he accepted but did not reciprocate. While living in Pinglu, Chu Zi, who was chancellor, approached him with gifts of money; he accepted but did not reciprocate. Later he went from Zou to Ren and saw Jizi; he went from Pinglu to Qi and did not see Chu Zi. Wulu Zi was pleased and said: "I have found an opening at last." He asked: "When you went to Ren you saw Jizi, but when you went to Qi you did not see Chu Zi; is it because he is chancellor?"

曰：「非也。《書》曰：『享多儀，儀不及物曰不享，惟不役志於享。』為其不成享也。」

Mencius said: "No. The Book of Documents says: 'In offering, what matters is the abundance of courtesies; if courtesies do not match the gifts, it is called not offering, because the will is not applied to the offering.' This is because he did not make it an offering."

屋廬子悅。或問之。屋廬子曰：「季子不得之鄒，儲子得之平陸。」

Wulu Zi was pleased. Someone asked him. Wulu Zi said: "Jizi could not go to Zou, but Chu Zi could have gone to Pinglu."

淳于髡曰：「先名實者，為人也；後名實者，自為也。夫子在三卿之中，名實未加於上下而去之，仁者固如此乎？」

Chunyu Kun said: "One who puts name and substance first is working for others; one who puts name and substance last is working for himself. The Master was among the three ministers, and left before his name and substance had been added to above or below; is a humane person originally like this?"

孟子曰：「居下位，不以賢事不肖者，伯夷也；五就湯，五就桀者，伊尹也；不惡汙君，不辭小官者，柳下惠也。三子者不同道，其趨一也。一者何也？曰：仁也。君子亦仁而已矣，何必同？」

Mencius said: "One who, in a low position, did not serve unworthy rulers with his worth was Boyi; one who went five times to Tang and five times to Jie was Yi Yin; one who did not loathe a foul ruler and did not decline a minor office was Liuxia Hui. The three men did not follow the same way, but their direction was one. What is that one? It is humaneness. The exemplary person is simply humane; why must they be the same?"

曰：「魯繆公之時，公儀子為政，子柳、子思為臣，魯之削也滋甚。若是乎賢者之無益於國也！」曰：「虞不用百里奚而亡，秦穆公用之而霸。不用賢則亡，削何可得與？」

Chunyu Kun said: "In the time of Duke Mu of Lu, Gongyi Zi was in charge of government, with Zi Liu and Zisi as ministers, and Lu's territory was diminished still more severely. So worthy men are of no benefit to a state!" Mencius said: "Yu did not use Baili Xi and perished, while Duke Mu of Qin used him and became hegemon. Not using the worthy leads to destruction; how could it be possible just to lose territory?"

曰：「昔者王豹處於淇，而河西善謳；緜駒處於高唐，而齊右善歌；華周、杞梁之妻善哭其夫，而變國俗。有諸內必形諸外。為其事而無其功者，髡未嘗覩之也。是故無賢者也，有則髡必識之。」

Chunyu Kun said: "In the past Wang Bao lived by the Qi River, and the people west of the Yellow River became skilled at singing songs; Mian Ju lived at Gaotang, and the people of western Qi became skilled at singing; the wives of Hua Zhou and Qi Liang were good at weeping for their husbands, and changed the customs of the state. What is within must show itself without. I have never seen someone who does that work and has no merit. So there are no worthy men, for if there were I would certainly know them."

曰：「孔子為魯司寇，不用，從而祭，燔肉不至，不稅冕而行。不知者以為為肉也。其知者以為為無禮也。乃孔子則欲以微罪行，不欲為苟去。君子之所為，眾人固不識也。」

Mencius said: "When Confucius was Minister of Crime in Lu and was not used, he followed along at a sacrifice, and when the roast meat did not arrive, he left without even taking off his ceremonial cap. Those who did not understand thought it was for the sake of the meat. Those who understood thought it was because of the lack of ritual. As for Confucius, he wished to leave with a slight charge against him and did not wish to leave carelessly. What an exemplary person does, ordinary people do not recognize."

孟子曰：「五霸者，三王之罪人也；今之諸侯，五霸之罪人也；今之大夫，今之諸侯之罪人也。天子適諸侯曰巡狩，諸侯朝於天子曰述職。春省耕而補不足，秋省斂而助不給。入其疆，土地闢，田野治，養老尊賢，俊傑在位，則有慶，慶以地。入其疆，土地荒蕪，遺老失賢，掊克在位，則有讓。一不朝，則貶其爵；再不朝，則削其地；三不朝，則六師移之。是故天子討而不伐，諸侯伐而不討。五霸者，摟諸侯以伐諸侯者也，故曰：五霸者，三王之罪人也。

Mencius said: "The Five Hegemons were sinners against the Three Kings; the feudal lords of today are sinners against the Five Hegemons; the high officials of today are sinners against the feudal lords of today. When the Son of Heaven went to the lords it was called an inspection tour; when the lords paid court to the Son of Heaven it was called reporting on duties. In spring he inspected the plowing and supplied what was lacking; in autumn he inspected the harvest and helped those who did not have enough. If upon entering a lord's borders the land was opened up, the fields well managed, the old nourished and the worthy honored, and outstanding men held positions, there was a reward, and the reward was land. If upon entering his borders the land was overgrown, the old neglected and the worthy lost, and extortioners held positions, there was a reprimand. One failure to attend court, and his rank was demoted; two failures, and his land was reduced; three failures, and the six armies moved against him. So the Son of Heaven condemned but did not attack, and the lords attacked but did not condemn. The Five Hegemons led some lords to attack other lords, so it is said: the Five Hegemons were sinners against the Three Kings.

「五霸，桓公為盛。葵丘之會諸侯，束牲、載書而不歃血。初命曰：『誅不孝，無易樹子，無以妾為妻。』再命曰：『尊賢育才，以彰有德。』三命曰：『敬老慈幼，無忘賓旅。』四命曰：『士無世官，官事無攝，取士必得，無專殺大夫。』五命曰：『無曲防，無遏糴，無有封而不告。』曰：『凡我同盟之人，既盟之後，言歸於好。』今之諸侯，皆犯此五禁，故曰：今之諸侯，五霸之罪人也。

(Mencius continued:) "Of the Five Hegemons, Duke Huan was the greatest. At the meeting of the lords at Kuiqiu, he bound the sacrificial animals and placed the covenant text on them without smearing blood. The first article said: 'Punish the unfilial, do not change an established heir, and do not make a concubine into a wife.' The second said: 'Honor the worthy and nurture talent, in order to make virtuous men prominent.' The third said: 'Respect the old and be kind to the young, and do not forget guests and travelers.' The fourth said: 'Scholars shall not hold offices hereditarily, official posts shall not be held concurrently, in taking scholars one must get the right men, and do not arbitrarily kill high officials.' The fifth said: 'Do not build dikes crookedly, do not obstruct the purchase of grain, and do not grant enfeoffments without reporting.' It said: 'All of us who have entered the covenant, after the covenant, let us return to friendly relations.' The feudal lords of today all violate these five prohibitions, so it is said: the feudal lords of today are sinners against the Five Hegemons.

「長君之惡其罪小，逢君之惡其罪大。今之大夫，皆逢君之惡，故曰：今之大夫，今之諸侯之罪人也。」

(Mencius continued:) "To abet the ruler's evil is a small crime; to pander to the ruler's evil is a great crime. The high officials of today all pander to the ruler's evil, so it is said: the high officials of today are sinners against the feudal lords of today."

魯欲使慎子為將軍。孟子曰：「不教民而用之，謂之殃民。殃民者，不容於堯舜之世。一戰勝齊，遂有南陽，然且不可。」

Lu wanted to make Shen Zi a general. Mencius said: "To use the people without teaching them is called bringing calamity upon the people. One who brings calamity upon the people would not be tolerated in the age of Yao and Shun. Even if you won one battle against Qi and thereby took Nanyang, that would still not be acceptable."

慎子勃然不悅曰：「此則滑釐所不識也。」

Shen Zi, suddenly displeased, said: "This is something Hua Li does not understand."

曰：「吾明告子。天子之地方千里；不千里，不足以待諸侯。諸侯之地方百里；不百里，不足以守宗廟之典籍。周公之封於魯，為方百里也；地非不足，而儉於百里。太公之封於齊也，亦為方百里也；地非不足也，而儉於百里。今魯方百里者五，子以為有王者作，則魯在所損乎？在所益乎？徒取諸彼以與此，然且仁者不為，況於殺人以求之乎？君子之事君也，務引其君以當道，志於仁而已。」

Mencius said: "I will tell you plainly. The land of the Son of Heaven is a thousand li square; if it were less than a thousand li, it would not be enough to receive the feudal lords. The land of a feudal lord is a hundred li square; if it were less than a hundred li, it would not be enough to guard the statutes of the ancestral temple. When the Duke of Zhou was enfeoffed in Lu, it was a hundred li square; it was not that the land was insufficient, but that it was restrained to a hundred li. When Taigong was enfeoffed in Qi, it was also a hundred li square; it was not that the land was insufficient, but that it was restrained to a hundred li. Now Lu has five times a hundred li square; do you think that if a true king arose, Lu would be among those reduced or those increased? To take it from there for nothing and give it to here, even a humane person would not do it, much less killing people to seek it. In serving his ruler, the exemplary person must lead the ruler to accord with the Way and aim his will at humaneness, and that is all."

孟子曰：「今之事君者曰：『我能為君闢土地，充府庫。』今之所謂良臣，古之所謂民賊也。君不鄉道，不志於仁，而求富之，是富桀也。『我能為君約與國，戰必克。』今之所謂良臣，古之所謂民賊也。君不鄉道，不志於仁，而求為之強戰，是輔桀也。由今之道，無變今之俗，雖與之天下，不能一朝居也。」

Mencius said: "Those who serve rulers today say: 'I can open up land for my ruler and fill his treasuries.' Those now called good ministers were what the ancients called thieves of the people. If the ruler does not incline toward the Way and does not set his will on humaneness, yet one seeks to make him rich, this is making Jie rich. 'I can form alliances with other states for my ruler and fight so that we surely win.' Those now called good ministers were what the ancients called thieves of the people. If the ruler does not incline toward the Way and does not set his will on humaneness, yet one seeks to fight strongly for him, this is assisting Jie. Following today's way, without changing today's customs, even if one gave him the whole world he could not hold it for a single morning."

白圭曰：「吾欲二十而取一，何如？」

Bai Gui said: "I would like to tax one part in twenty; how would that be?"

孟子曰：「子之道，貉道也。萬室之國，一人陶，則可乎？」

Mencius said: "Your way is the way of the Mo barbarians. In a state of ten thousand households, if one person made pottery, would that do?"

曰：「不可，器不足用也。」

Bai Gui said: "No, the vessels would not be enough."

曰：「夫貉，五穀不生，惟黍生之。無城郭、宮室、宗廟、祭祀之禮，無諸侯幣帛饔飧，無百官有司，故二十取一而足也。今居中國，去人倫，無君子，如之何其可也？陶以寡，且不可以為國，況無君子乎？欲輕之於堯舜之道者，大貉小貉也；欲重之於堯舜之道者，大桀小桀也。」

Mencius said: "As for the Mo, the five grains do not grow there, only millet grows. They have no city walls, palaces, ancestral temples, or sacrificial rites, no gifts and banquets for feudal lords, and no hundred officials and offices, so one part in twenty is enough. Now, living in China, to abolish human relationships and have no exemplary persons, how could that do? Even too few potters cannot run a state, much less having no exemplary persons. One who wants to make it lighter than the way of Yao and Shun is a great Mo or a small Mo; one who wants to make it heavier than the way of Yao and Shun is a great Jie or a small Jie."

白圭曰：「丹之治水也愈於禹。」

Bai Gui said: "My control of floods surpasses Yu's."

孟子曰：「子過矣。禹之治水，水之道也。是故禹以四海為壑，今吾子以鄰國為壑。水逆行，謂之洚水。洚水者，洪水也，仁人之所惡也。吾子過矣。」

Mencius said: "You are wrong. Yu's control of water followed the way of water. So Yu took the four seas as the drain, but now you take neighboring states as the drain. Water flowing backward is called jiang water. Jiang water is flood water, which humane people loathe. You are wrong."

孟子曰：「君子不亮，惡乎執？」

Mencius said: "If the exemplary person is not trustworthy, how can he hold to anything?"

魯欲使樂正子為政。

Lu wanted to have Yuezheng Zi take charge of government.

孟子曰：「吾聞之，喜而不寐。」

Mencius said: "When I heard, I was so happy I could not sleep."

公孫丑曰：「樂正子強乎？」曰：「否。」

Gongsun Chou said: "Is Yuezheng Zi strong?" Mencius said: "No."

「有知慮乎？」曰：「否。」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "Does he have wisdom and foresight?" Mencius said: "No."

「多聞識乎？」曰：「否。」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "Is he widely learned?" Mencius said: "No."

「然則奚為喜而不寐？」曰：「其為人也好善。」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "Then why were you so happy you could not sleep?" Mencius said: "He is a man who loves goodness."

「好善足乎？」曰：「好善優於天下，而況魯國乎？夫苟好善，則四海之內，皆將輕千里而來告之以善。夫苟不好善，則人將曰：『訑訑，予既已知之矣。』訑訑之聲音顏色，距人於千里之外。士止於千里之外，則讒諂面諛之人至矣。與讒諂面諛之人居，國欲治，可得乎？」

(Gongsun Chou asked:) "Is loving goodness enough?" Mencius said: "Loving goodness is enough to excel the world, let alone the state of Lu. If one loves goodness, then within the four seas people will come from a thousand li away to tell him what is good. If one does not love goodness, people will say: 'Yiyi, I already know it.' The sound and countenance of 'yiyi' keeps people away at a thousand li. When scholars stop at a thousand li away, slanderers, flatterers and those who praise to one's face will arrive. Living with slanderers, flatterers and face-praisers, if one wants to govern the state, is that possible?"

陳子曰：「古之君子何如則仕？」

Chen Zi said: "On what terms did the exemplary people of old take office?"

孟子曰：「所就三，所去三。迎之致敬以有禮，言將行其言也，則就之；禮貌未衰，言弗行也，則去之。其次，雖未行其言也，迎之致敬以有禮，則就之；禮貌衰，則去之。其下，朝不食，夕不食，飢餓不能出門戶。君聞之曰：『吾大者不能行其道，又不能從其言也，使飢餓於我土地，吾恥之。』周之，亦可受也，免死而已矣。」

Mencius said: "There were three cases of taking office and three of leaving. If they greeted him with respect and ritual, and said they would put his words into practice, he took the post; if the courtesy did not decline but the words were not carried out, he left. Next, if though his words were not put into practice, they greeted him with respect and ritual, he took the post; if the courtesy declined, he left. At the lowest, if he had not eaten in the morning or evening and was so hungry he could not leave his door, and the ruler heard of it and said: 'In the larger matters I cannot put his Way into practice, nor can I follow his words, and I am ashamed that he should starve in my land,' then aiding him was also acceptable, simply to spare him from death."

孟子曰：「舜發於畎畝之中，傅說舉於版築之閒，膠鬲舉於魚鹽之中，管夷吾舉於士，孫叔敖舉於海，百里奚舉於市。故天將降大任於是人也，必先苦其心志，勞其筋骨，餓其體膚，空乏其身，行拂亂其所為，所以動心忍性，曾益其所不能。人恆過，然後能改；困於心，衡於慮，而後作；徵於色，發於聲，而後喻。入則無法家拂士，出則無敵國外患者，國恆亡。然後知生於憂患而死於安樂也。」

Mencius said: "Shun rose from the fields; Fu Yue was raised from among the rammed-earth builders; Jiao Ge was raised from fish and salt; Guan Yiwu was raised from the hands of the prison warden; Sunshu Ao was raised from the seashore; Baili Xi was raised from the marketplace. So when Heaven is about to confer great responsibility on someone, it first makes his heart and will suffer, wears out his sinews and bones, starves his body and skin, and leaves him in want, and what he undertakes is thwarted and disrupted, in order to stir his heart, toughen his nature and increase what he is not capable of. People often make mistakes and only then can they correct them; troubled in heart and hemmed in in thought, only then do they rouse themselves; it appears in the face and comes out in the voice, and only then do others understand. If within a state there are no law-abiding houses and assisting scholars, and outside there are no hostile states or foreign threats, the state will often perish. Only then does one know that one lives through anxiety and calamity and dies through ease and pleasure."

孟子曰：「教亦多術矣，予不屑之教誨也者，是亦教誨之而已矣。」

Mencius said: "There are also many ways of teaching; when I do not deign to instruct someone, that too is simply instructing him."

孟子曰：「盡其心者，知其性也。知其性，則知天矣。存其心，養其性，所以事天也。殀壽不貳，修身以俟之，所以立命也。」

Mencius said: "One who fully exerts his heart knows his nature. One who knows his nature knows Heaven. To preserve one's heart and nourish one's nature is how one serves Heaven. Not being of two minds about early death or long life, and cultivating oneself to await it, is how one establishes one's destiny."

孟子曰：「莫非命也，順受其正。是故知命者，不立乎巖牆之下。盡其道而死者，正命也。桎梏死者，非正命也。」

Mencius said: "There is nothing that is not destiny; one should accept what is correct in it. So one who knows destiny does not stand beneath a tottering wall. One who dies after having fully followed his Way has met a proper destiny. One who dies in fetters and shackles has not met a proper destiny."

孟子曰：「求則得之，舍則失之，是求有益於得也，求在我者也。求之有道，得之有命，是求無益於得也，求在外者也。」

Mencius said: "Seek and you get it; let go and you lose it: this is a seeking that benefits the getting, for the seeking lies within oneself. To seek by the proper way and to get by destiny: this is a seeking that does not benefit the getting, for the seeking lies outside."

孟子曰：「萬物皆備於我矣。反身而誠，樂莫大焉。強恕而行，求仁莫近焉。」

Mencius said: "All things are complete within me. To reflect on oneself and find oneself sincere, there is no greater joy than this. To strive to act according to the way of reciprocity, there is no nearer path to seeking humaneness."

孟子曰：「行之而不著焉，習矣而不察焉，終身由之而不知其道者，眾也。」

Mencius said: "To act without understanding, to become accustomed without examining, to follow it all one's life without knowing its Way: this is the multitude."

孟子曰：「人不可以無恥。無恥之恥，無恥矣。」

Mencius said: "A person cannot be without shame. To be ashamed of having no shame is to be without shame."

孟子曰：「恥之於人大矣。為機變之巧者，無所用恥焉。不恥不若人，何若人有？」

Mencius said: "Shame matters greatly to a person. Those who deal in cunning and expediency have no place to use shame. One who is not ashamed of being unlike other people, how could he ever be like them?"

孟子曰：「古之賢王好善而忘勢，古之賢士何獨不然？樂其道而忘人之勢。故王公不致敬盡禮，則不得亟見之。見且猶不得亟，而況得而臣之乎？」

Mencius said: "The worthy kings of ancient times loved goodness and forgot power; why would the worthy scholars of ancient times alone not be so? They delighted in their own Way and forgot the power of others. So if kings and dukes did not show respect and fulfill ritual, they could not see them frequently. If they could not even see them frequently, how much less could they treat them as subjects?"

孟子謂宋句踐曰：「子好遊乎？吾語子游。人知之，亦囂囂；人不知，亦囂囂。」

Mencius said to Song Goujian: "Do you like to persuade rulers? I will tell you about persuading. If people know you, be self-possessed; if people do not know you, be self-possessed."

曰：「何如斯可以囂囂矣？」

Song Goujian said: "How can one be self-possessed?"

曰：「尊德樂義，則可以囂囂矣。故士窮不失義，達不離道。窮不失義，故士得己焉；達不離道，故民不失望焉。古之人，得志，澤加於民；不得志，修身見於世。窮則獨善其身，達則兼善天下。」

Mencius said: "Honor virtue and delight in righteousness, and you can be self-possessed. So a scholar in distress does not lose righteousness, and in success does not leave the Way. In distress not losing righteousness, a scholar keeps himself; in success not leaving the Way, the people are not disappointed. The ancients, when they achieved their aims, bestowed benefits on the people; when they did not achieve their aims, they cultivated themselves and showed it to the world. In distress, they perfected themselves alone; in success, they perfected the whole world together."

孟子曰：「待文王而後興者，凡民也。若夫豪傑之士，雖無文王猶興。」

Mencius said: "Those who wait for King Wen and only then rouse themselves are ordinary people. As for outstanding scholars, even without King Wen they rouse themselves."

孟子曰：「附之以韓魏之家，如其自視欿然，則過人遠矣。」

Mencius said: "If one is given the houses of Han and Wei in addition, and he himself looks on it with a sense of inadequacy, then he is far above other people."

孟子曰：「以佚道使民，雖勞不怨；以生道殺民，雖死不怨殺者。」

Mencius said: "If one employs the people by the way that gives them ease, even if they toil they do not resent it; if one kills the people by the way that keeps them alive, even in death they do not resent the one who kills them."

孟子曰：「霸者之民，驩虞如也；王者之民，皞皞如也。殺之而不怨，利之而不庸，民日遷善而不知為之者。夫君子所過者化，所存者神，上下與天地同流，豈曰小補之哉？」

Mencius said: "The people of a hegemon appear cheerful and merry; the people of a true king appear serene and broad. They kill them without resentment, benefit them without regarding it as merit, and the people move toward goodness day by day without knowing who does it. Where the exemplary person passes, there is transformation; where he abides, there is spirit; above and below he flows together with heaven and earth; how can it be said to be of small benefit?"

孟子曰：「仁言，不如仁聲之入人深也。善政，不如善教之得民也。善政民畏之，善教民愛之；善政得民財，善教得民心。」

Mencius said: "Humane words do not enter people as deeply as a humane reputation. Good government does not win the people as good teaching does. Under good government the people fear; under good teaching the people love; good government wins the people's wealth, and good teaching wins the people's hearts."

孟子曰：「人之所不學而能者，其良能也；所不慮而知者，其良知也。孩提之童，無不知愛其親者；及其長也，無不知敬其兄也。親親，仁也；敬長，義也。無他，達之天下也。」

Mencius said: "What people can do without learning is innate ability (liangneng: the instinct to be able without learning); what they know without deliberation is innate knowing (liangzhi: the heart's knowing that arises without deliberation). Even a child in arms knows to love his parents; and when he grows up, there is none who does not know to respect his elder brother. To love one's parents is humaneness; to respect elders is righteousness. There is nothing else; it extends to the whole world."

孟子曰：「舜之居深山之中，與木石居，與鹿豕遊，其所以異於深山之野人者幾希。及其聞一善言，見一善行，若決江河，沛然莫之能御也。」

Mencius said: "When Shun lived in the deep mountains, he lived with trees and stones and roamed with deer and pigs, and there was very little by which he differed 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 a river breached, overflowing with no way to hold it back."

孟子曰：「無為其所不為，無慾其所不欲，如此而已矣。」

Mencius said: "Do not do what he does not do, and do not want what he does not want; that is all."

孟子曰：「人之有德慧術知者，恆存乎疢疾。獨孤臣孽子，其操心也危，其慮患也深，故達。」

Mencius said: "Those who have virtue, wisdom, skill and intelligence often exist in the midst of calamity. Only isolated ministers and sons of concubines hold their hearts anxious and fearful and ponder calamity deeply, and so they are enlightened."

孟子曰：「有事君人者，事是君則為容悅者也。有安社稷臣者，以安社稷為悅者也。有天民者，達可行於天下而後行之者也。有大人者，正己而物正者也。」

Mencius said: "There are those who serve a ruler, and they serve this ruler for the sake of pleasing him. There are ministers who secure the altars of the state, and they take securing the altars of the state as their joy. There are the people of Heaven, who act only when they can reach the point of acting throughout the world. There are great persons, who set themselves right and things are set right along with them."

孟子曰：「君子有三樂，而王天下不與存焉。父母俱存，兄弟無故，一樂也。仰不愧於天，俯不怍於人，二樂也。得天下英才而教育之，三樂也。君子有三樂，而王天下不與存焉。」

Mencius said: "The noble person has three joys, and ruling the world as king is not among them. That one's parents are both alive and one's brothers are without trouble is the first joy. That looking up one is not ashamed before Heaven, and looking down one does not blush before people, is the second joy. To gain the outstanding talents of the world and teach them is the third joy. The noble person has three joys, and ruling the world as king is not among them."

孟子曰：「廣土眾民，君子欲之，所樂不存焉。中天下而立，定四海之民，君子樂之，所性不存焉。君子所性，雖大行不加焉，雖窮居不損焉，分定故也。君子所性，仁義禮智根於心。其生色也，睟然見於面，盎於背，施於四體，四體不言而喻。」

Mencius said: "Broad land and many people are what the noble person desires, but his joy does not lie there. To stand at the center of the world and settle the people within the four seas is what the noble person delights in, but his nature does not lie there. What the noble person's nature consists of is not increased even if the Great Way is carried out, and not decreased even if he lives in poverty, because it is a matter of his fixed portion. What the noble person's nature consists of is benevolence, righteousness, ritual and wisdom, rooted in the heart. They give rise to a look that shows glossily on the face, fills the back, and extends to the four limbs, and the four limbs understand without being told."

孟子曰：「伯夷闢紂，居北海之濱，聞文王作興，曰：『盍歸乎來！吾聞西伯善養老者。』太公闢紂，居東海之濱，聞文王作興，曰：『盍歸乎來！吾聞西伯善養老者。』天下有善養老，則仁人以為己歸矣。五畝之宅，樹牆下以桑，匹婦蠶之，則老者足以衣帛矣。五母雞，二母彘，無失其時，老者足以無失肉矣。百畝之田，匹夫耕之，八口之家足以無飢矣。所謂西伯善養老者，制其田裡，教之樹畜，導其妻子，使養其老。五十非帛不煖，七十非肉不飽。不煖不飽，謂之凍餒。文王之民，無凍餒之老者，此之謂也。」

Mencius said: "Boyi, avoiding Zhou, lived by the shore of the North Sea, and hearing that King Wen had risen, said: 'Why not return! I have heard that the Earl of the West is good at caring for the old.' Taigong, avoiding Zhou, lived by the shore of the East Sea, and hearing that King Wen had risen, said: 'Why not return! I have heard that the Earl of the West is good at caring for the old.' When there is someone in the world who is good at caring for the old, the benevolent take him as their refuge. With a homestead of five mu, planting mulberry trees beneath the wall, and the housewife raising silkworms, the old are enough to wear silk. With five hens and two sows, not missing their season, the old are enough not to lack meat. With a hundred mu of field, a farmer tilling it, a family of eight is enough not to go hungry. What is meant by the Earl of the West being good at caring for the old is that he set up the fields and villages, taught them to plant and raise animals, and guided their wives to nourish the old. At fifty, without silk one is not warm; at seventy, without meat one is not full. Not being warm and not being full is called freezing and starving. King Wen's people had no old who froze or starved; this is what it means."

孟子曰：「易其田疇，薄其稅斂，民可使富也。食之以時，用之以禮，財不可勝用也。民非水火不生活，昏暮叩人之門戶，求水火，無弗與者，至足矣。聖人治天下，使有菽粟如水火。菽粟如水火，而民焉有不仁者乎？」

Mencius said: "Manage the fields and reduce taxes and levies, and the people can be made rich. If they eat at proper times and use things according to ritual, wealth will be inexhaustible. People cannot live without water and fire, yet if one knocks on someone's door at dusk to ask for water and fire, none refuse, because they are so plentiful. When the sage governs the world, he makes beans and millet as plentiful as water and fire. When beans and millet are as plentiful as water and fire, how could the people be unbenevolent?"

孟子曰：「孔子登東山而小魯，登太山而小天下。故觀於海者難為水，遊於聖人之門者難為言。觀水有術，必觀其瀾。日月有明，容光必照焉。流水之為物也，不盈科不行；君子之志於道也，不成章不達。」

Mencius said: "Confucius climbed Mount Dong and felt that Lu was small; he climbed Mount Tai and felt that the world was small. So one who has seen the great sea is hard to move by water, and one who has roamed at the gate of the sages is hard to move by words. There is a method for observing water: one must look at its waves. The sun and moon have brightness, and wherever a crack can admit light, it is sure to shine in. Flowing water as a thing does not move forward until it has filled the hollows; the noble person, aiming at the Way, does not reach it unless he forms a pattern."

孟子曰：「雞鳴而起，孳孳為善者，舜之徒也。雞鳴而起，孳孳為利者，蹠之徒也。欲知舜與蹠之分，無他，利與善之閒也。」

Mencius said: "One who rises at cockcrow and diligently does good is of the kind of Shun. One who rises at cockcrow and diligently pursues profit is of the kind of Zhi. If you want to know the difference between Shun and Zhi, there is nothing else: it lies between profit and goodness."

孟子曰：「楊子取為我，拔一毛而利天下，不為也。墨子兼愛，摩頂放踵利天下，為之。子莫執中，執中為近之，執中無權，猶執一也。所惡執一者，為其賊道也，舉一而廢百也。」

Mencius said: "Master Yang chose 'for myself,' and would not pluck a single hair to benefit the world. Master Mo practiced universal love, and would rub his head bald from crown to heel if it would benefit the world, and would do it. Zimo held to the middle; holding to the middle comes near, but holding to the middle without adaptation is still holding to one extreme. The reason one dislikes holding to one extreme is that it harms the Way, raising one point and discarding a hundred."

孟子曰：「飢者甘食，渴者甘飲，是未得飲食之正也，飢渴害之也。豈惟口腹有飢渴之害？人心亦皆有害。人能無以飢渴之害為心害，則不及人不為憂矣。」

Mencius said: "The hungry find any food sweet, and the thirsty find any drink sweet; this is not obtaining the true taste of food and drink, because hunger and thirst have harmed it. Is it only the mouth and belly that suffer the harm of hunger and thirst? The human heart also has such harm. If a person can avoid taking the harm of hunger and thirst as the harm to the heart, he need not worry about falling behind others."

孟子曰：「柳下惠不以三公易其介。」

Mencius said: "Liuxia Hui would not change his integrity even for the post of one of the Three Dukes."

孟子曰：「有為者闢若掘井，掘井九軔而不及泉，猶為棄井也。」

Mencius said: "One who aims to accomplish something is like one digging a well: if one digs nine ren and does not reach the spring, it is still an abandoned well."

孟子曰：「堯舜，性之也；湯武，身之也；五霸，假之也。久假而不歸，惡知其非有也。」

Mencius said: "Yao and Shun had it as their natural endowment; Tang and Wu embodied it through practice; the Five Hegemons borrowed it. If one borrows for a long time and does not return, how do you know that one does not truly have it?"

公孫丑曰：「伊尹曰：『予不狎於不順。』放太甲於桐，民大悅。太甲賢。又反之，民大悅。賢者之為人臣也，其君不賢，則固可放與？」

Gongsun Chou said: "Yi Yin said: 'I will not be close to one who does not comply,' and banished Taijia to Tong, and the people were greatly pleased. When Taijia became worthy, he let him return, and the people were greatly pleased. If a worthy man is a minister of another and his ruler is not worthy, may he indeed banish him?"

孟子曰：「有伊尹之志，則可；無伊尹之志，則篡也。」

Mencius said: "If one has the aim of Yi Yin, it is permissible; if one lacks the aim of Yi Yin, it is usurpation."

公孫丑曰：「《詩》曰：『不素餐兮』，君子之不耕而食，何也？」

Gongsun Chou said: "The Book of Songs, in the 'Cutting Sandalwood' ode of the Odes of Wei, says: 'He does not eat for nothing'; the noble person does not plow and yet eats; why?"

孟子曰：「君子居是國也，其君用之，則安富尊榮；其子弟從之，則孝弟忠信。『不素餐兮』，孰大於是？」

Mencius said: "When the noble person lives in a state, if the ruler employs him, he is secure, rich, honored and glorious; if his sons and younger brothers follow him, they are filial, respectful, loyal and trustworthy. 'He does not eat for nothing'; is there anything greater than this?"

王子墊問曰：「士何事？」

Prince Dian asked: "What do scholars do?"

孟子曰：「尚志。」

Mencius said: "They elevate their aims."

曰：「何謂尚志？」

Prince Dian said: "What does it mean to elevate one's aims?"

曰：「仁義而已矣。殺一無罪，非仁也；非其有而取之，非義也。居惡在？仁是也；路惡在？義是也。居仁由義，大人之事備矣。」

Mencius said: "Benevolence and righteousness, that is all. To kill one innocent person is not benevolent; to take what is not one's own is not righteous. Where is one's dwelling? Benevolence is. Where is the road? Righteousness is. To dwell in benevolence and follow righteousness is to have the affairs of a great person complete."

孟子曰：「仲子，不義與之齊國而弗受，人皆信之，是舍簞食豆羹之義也。人莫大焉亡親戚、君臣、上下。以其小者信其大者，奚可哉？」

Mencius said: "Chen Zhongzi would not accept the state of Qi if it were given to him unrighteously, and everyone believes in him; this is the righteousness of giving up a basket of rice and a bowl of soup. For a person there is nothing greater than abandoning kin, ruler and minister, high and low. To believe in his great side on the basis of his small side, how can that be?"

桃應問曰：「舜為天子，皋陶為士，瞽瞍殺人，則如之何？」

Tao Ying asked: "If Shun were Son of Heaven, Gao Yao his judge, and Gusou killed a man, what should be done?"

孟子曰：「執之而已矣。」

Mencius said: "Arrest him, that is all."

「然則舜不禁與？」

(Tao Ying asked:) "Then would Shun not forbid it?"

曰：「夫舜惡得而禁之？夫有所受之也。」

Mencius said: "How could Shun forbid it? Gao Yao had received his authority from somewhere."

「然則舜如之何？」

(Tao Ying asked:) "Then what would Shun do?"

曰：「舜視棄天下，猶棄敝蹝也。竊負而逃，遵海濱而處，終身訢然，樂而忘天下。」

Mencius said: "Shun would regard abandoning the world as abandoning a worn-out sandal. He would secretly carry his father on his back and flee, live along the seashore, and be happy all his life, joyful and forgetting the world."

孟子自範之齊，望見齊王之子。喟然嘆曰：「居移氣，養移體，大哉居乎！夫非盡人之子與？」

Mencius went from Fan to Qi and saw the son of the King of Qi. He sighed and said: "Dwelling changes one's temperament, and nourishment changes one's bearing; how great is the effect of dwelling! Are they not all sons of men?"

孟子曰：「王子宮室、車馬、衣服多與人同，而王子若彼者，其居使之然也；況居天下之廣居者乎？魯君之宋，呼於垤澤之門。守者曰：『此非吾君也，何其聲之似我君也？』此無他，居相似也。」

Mencius said: "The palaces, carriages and horses and clothing of the king's son are mostly the same as others', yet the king's son is like that, because his dwelling makes him so; how much more one who dwells in the broadest dwelling in the world? When the lord of Lu went to Song, he called out at the gate of Diezei. The gatekeeper said: 'This is not my lord; why is the voice like my lord's?' There is nothing else to it; their dwellings are alike."

孟子曰：「食而弗愛，豕交之也；愛而不敬，獸畜之也。恭敬者，幣之未將者也。恭敬而無實，君子不可虛拘。」

Mencius said: "To feed someone without loving him is to treat him as a pig; to love without respecting is to keep him as an animal. Respect is something that exists before gifts of cloth and silk are presented. Respect without substance is something the noble person cannot be held back by empty form."

孟子曰：「形色，天性也；惟聖人，然後可以踐形。」

Mencius said: "Bodily form and appearance are Heaven-given nature; only a sage can fully realize them."

齊宣王欲短喪。公孫丑曰：「為朞之喪，猶愈於已乎？」

King Xuan of Qi wanted to shorten the mourning period. Gongsun Chou said: "Is mourning for one year still better than stopping altogether?"

孟子曰：「是猶或紾其兄之臂，子謂之姑徐徐云爾，亦教之孝弟而已矣。」

Mencius said: "It is like someone twisting his elder brother's arm, and you only say, 'Just take it slowly'; this too is merely to teach him filial piety and respect for elders."

王子有其母死者，其傅為之請數月之喪。公孫丑曰：「若此者，何如也？」

When a prince's mother died, his tutor requested a few months of mourning for him. Gongsun Chou said: "How about a case like this?"

曰：「是欲終之而不可得也。雖加一日愈於已，謂夫莫之禁而弗為者也。」

Mencius said: "This is a case of wanting to finish the mourning but not being able to. Even adding one more day is better than stopping; I was speaking of those whom no one forbids but who do not do it."

孟子曰：「君子之所以教者五：有如時雨化之者，有成德者，有達財者，有答問者，有私淑艾者。此五者，君子之所以教也。」

Mencius said: "There are five ways in which the noble person teaches: some are like timely rain that transforms; some bring a person to complete his virtue; some develop a person's talent; some answer questions; and some are by private cultivation. These five are the ways the noble person teaches."

公孫丑曰：「道則高矣，美矣，宜若登天然，似不可及也。何不使彼為可幾及而日孳孳也？」

Gongsun Chou said: "The Way is lofty and fine, like climbing to Heaven, seemingly unreachable. Why not make it something one could hope to reach and strive at every day?"

孟子曰：「大匠不為拙工改廢繩墨，羿不為拙射變其彀率。君子引而不發，躍如也。中道而立，能者從之。」

Mencius said: "A great carpenter does not alter or discard the marking line for a clumsy workman, and Yi does not change his standard of drawing the bow fully for a clumsy archer. The noble person draws the bow but does not release it, looking poised and eager. He stands on the middle way, and those who can follow him do so."

孟子曰：「天下有道，以道殉身；天下無道，以身殉道。未聞以道殉乎人者也。」

Mencius said: "When the Way prevails in the world, one follows with the Way along with one's person; when the Way does not prevail in the world, one follows the Way with one's person. I have never heard of following people with the Way."

公都子曰：「滕更之在門也，若在所禮。而不答，何也？」

Gongdu Zi said: "Teng Geng was in your school, and seemed to be among those given courtesy. Yet you did not answer him; why?"

孟子曰：「挾貴而問，挾賢而問，挾長而問，挾有勳勞而問，挾故而問，皆所不答也。滕更有二焉。」

Mencius said: "Those who ask relying on their nobility, those who ask relying on their worth, those who ask relying on their age, those who ask relying on their merit, and those who ask relying on old acquaintance, I answer none of them. Teng Geng had two of these."

孟子曰：「於不可已而已者，無所不已；於所厚者薄，無所不薄也。其進銳者，其退速。」

Mencius said: "One who stops where he cannot stop will stop at everything; one who treats lightly those whom he should treat generously will treat everyone lightly. One who advances sharply retreats quickly."

孟子曰：「君子之於物也，愛之而弗仁；於民也，仁之而弗親。親親而仁民，仁民而愛物。」

Mencius said: "The noble person toward things loves them but is not benevolent toward them; toward the people he is benevolent but not intimate. He is intimate with his kin and benevolent to the people, and benevolent to the people and loving to things."

孟子曰：「知者無不知也，當務之為急；仁者無不愛也，急親賢之為務。堯舜之知而不遍物，急先務也；堯舜之仁不遍愛人，急親賢也。不能三年之喪，而緦小功之察；放飯流歠，而問無齒決，是之謂不知務。」

Mencius said: "The wise know everything, but take the most pressing matters at hand as urgent; the benevolent love everyone, but take being close to the worthy as urgent. Yao and Shun's wisdom did not extend to all things, because they were urgent about priorities; Yao and Shun's benevolence did not extend to loving everyone, because they were urgent about being close to the worthy. One who cannot keep the three-year mourning yet examines closely the fine details of the three-month and five-month mourning, who eats and drinks greedily yet asks about not biting through dried meat with the teeth, this is called not knowing what is urgent."

孟子曰：「不仁哉，梁惠王也！仁者以其所愛及其所不愛，不仁者以其所不愛及其所愛。」

Mencius said: "How unbenevolent was King Hui of Liang! The benevolent extend what they love to what they do not love; the unbenevolent extend what they do not love to what they love."

公孫丑問曰：「何謂也？」

Gongsun Chou asked: "What does this mean?"

「梁惠王以土地之故，糜爛其民而戰之，大敗，將復之，恐不能勝，故驅其所愛子弟以殉之，是之謂以其所不愛及其所愛也。」

Mencius said: "King Hui of Liang, for the sake of land, had his people torn apart in battle, and was greatly defeated; about to fight again, fearing he could not win, he drove the sons and younger brothers he loved to die for him. This is called extending what he did not love to what he loved."

孟子曰：「《春秋》無義戰。彼善於此，則有之矣。徵者上伐下也，敵國不相徵也。」

Mencius said: "In the Spring and Autumn Annals there are no righteous wars. That one is better than this one does exist. 'Campaign' means the superior punishing the inferior. States of equal rank do not campaign against one another."

孟子曰：「盡信《書》，則不如無《書》。吾於《武成》，取二三策而已矣。仁人無敵於天下。以至仁伐至不仁，而何其血之流杵也？」

Mencius said: "To believe the Book of Documents entirely would be worse than having no Book of Documents. As for the 'Completion of the War,' I accept only two or three bamboo slips. The benevolent have no enemy in the world. If the most benevolent attacked the most unbenevolent, how could blood have floated the pestles?"

孟子曰：「有人曰：『我善為陳，我善為戰。』大罪也。國君好仁，天下無敵焉。南面而征北狄怨，東面而征西夷怨。曰：『奚為後我？』武王之伐殷也，革車三百兩，虎賁三千人。王曰：『無畏！寧爾也，非敵百姓也。』若崩厥角稽首。徵之為言正也，各欲正己也，焉用戰？」

Mencius said: "Some say: 'I am good at drawing up battle lines; I am good at fighting.' That is a great crime. If the ruler of a state loves benevolence, he has no enemy in the world. When he campaigned facing south, the northern Di resented it; when he campaigned facing east, the western Yi resented it. They said: 'Why do you put us last?' When King Wu attacked Yin, he had three hundred war chariots and three thousand tiger-like warriors. The king said: 'Do not be afraid! I come to give you peace, not to be an enemy to the people.' The people knocked their heads to the ground as if a mountain had collapsed. 'Campaign' means to correct; each wants to correct himself; what need is there for fighting?"

孟子曰：「梓匠輪輿能與人規矩，不能使人巧。」

Mencius said: "Carpenters, wheelwrights and cartwrights can give people the compass and square, but cannot make them skillful."

孟子曰：「舜之飯糗茹草也，若將終身焉；及其為天子也，被袗衣，鼓琴，二女果，若固有之。」

Mencius said: "When Shun ate dried rations and wild vegetables, he seemed as if he would be like that for life; when he became Son of Heaven, wearing embroidered robes, playing the zither, with the two daughters attending him, it seemed as if he had always had it."

孟子曰：「吾今而後知殺人親之重也：殺人之父，人亦殺其父；殺人之兄，人亦殺其兄。然則非自殺之也，一閒耳。」

Mencius said: "From now on I know how grave it is to kill another man's kin: if one kills another man's father, another will kill one's father; if one kills another man's elder brother, another will kill one's elder brother. Then one has not killed them oneself, but it differs by only one step."

孟子曰：「古之為關也，將以御暴。今之為關也，將以為暴。」

Mencius said: "In ancient times they set up gates to guard against violence. Now they set up gates to commit violence."

孟子曰：「身不行道，不行於妻子；使人不以道，不能行於妻子。」

Mencius said: "If one does not practice the Way oneself, it will not be practiced even on one's wife and children; if one commands others not according to the Way, one cannot command even one's wife and children."

孟子曰：「周於利者，凶年不能殺；周於德者，邪世不能亂。」

Mencius said: "One who has stored up enough profit cannot be starved by a bad year; one who has stored up enough virtue cannot be thrown into disorder by a wicked age."

孟子曰：「好名之人，能讓千乘之國；苟非其人，簞食豆羹見於色。」

Mencius said: "One who loves fame can yield a state of a thousand chariots; if one is not that kind of person, even a basket of rice and a bowl of soup will show in his expression."

孟子曰：「不信仁賢，則國空虛。無禮義，則上下亂。無政事，則財用不足。」

Mencius said: "If benevolent and worthy people are not trusted, the state is empty. If there is no ritual and righteousness, high and low are in disorder. If there is no government business, resources will be insufficient."

孟子曰：「不仁而得國者，有之矣；不仁而得天下，未之有也。」

Mencius said: "There are those who, being unbenevolent, obtain a state; but there has never been one who, being unbenevolent, obtained the world."

孟子曰：「民為貴，社稷次之，君為輕。是故得乎丘民而為天子，得乎天子為諸侯，得乎諸侯為大夫。諸侯危社稷，則變置。犧牲既成，粢盛既潔，祭祀以時，然而旱乾水溢，則變置社稷。」

Mencius said: "The people are most valuable, the altars of the state come next, and the ruler is of least weight. So one who wins the hearts of the common people becomes Son of Heaven; one who wins the Son of Heaven becomes a lord; one who wins a lord becomes a senior official. If a lord endangers the altars of the state, he is replaced. If the sacrificial victims are already complete, the grain offerings clean, and the sacrifices made at their proper times, and yet there is drought or flood, then the altars are replaced."

孟子曰：「聖人，百世之師也，伯夷、柳下惠是也。故聞伯夷之風者，頑夫廉，懦夫有立志；聞柳下惠之風者，薄夫敦，鄙夫寬。奮乎百世之上。百世之下，聞者莫不興起也。非聖人而能若是乎，而況於親炙之者乎？」

Mencius said: "The sage is the teacher of a hundred generations, as Boyi and Liuxia Hui were. So those who hear the ethos of Boyi, the greedy and obstinate become honest, and the weak gain resolve; those who hear the ethos of Liuxia Hui, the mean become generous, and the narrow become broad-minded. They rose to action a hundred generations ago. After a hundred generations, those who hear of them are all moved. Could anyone but a sage do this, much less those who were personally scorched by their influence?"

孟子曰：「仁也者，人也。合而言之，道也。」

Mencius said: "Benevolence is the human being. Put together, it is the Way."

孟子曰：「孔子之去魯，曰：『遲遲吾行也。』去父母國之道也。去齊，接淅而行，去他國之道也。」

Mencius said: "When Confucius left Lu he said: 'Go slowly.' This is the way of leaving the state of one's parents. When he left Qi, he did not wait to strain the rice he had washed, and left; this is the way of leaving another state."

孟子曰：「君子之戹於陳蔡之閒，無上下之交也。」

Mencius said: "That the noble person was in distress between Chen and Cai was because he had no dealings with those above or below."

貉稽曰：「稽大不理於口。」

Mo Ji said: "I am greatly disliked by people's talk."

孟子曰：「無傷也。士憎茲多口。《詩》云：『憂心悄悄，慍於群小。』孔子也。『肆不殄厥慍，亦不隕厥問。』文王也。」

Mencius said: "No harm. Scholars dislike such gossip. The Book of Songs, in the 'Cypress Boat' ode of the Odes of Bei, says: 'My anxious heart is troubled, I am resented by a crowd of petty people.' This is Confucius. 'And so he did not remove their resentment, nor lose his own good name.' This is King Wen."

孟子曰：「賢者以其昭昭，使人昭昭；今以其昬昬，使人昭昭。」

Mencius said: "The worthy used their own clarity to make others clear; now people use their own confusion to try to make others clear."

孟子謂高子曰：「山徑之蹊閒，介然用之而成路。為閒不用，則茅塞之矣。今茅塞子之心矣。」

Mencius said to Gaozi: "A mountain path, if one walks it steadily, becomes a road. If one does not walk it for a while, couch grass blocks it. Now couch grass blocks your heart."

高子曰：「禹之聲，尚文王之聲。」

Gaozi said: "Yu's music was better than King Wen's music."

孟子曰：「何以言之？」

Mencius said: "On what grounds do you say so?"

曰：「以追蠡。」

Gaozi said: "Because the bell knobs are nearly worn through."

曰：「是奚足哉？城門之軌，兩馬之力與？」

Mencius said: "How could that be enough? Is the rut at the city gate made by the strength of two horses?"

齊飢。陳臻曰：「國人皆以夫子將復為發棠，殆不可復。」

Qi was in famine. Chen Zhen said: "The people of the state all think that you, Master, will again open the granary of Tang, and I fear you must not do so again."

孟子曰：「是為馮婦也。晉人有馮婦者，善搏虎，卒為善士。則之野，有眾逐虎。虎負嵎，莫之敢攖。望見馮婦，趨而迎之。馮婦攘臂下車。眾皆悅之，其為士者笑之。」

Mencius said: "That would be playing Feng Fu. There was a man of Jin named Feng Fu, who was good at fighting tigers, and later became a good gentleman. Out in the countryside, a crowd was chasing a tiger. The tiger had its back to a mountain corner, and no one dared touch it. Seeing Feng Fu, they ran up to greet him. Feng Fu rolled up his sleeves and got down from the cart. The crowd all welcomed him, while those who were gentlemen laughed at him."

孟子曰：「口之於味也，目之於色也，耳之於聲也，鼻之於臭也，四肢之於安佚也，性也，有命焉，君子不謂性也。仁之於父子也，義之於君臣也，禮之於賓主也，智之於賢者也，聖人之於天道也，命也，有性焉，君子不謂命也。」

Mencius said: "The mouth's liking for flavor, the eye's for color, the ear's for sound, the nose's for scent, and the four limbs' for ease are natural, but there is Heaven's decree in them, and the noble person does not call them nature. Benevolence in father and son, righteousness in ruler and minister, ritual in guest and host, wisdom in the worthy, and the sage with respect to the Way of Heaven are decreed, but there is nature in them, and the noble person does not call them decree."

浩生不害問曰：「樂正子，何人也？」

Haosheng Buhai asked: "What sort of person is Yuezheng Zi?"

孟子曰：「善人也，信人也。」

Mencius said: "He is a good man and a trustworthy man."

「何謂善？何謂信？」

(Haosheng Buhai asked:) "What is called good? What is called trustworthy?"

曰：「可欲之謂善，有諸己之謂信。充實之謂美，充實而有光輝之謂大，大而化之之謂聖，聖而不可知之之謂神。樂正子，二之中，四之下也。」

Mencius said: "What is worthy of desire is called good; what exists in oneself is called trustworthy. To be full is called beautiful; to be full and radiant is called great; to be great and able to transform is called sage; to be sage and unfathomable is called divine. Yuezheng Zi is within the two of good and trustworthy, and below the four of beautiful, great, sage and divine."

孟子曰：「逃墨必歸於楊，逃楊必歸於儒。歸，斯受之而已矣。今之與楊墨辯者，如追放豚，既入其苙，又從而招之。」

Mencius said: "One who flees from the Mohists will surely turn to the Yangists, and one who flees from the Yangists will surely turn to the Confucians. When they come back, simply accept them. Now those who debate with the Yangists and Mohists are like those chasing a stray pig, who, after it has already entered the pen, go on to bind its feet."

孟子曰：「有布縷之徵，粟米之徵，力役之徵。君子用其一，緩其二。用其二而民有殍，用其三而父子離。」

Mencius said: "There are levies of cloth and thread, levies of grain, and levies of labor service. The noble person uses one of these and eases the other two. If he uses two, the people starve; if he uses three, fathers and sons are scattered."

孟子曰：「諸侯之寶三：土地，人民，政事。寶珠玉者，殃必及身。」

Mencius said: "A lord has three treasures: land, people and government. One who takes pearls and jade as treasure will surely have disaster fall upon himself."

盆成括仕於齊。孟子曰：「死矣盆成括！」

Pencheng Kuo took office in Qi. Mencius said: "Pencheng Kuo is going to die!"

盆成括見殺。門人問曰：「夫子何以知其將見殺？」

Pencheng Kuo was killed. A disciple asked: "How did you know he would be killed?"

曰：「其為人也小有才，未聞君子之大道也，則足以殺其軀而已矣。」

Mencius said: "He was a person with a little talent but had not heard of the great Way of the noble person, which was enough to get his body killed, that is all."

孟子之滕，館於上宮。有業屨於牖上，館人求之弗得。或問之曰：「若是乎從者之廀也？」

Mencius went to Teng and lodged at the Upper Palace. There was an unfinished sandal on the window, and the keeper of the lodge looked for it and could not find it. Someone asked Mencius: "Do your followers hide things like this?"

曰：「子以是為竊屨來與？」

Mencius said: "Do you think they came in order to steal sandals?"

曰：「殆非也。夫子之設科也，往者不追，來者不距。苟以是心至，斯受之而已矣。」

Mencius said: "Probably not. The Master sets up his teaching: those who leave are not pursued, and those who come are not refused. If they come with such a heart, simply accept them."

孟子曰：「人皆有所不忍，達之於其所忍，仁也；人皆有所不為，達之於其所為，義也。人能充無慾害人之心，而仁不可勝用也；人能充無穿逾之心，而義不可勝用也。人能充無受爾汝之實，無所往而不為義也。士未可以言而言，是以言餂之也；可以言而不言，是以不言餂之也，是皆穿逾之類也。」

Mencius said: "Everyone has something he cannot bear to do; extending that to what he can bear to do is benevolence. Everyone has something he will not do; extending that to what he does is righteousness. If a person can fill out the heart that does not want to harm others, benevolence will be inexhaustible in use; if a person can fill out the heart that does not want to dig through walls and climb over them, righteousness will be inexhaustible in use. If a person can fill out the substance of not accepting being addressed contemptuously as 'you,' then there is nowhere he goes that is not righteous. For a scholar to speak when he should not speak is to probe with words; to not speak when he should speak is to probe with silence; both are of the sort of digging through walls and climbing over them."

孟子曰：「言近而指遠者，善言也；守約而施博者，善道也。君子之言也，不下帶而道存焉。君子之守，修其身而天下平。人病舍其田而芸人之田，所求於人者重，而所以自任者輕。」

Mencius said: "Words that are near yet whose purport is far are good words; keeping to the essentials while extending broadly is the good Way. The noble person's words do not go below the belt, yet the Way lies within them. The noble person's discipline lies in cultivating himself, and the world is at peace. The fault of people is to give up their own field and weed another's field, demanding a lot of others while taking little upon themselves."

孟子曰：「堯舜，性者也；湯武，反之也。動容周旋中禮者，盛德之至也；哭死而哀，非為生者也；經德不回，非以干祿也；言語必信，非以正行也。君子行法，以俟命而已矣。」

Mencius said: "Yao and Shun had it as their natural endowment; Tang and Wu returned to it. That every movement, appearance and turn accords with ritual is the utmost of abundant virtue; weeping for the dead with grief is not for the sake of the living; holding to virtue without crookedness is not to seek salary; speaking always with sincerity is not to make one's conduct upright. The noble person acts according to the rules and waits for Heaven's decree, that is all."

孟子曰：「說大人，則藐之，勿視其巍巍然。堂高數仞，榱題數尺，我得志弗為也；食前方丈，侍妾數百人，我得志弗為也；般樂飲酒，驅騁田獵，後車千乘，我得志弗為也。在彼者，皆我所不為也；在我者，皆古之制也，吾何畏彼哉？」

Mencius said: "When you persuade a great man, look down on him and do not look at his imposing air. His hall is several ren high and its eaves several feet; if I attained my aims, I would not do that. Food laid out ten feet square before him and hundreds of concubines; if I attained my aims, I would not do that. Pleasure and drinking, galloping and hunting, a thousand chariots following behind; if I attained my aims, I would not do that. What he has are all what I would not do; what I have are all the institutions of antiquity; why should I fear him?"

孟子曰：「養心莫善於寡慾。其為人也寡慾，雖有不存焉者，寡矣；其為人也多欲，雖有存焉者，寡矣。」

Mencius said: "For nourishing the heart, nothing is better than having few desires. A person with few desires, even if there is something not preserved, it is little; a person with many desires, even if there is something preserved, it is little."

曾皙嗜羊棗，而曾子不忍食羊棗。公孫丑問曰：「膾炙與羊棗孰美？」

Zeng Xi was fond of sheep dates, and Master Zeng could not bear to eat sheep dates. Gongsun Chou asked: "Which is better, minced roast meat or sheep dates?"

孟子曰：「膾炙哉！」

Mencius said: "Minced roast meat!"

公孫丑曰：「然則曾子何為食膾炙而不食羊棗？」

Gongsun Chou said: "Then why did Master Zeng eat minced roast meat but not sheep dates?"

曰：「膾炙所同也，羊棗所獨也。諱名不諱姓，姓所同也，名所獨也。」

Mencius said: "Minced roast meat is something shared; sheep dates were his father's own. One avoids using a personal name but not the family name; the family name is shared, and the personal name is one's own."

萬章問曰：「孔子在陳曰：『盍歸乎來！吾黨之士狂簡，進取，不忘其初。』孔子在陳，何思魯之狂士？」

Wan Zhang asked: "When Confucius was in Chen he said: 'Why not return! The scholars of my home district are unrestrained and unfussy, ambitious, and do not forget their beginnings.' When Confucius was in Chen, why did he think of the unrestrained scholars of Lu?"

孟子曰：「孔子『不得中道而與之，必也狂獧乎！狂者進取，獧者有所不為也』。孔子豈不欲中道哉？不可必得，故思其次也。」

Mencius said: "Confucius said: 'If I cannot find people of the middle way to be with, it must be the unrestrained and the cautious! The unrestrained are ambitious, and the cautious do not do certain things.' Would Confucius not want people of the middle way? He could not be sure of getting them, so he thought of the next best."

「敢問何如斯可謂狂矣？」

(Wan Zhang asked:) "May I ask what could be called unrestrained?"

曰：「如琴張、曾皙、牧皮者，孔子之所謂狂矣。」

Mencius said: "Such as Qin Zhang, Zeng Xi and Mu Pi, whom Confucius called the unrestrained."

「何以謂之狂也？」

(Wan Zhang asked:) "Why are they called unrestrained?"

曰：「其志嘐嘐然，曰『古之人，古之人』。夷考其行而不掩焉者也。狂者又不可得，欲得不屑不潔之士而與之，是獧也，是又其次也。孔子曰：『過我門而不入我室，我不憾焉者，其惟鄉原乎！鄉原，德之賊也。』」

Mencius said: "Their aims are lofty and grand, saying 'The ancients! The ancients!' But when one examines their conduct plainly, it does not live up to it. Since the unrestrained cannot be had, one wants to get scholars who disdain what is impure and be with them; these are the cautious, and this is the next best. Confucius said: 'Those who pass by my gate and do not enter my room, whom I do not regret, are only the village worthies! The village worthy is the thief of virtue.'"

曰：「何如斯可謂之鄉原矣？」

Wan Zhang said: "What can be called a village worthy?"

曰：「『何以是嘐嘐也？言不顧行，行不顧言，則曰：古之人，古之人。行何為踽踽涼涼？生斯世也，為斯世也，善斯可矣。』閹然媚於世也者，是鄉原也。」

Mencius said: "'Why are they so grand? Their words do not look to their conduct, and their conduct does not look to their words, yet they say: The ancients! The ancients! Why is their conduct so lonely and cold? Born in this age, one acts for this age, and it is fine if one gets by.' One who fawns on the age in a smooth way is a village worthy."

萬子曰：「一鄉皆稱原人焉，無所往而不為原人，孔子以為德之賊，何哉？」

Wan Zhang said: "The whole village calls him a worthy man, and wherever he goes he is a worthy man; why did Confucius consider him a thief of virtue?"

曰：「非之無舉也，刺之無刺也；同乎流俗，合乎汙世；居之似忠信，行之似廉潔；眾皆悅之，自以為是，而不可與入堯舜之道，故曰德之賊也。孔子曰：『惡似而非者：惡莠，恐其亂苗也；惡佞，恐其亂義也；惡利口，恐其亂信也；惡鄭聲，恐其亂樂也；惡紫，恐其亂朱也；惡鄉原，恐其亂德也。』君子反經而已矣。經正，則庶民興；庶民興，斯無邪慝矣。」

Mencius said: "One finds nothing to point out in blaming him and nothing to pick on in criticizing him; he goes with the common current and fits in with the corrupt age; in his dwelling he seems loyal and trustworthy, and in his conduct he seems honest and incorruptible; the multitude are all pleased with him and he thinks himself right, yet one cannot enter the Way of Yao and Shun with him, and so he is called a thief of virtue. Confucius said: 'I hate what seems right but is not: I hate weeds, for fear they will confuse the sprouts; I hate flatterers, for fear they will confuse righteousness; I hate glib talkers, for fear they will confuse good faith; I hate the tunes of Zheng, for fear they will confuse true music; I hate purple, for fear it will confuse vermilion; I hate village worthies, for fear they will confuse virtue.' The noble person simply returns to the constant way. When the constant way is right, the common people rise up; when the common people rise up, there is no evil."

孟子曰：「由堯舜至於湯，五百有餘歲，若禹、皋陶，則見而知之；若湯，則聞而知之。由湯至於文王，五百有餘歲，若伊尹、萊朱則見而知之；若文王，則聞而知之。由文王至於孔子，五百有餘歲，若太公望、散宜生，則見而知之；若孔子，則聞而知之。由孔子而來至於今，百有餘歲，去聖人之世，若此其未遠也；近聖人之居，若此其甚也，然而無有乎爾，則亦無有乎爾。」

Mencius said: "From Yao and Shun to Tang was more than five hundred years; people like Yu and Gao Yao saw it with their own eyes and knew it; people like Tang heard of it and knew it. From Tang to King Wen was more than five hundred years; people like Yi Yin and Lai Zhu saw it with their own eyes and knew it; people like King Wen heard of it and knew it. From King Wen to Confucius was more than five hundred years; people like Taigong Wang and San Yisheng saw it with their own eyes and knew it; people like Confucius heard of it and knew it. From Confucius until now is a little over a hundred years; the distance from the age of the sage is not far like this; the closeness to the sage's dwelling is so near; yet there is no one who has it, so there will be no one who has it, I suppose."