Gaozi, Part Two

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."