Li Lou, Part Two

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.