Mencius 孟子
Mencius 孟子
Qs {C-C2OY]vF0A translation in progress by Dan Robins
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公都子曰：「外人皆稱夫子好辯。敢問何也？」
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：『洚水警余。』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。
「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。咸以正無缺。』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。』
「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，廐有肥馬；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。閑先聖之道，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。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。」
Gongduzi said, “Outsiders all say that you love argument, master. I dare ask, what?”
Mencius said, “Do I love argument? I cannot avoid it. The life of the world has been long. At one time it is orderly, at another time it is chaotic. In the time of Yao, waters went against their courses, inundating the central states. Snakes and dragons occupied them, and for the people nothing was stable. Those below made nests, those above hollowed out caves. The Documents say, ‘The floodwaters warned me.’[1] He sent Yu to order them. Yu dug up the ground and opened a way to the sea. He drove off the snakes and dragons and released them in the grassy marshes. The waters proceeded through the ground, for example the Yangzi, the Huai, the Yellow River, and the Han.[2] These dangers and obstacles having been removed, the birds and beasts who harmed people were reduced. After this, people achieved flat ground, and occupied it.
“When Yao and Shun had passed away, the way of the sages declined. Cruel rulers arose to take one another’s place. They wrecked halls and houses to make ponds, and the people had nowhere to find peace or rest. They abandoned farmlands to make parks, making the people have nothing to wear or eat. Wicked theories and cruel conduct also arose. Parks, pools, and marshes multiplied and birds and beasts arrived. When it came to Zhou, the world was again in great chaos.[3] The Duke of Zhou served King Wu as chief minister. He put Zhou to death. He attacked Yan, and after three years he put down its ruler.[4] He drove Feilian to a corner of the sea and massacred him. The states he extinguished numbered fifty. He drove the tigers, panthers, rhinoceroses, and elephants far away. The world was very happy. The Documents say, ‘How distinguished a manifestation! — the plans of King Wen. How distinguished a continuation! — the accomplishments of King Wu. They help and inform us descendents. They are generally correct, and lack nothing.’ Their age declined and the way became obscure. Wicked theories and cruel conduct again arose. It is there when subjects murdered their rulers, and it is there when sons kill their fathers. Confucius was scared, and made the Spring and Autumn Annals.[5] The Spring and Autumn Annals are the business of the Son of Nature.[6] For this reaso Confucius said, ‘Those who know me — will it be only on account of the Spring and Autumn? Those who find fault with me — will it be only on account of the Spring and Autumn?’
“Sages do not arise, the various lords are debauched. Unemployed scholars debate unreasonably, the words of Yang Zhu and Mo Di fill the world. What the world says, if it does not go back to Yang then it goes back to Mo. Mr Yang is for himself, this is to have no ruler. Mr Mo cares for everybody, this is to have no father. Having no ruler and having no father — these are birds and beasts. Gongming Yi said, ‘The kitchen has fat meat, the stables have fat horses, but the people have the look of hunger and the fields have people starving in them — this leads animals to eat people.’[7] If the ways of Yang and Mo do not rest, the way of Confucius are not made known, these wicked theories will delude the people, and block benevolence and duty. If benevolence and duty are blocked, this will lead animals do eat people. People will eat people.
“I am scared by this. I defend the former sagely way, and oppose Yang and Mo. I send away their seductive statements, and their wicked theories cannot arise. What arises in their hearts does harm to their business, what arises in their business does harm to their government. If sages arise again, they will not change what I say. In the past, Yu restrained the floodwaters, and the world was settled. The Duke of Zhou brought together the Yi and the Di, and drove off the wild animal, and the hundred clans found peace. Confucius completed the Spring and Autumn, and chaotic subjects and thieving sons were scared. An Ode says, ‘The Rong and the Di people he punished, Jing and Shu he chastised, and note dared stand up to us.’[8] Having no father and having no ruler is what the Duke of Zhou punished. I also want to correct people’s hearts, put evil theories to rest, oppose one-sided conduct, send away seductive statements, in order to continue the work of the three sages. Do I love argument? I cannot avoid it. One who can use words to oppose Yang and Mo is a follower of the sages.”
Notes
[1] These words are supposed to have been spoken by Shun to Yu. I am leaving out of the translation a comment Mencius makes to explain the quotation (洚水者洪水也), because I do not know how to translate it into English except as “Floodwaters are floodwaters.” (The Chinese uses two different words, but still...)
[2] The meaning is apparently that the waters stuck to specific courses in the earth, rather than flowing all over the surface.
[3] Zhou was the last king of the Shang dynasty; in Chinese his name is neither written nor pronounced the same as the dynasy that replaced his (紂 king vs. 周 the dynasty). One of his ministers, Feilian, will be mentioned below.
[4] This is not the same Yan that was invaded by Qi when Mencius was a minister there (奄 vs. 燕).
[5] The Spring and Autumn (春秋) was a chronicle of the state of Lu during the period that is now named after it. It is unlikely that Confucius had anything to do with it, but tradition credits him with having edited it, expressing moral judgments by means of subtle word choices. Here Mencius credits him with actually writing the thing.
[6] “Son of Heaven” would be a more familiar translation; the expression refers to the emperor.
[7] The same words are attributed to Mencius in 1A/4.
[8] The first two clauses of this quotation are attributed to something called the Hymn to Lu in 3A/4.
4B/11
孟子曰：「大人者，言不必信，行不必果。惟義所在。」
Mencius said, “Great people, their words are not always trustworthy and their actions do not always have results. Duty is all.”
4B/26
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，茍求其故，千歲之日至，可坐而致也。」
Mencius said, “The xing that the world speaks of is nothing but initial conditions. As for initial conditions, they take benefiting to be the root. What they hate in the wise is their boring through. If the wise were like Yu in channeling the waters, then there would be nothing to hate in their wisdom. In channeling the waters, Yu channeled them where there was no effort. If the wide also channeled where there was no effort, then their wisdom would indeed be great. Despite the height of the heavens and the distance of the starts, if we only seek out their initial conditions, the solstice of a thousand years hence can be known while we sit.”
4B/28
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 makes the gentleman different from others is that he preserves his heart. The gentleman uses benevolence to preserve his heart, he uses ritual to preserve his heart. One who is benevolent cares for others, one who has ritual respects others. One who cares for others, others normally care for him. One who respects others, others normally respect him. Suppose there is a person. If he treats one outrageously, then a gentleman always turns to himself: ‘I must not have been benevolent, I must not have had the ritual, how could it be fitting for this thing to arrive?’ If he turns to himself and he was benevolent, and he turns to himself and he had the ritual, but the outrageous behaviour is still so, then the gentleman always turns to himself: ‘I must have been disloyal.’ If he turns to himself and he was loyal, and the outrageous behaviour continues, the gentleman says, ‘This is just a crazy person. How could one choose between someone like this and an animal? What difficulty can I have with an animal?’ For this reason, the gentleman has something to worry about his whole life, he does not have a morning’s disaster. As for what he worries about, he has it. ‘Shun was a person, and I am also a person. Shun provided a model for the world that could be passed on to later generations. I still do not avoid being a village person.’ This then is worth worrying about. How does one worry about it? Just like Shun. As for what the gentleman considers a disaster, it is gone. He does nothing that is not benevolent, he does nothing that is not the ritual. If there were a morning’s disaster, the gentleman would not consider it a disaster.”
5A/5
萬章曰：「堯以天下與舜，有諸？」孟子曰：「否。天子不能以天下與人。」
「然則舜有天下也，孰與之？」曰：「天與之。」
「天與之者，諄諄然命之乎？」
曰：「否。天不言，以行與事示之而已矣。」
曰：「以行與事示之者，如之何？」
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。』」
曰：「敢問：『薦之於天而天受之，暴之於民而民受之，』如何？」
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。《泰誓》曰：『天視自我民視，天聽自我民聽。』此之謂也。」
Wan Zhang said, “Yao gave the world to Shun — is that what happened?”
Mencius said, “No. The emperor cannot give the world to another.”
“Then when Shun possessed the world, who gave it to him?”
“Nature (tian 天) gave it to him.”
“When did nature give it to him, did it give repeated and specific orders?”
“No. Nature does not speak. It is only revealed in its actions.”
“How is it revealed in its actions?”
“The emperor can recommend someone to nature, but cannot make nature give him the world. The various lords can recommend someone to the emperor, but cannot make the emperor appoint him a lord. A Great Minister can recommend someone to the various lords, but cannot make the lords appoint him a Great Minister. In the past, Yao recommended Shun to nature and nature accepted him, he showed him to the people and the people accepted him. Thus I say, nature does not speak. It is only revealed in its actions.”
“I dare ask, how was it that he was recommended to nature and nature accepted him, and he was shown to the people and the people accepted him?”
“He put him in charge of the sacrifices and one hundred spirits enjoyed it; this was nature accepting him. He put him in charge of affairs, and affairs were kept in order and the hundred clans were at peace; this was the people accepting him. Nature gave it to him, people gave it to him. Thus I say, the emperor cannot give the world to another. Shun was Yao’s minister for twenty eight years, this is not something people could have brought about, it was nature. Yao died, and after three years of mourning Shun went south of the southern river to get out of the way of Yao’s son. Of the various lords of the world, those who sought an audience with the emperor went did not go to Yao’s son, they went to Shun. Those engaging in litigation did not go to Yao’s son, they went to Shun. Those who sang praise did not sing the praise of Yao’s son, they sang the praise of Shun. Thus I say it is nature. And it was only after this that he went to the central kingdoms and ascended to the position of emperor. If he had [immediately] taken up residence in Yao’s palace and expelled Yao’s son, that would have been usurpation, in would not have been nature giving it. The Tai Shi says, ‘Nature sees with the eyes of my people, nature hears with the ears of my people.’ This is what I meant.”
5B/9
齊宣王問卿。孟子曰：「王何『卿』之問也？」
王曰：「卿不同乎？」
曰：「不同：有貴戚之卿，有異姓之卿。」
王曰：「請問『貴戚之卿。』」
曰：「君有大過則諫。反覆之而不聽，則易位。」
王勃然變乎色。
曰：「王勿異也。王問臣，臣不敢不以正對。」
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。」
King Xuan of Qi asked about ministers. Mencius said, “What sort of ministers are you asking about?”
The king said, “Ministers are not all the same?”
“They are not the same. There are ministers of honourable families, and there are ministers of different clans.”
The king said, “May I ask about ministers of honourable families?”
“If their ruler makes a great mistake and they remonstrate with him. If this happens repeatedly and he does not listen, then they replace him.”
The king’s expression suddenly changed.
“Do not think it strange. You asked me, and I did not dare say something incorrect in reply.”
The king’s expression became fixed, and then he asked about ministers of different clans.
“If their ruler makes a mistake, then they remonstrate with him. If this happens repeatedly and he does not listen, then they leave.”
6B/1
任人有問屋廬子曰：「禮與食孰重？」
曰：「禮重。」
「色與禮孰重？」
「禮重。」
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？」
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？踰東家牆而摟其處子則得妻，不摟則不得妻，則將摟之乎？』」
A person of Ren[1] asked Wuluzi, “Out of rituals and eating, which is more important?”
“Rituals are more important.”
“Out of sex and rituals, which is more important?”
“Rituals are more important.”
“If one will starve to death if one eats according to the rituals but one can get food if one does not eat according to the rituals, must one follow the rituals? If one will not get a wife if one fetches the bride, but one will get a wife if one does not fetch the bride, must one fetch the bride?[2]”
Wuluzi could not reply. The next day he went to Zou, and told Mencius. Mencius said, “What is there in answering this? If you do not measure off their bases but line up their tips, then a square inch of wood can me made as tall as the peak of a high building. That gold is heavier than feathers, is that about one clasp of gold and a cartload of feathers? Choosing a heavy case of eating and a light case of ritual and comparing them — why say only that food is heavier?[3] Choosing a heavy case of ssex and a light case of ritual and comparing them — why say only that sex is heavier?
Go and respond to him, ‘If you could get food by twisting your elder brother’s arm and grabbing it, but you would not get food if you did not twist it, then would you twist it? If you could get a wife by going over the master of the house’s wall and dragging away his virgin child, but you could not get a wife if you did not drag her away, then would you drag her away?’”
Notes
[1] Ren was a tiny state.
[2] “Fetching the bride” (qin ying 親迎) is the part of the wedding ceremony where the groom goes to the bride’s home to pick her up.
[3] As you can probably guess, “heavy” and “light” here are, maybe less literally, “important” and “unimportant.” The point of the rhetorical question here is generally taken to be: if you’re going to set things up so unevenly, there are a lot more ridiculous conclusions you can draw, why stop there?
6B/4
宋牼將之楚，孟子遇於石丘。曰：「先生將何之？」
曰：「吾聞秦、楚搆兵。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。」
曰：「軻也請無問其詳，願聞其指。說之將何如？」
曰：「我將言其不利也。」
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？」
Song Xing was on his way to Chu, and Mencius encountered him at Shi Qiu. He said, “Where are you going, sir?”
“I have heard that Qin and Chu are at war. I am going to see the king of Chu, to persuade him to stop it. If the king of Chu is not happy with this, then I will go to the king of Qin, to persuade him to stop it. I will find what I am looking for in one of these two kings.”
“I do not ask to know the details, but I would like to hear your main point. How will you explain it?”
“I will say that [the war] is not beneficial.”
“Your intent is great, sir, but your slogan is unacceptable. If you use benefit to persuade the kings of Qin and Chu, and benefit makes the kings happy, and for that reason they stop their armies — then when their soldiers enjoy stepping down, it is benefit that makes them happy. If subjects cherish benefit in serving their rulers, if sons cherish benefit in serving their fathers, if younger brothers cherish benefit in serving their older brothers — in the end rulers and subjects, fathers and sons, and older and younger brothers will reject benevolence and duty and cherish benefit when they interact. There has never been anybody who acted like this and was not lost.
“If you use benevolence and duty to persuade the kings of Qin and Chu, and benevolence and duty make the kings happy, and for that reason they stop their armies — then when their soldiers enjoy stepping down it is benevolence and duty that makes them happy. If subjects cherish benevolence and duty in serving their rulers, if sons cherish benevolence and duty in serving their fathers, if younger brothers cherish benevolence and duty in serving their older brothers — this is rulers and subjects, fathers and sons, and older and younger brothers rejecting benefit and cherishing benevolence and duty when they interact. There has never been anybody who acted this way and failed to be a king. Why must you say ‘benefit’?”
7B/24
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 way the mouth is to flavors, the way the eyes are to colors, the way the ear is to sounds, the way the nose is to smells, the way the four limbs are to comfort — these are xing. There is fate in them, and the gentleman does not call them xing. The kindness between fathers and sons, the duties between rulers and ministers, the rituals between guests and hosts, the wisdom among the worthy, and the sage in relation to nature’s way — these are fate. There is xing in them, and the gentleman does not call them fate.”
7B/31
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。人能充無欲害人之心，而仁不可勝用也。人能充無穿窬之心，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，是以言髑之也。可以言而不言，是以不言髑之也。是皆穿窬之類也。」
Mencius said, “People all have what they cannot bear to do. Making it reach to what they can bear to do is kindness. People all have what they will not do. Making it reach to what they will do is duty. [...]
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