Jin Xin, Part I

Mencius said, “One who exhausts his heart to the utmost knows his nature. Knowing his nature, he knows Heaven. Preserving his heart and nourishing his nature is the way to serve Heaven. Whether one lives a long or short life, one does not waver but cultivates himself to await Heaven’s decree—this is the way to establish one’s destiny.”

Mencius said, “There is nothing that is not decreed by Heaven. Accept it and receive what is proper. Therefore, one who knows Heaven does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. To die having fully acted according to righteousness is to receive a proper destiny. To die in shackles and cangue is to receive an improper destiny.”

Mencius said, “‘Seek and you will obtain; let go and you will lose’—this is seeking that benefits obtaining, for what is sought lies within oneself. ‘Seeking has a method, but obtaining depends on destiny’—this is seeking that does not benefit obtaining, for what is sought lies outside oneself.”

Mencius said, “All things are complete within me. To reflect upon oneself and find sincerity—there is no greater joy. To practice the art of sympathetic consideration with effort—there is no nearer path to Ren.”

Mencius said, “To act without understanding the principle, to do habitually without examining the reason, to follow the path all one’s life without knowing what it is—such is the common person.”

Mencius said, “A person cannot be without a sense of shame. To take the lack of shame as shameful—then there will be no disgrace.”

Mencius said, “The sense of shame is of great importance to a person. Those who engage in cunning and deceit have no use for a sense of shame. If one is not ashamed of being inferior to others, how can one ever catch up to them?”

Mencius said, “The ancient sage-kings delighted in good conduct and forgot their power. Were not the worthy scholars of antiquity also like this? They delighted in their own righteousness and forgot the power of others. Therefore, if princes and dukes did not show utmost respect and ritual propriety, they could not repeatedly see such scholars. If they could not even see them frequently, how much less could they make them their ministers?”

Mencius said to Song Goujian, “You delight in persuading the lords of the states, do you not? I will tell you the mindset for persuasion: When others understand you, you are serene; when others do not understand you, you are also serene.”

Song Goujian asked, “How can one attain such serenity?”

Mencius said, “By honoring virtue and delighting in Ren and Yi, one can attain serenity. Thus, when a scholar is in distress, he does not lose Ren and Yi; when he is successful, he does not deviate from the Way. When in distress without losing Ren and Yi, the scholar finds joy in himself. When successful without deviating from the Way, the people do not lose hope. The ancients, when their ambitions were realized, bestowed grace upon the people; when their ambitions were not realized, they cultivated themselves to be seen in the world. In distress, they cultivated themselves alone; in success, they benefited the whole world.”

Mencius said, “Those who wait for King Wen to arise before they stir themselves are ordinary people. As for heroic scholars, they stir themselves even without King Wen.”

Mencius said, “If one adds the wealth of the Han and Wei families to him, yet he still regards himself as insufficient with humility, then he far surpasses ordinary people.”

Mencius said, “When the people are employed in a way that gives them ease, even if they labor, they do not resent it. When the people are killed in a way that allows them to live, even those who are killed do not resent the killer.”

Mencius said, “The people of a hegemonic ruler are joyful and content; the people of a true king are broad-minded and open. They are killed without resentment; benefits are given without attributing merit. The people daily move toward goodness without knowing who makes them so. Where a junzi passes, transformation occurs; where he abides, there is a spiritual effect. He moves in unison with Heaven above and Earth below—can it be said that this is merely a small benefit?”

Mencius said, “Virtuous words are not as deeply penetrating as virtuous music. Good government is not as winning of the people as good education. Good government makes the people fear it; good education makes the people love it. Good government obtains the people’s wealth; good education obtains the people’s hearts.”

Mencius said, “What a person can do without learning is innate ability. What a person knows without thinking is innate knowledge. A child of two or three years knows to love its parents; when grown, it knows to respect its elder brother. Loving parents is Ren; respecting elders is Yi. There is nothing else—these two virtues pervade the world.”

Mencius said, “When Shun lived in the deep mountains, he dwelled with trees and stones and roamed with deer and boars. He differed little from the wild people of the mountains. But when he heard a single good word or saw a single good deed, it was like the bursting of a river—a mighty flood that nothing could stop.”

Mencius said, “Do not do what you should not do; do not desire what you should not desire. That is all.”

Mencius said, “The reason why a person acquires virtue, wisdom, strategy, and talent is often because of adversity. It is only those who are distant ministers and secondary sons—who are anxious and thoughtful about calamities—that thereby understand affairs.”

Mencius said, “There are those who serve a ruler to please him; there are ministers who take delight in bringing peace to the state; there are Heavenly people who wait until the Way can be practiced in the world before they act; there are great people who rectify themselves, and then all things become rectified.”

Mencius said, “A junzi has three joys, and ruling over the world is not among them. That both parents are alive and brothers are without trouble is the first joy. That looking up, one is not ashamed before Heaven, and looking down, one is not ashamed before others, is the second joy. That one obtains the finest talents of the world and educates them is the third joy. A junzi has three joys, and ruling over the world is not among them.”

Mencius said, “Broad lands and numerous people—a junzi desires these, but his joy does not lie in them. To stand at the center of the world and bring peace to its people—a junzi delights in this, but his nature does not lie in this. The nature of a junzi—even if his Way prevails throughout the world, it does not increase; even if he is destitute and alone, it does not diminish, for his portion is fixed. The nature of a junzi has Ren, Yi, Li, and Zhi rooted in his heart. They manifest in his countenance—a clear and harmonious radiance appearing on his face and filling his back. They flow to his four limbs, and his four limbs understand without words.”

Mencius said, “Bo Yi fled from the tyrant Zhou and lived on the northern shore of the sea. Hearing that King Wen had arisen, he said, ‘Why not go to him? I have heard that the Western Lord is good at caring for the elderly.’ Jiang Taigong fled from the tyrant Zhou and lived on the eastern shore of the sea. Hearing that King Wen had arisen, he said, ‘Why not go to him? I have heard that the Western Lord is good at caring for the elderly.’ When there is one in the world who is good at caring for the elderly, the benevolent regard him as their home. With a homestead of five mu, planting mulberry trees by the wall, and women raising silkworms, the elderly can wear silk. With five hens and two sows, not missing their breeding seasons, the elderly can eat meat. With a hundred mu of land, cultivated by the men, a family of eight will not go hungry. What is meant by the Western Lord being good at caring for the elderly is that he set up the land system, taught the people planting and animal husbandry, and guided their wives and children to care for the old. Those of fifty years are not warm without silk; those of seventy are not full without meat. To be neither warm nor full is called suffering cold and hunger. Among King Wen’s people, there were no elderly who suffered cold and hunger—this is what is meant.”

Mencius said, “Put the fields in good order and reduce taxes—then the people can be made wealthy. Eat according to the seasons and spend according to ritual—then resources will never be exhausted. Without water and fire, the people cannot live. If you knock on someone’s door at dusk or night to ask for water or fire, there is none who will not give it, because water and fire are abundant. When a sage governs the world, he makes grain as abundant as water and fire. When grain is as abundant as water and fire, how could the people fail to be benevolent?”

Mencius said, “When Confucius ascended the Eastern Hill, Lu seemed small to him; when he ascended Mount Tai, the whole empire seemed small. Therefore, one who has seen the sea finds it difficult to be attracted by ordinary waters; one who has studied under a sage finds it difficult to be attracted by ordinary words. There is a method in observing water: one must look at its rolling waves. The sun and moon shine with brilliance, and their light enters even the smallest crevice. Flowing water does not move forward until it has filled the hollows. A gentleman who sets his mind on the Way does not attain comprehension until he has achieved a certain level of accomplishment.”

Mencius said, “Those who rise at cockcrow and tirelessly practice good deeds are of the same kind as Shun. Those who rise at cockcrow and tirelessly pursue profit are of the same kind as Robber Zhi. If you wish to know the difference between Shun and Robber Zhi, there is nothing else—it is simply the difference between profit and goodness.”

Mencius said, “Yangzi advocates ‘for oneself’: he would not pluck out a single hair even if it would benefit the entire world. Mozi advocates ‘universal love’: he would wear himself from head to heel if it would benefit the entire world. Zimo advocates ‘holding the middle.’ Holding the middle is closer to correctness. But holding the middle without flexibility is like clinging to one point. The reason for disliking clinging to one point is that it harms the Way. It seizes one point and discards all the rest.”

Mencius said, “The hungry find any food delicious; the thirsty find any drink sweet. This is because they have not tasted the proper flavor of food and drink, and hunger and thirst have damaged their sense of taste. Is it only the mouth and belly that suffer such damage from hunger and thirst? The human heart is also subject to similar damage. If a person can prevent the damage of hunger and thirst from harming his heart-and-nature, then even if he falls short of others, he need not worry.”

Mencius said, “Liuxia Hui did not change his integrity even for the position of the three highest ministers.”

Mencius said, “A person of action is like one digging a well. If he digs down ninety feet but does not reach the spring, it is still a useless well.”

Mencius said, “Yao and Shun possessed Ren and Yi by their nature. Tang and King Wu personally practiced Ren and Yi. The Five Hegemons borrowed Ren and Yi. If one borrows for a long time and does not return, how can one know that they originally did not possess them?”

Gongsun Chou said, “Yi Yin said, ‘I do not associate with those who are not in accord with principle.’ Thereupon he banished Tai Jia to Tong Palace, and the people were greatly pleased. When Tai Jia became worthy, he brought him back, and the people were greatly pleased. When a worthy is a minister and his ruler is not worthy, may he banish him as a matter of course?”

Mencius said, “If he has the heart of Yi Yin, he may. If he does not have the heart of Yi Yin, it is usurpation.”

Gongsun Chou said, “The Book of Odes says, ‘Do not eat the bread of idleness.’ If a gentleman does not plow, how can he eat?”

Mencius said, “When a gentleman resides in a state, if the ruler employs him, he can bring the state to peace, prosperity, honor, and glory; if the young follow and learn from him, they become filial to parents, respectful to elders, loyal, and trustworthy. ‘Do not eat the bread of idleness’—is there any greater contribution than this?”

Prince Dian asked, “What should a scholar (shi) do?”

Mencius said, “Make his will high.”

Prince Dian asked, “What does it mean to make the will high?”

Mencius said, “It is simply to practice Ren and Yi. To kill an innocent person is not Ren; to take what is not rightfully one’s own is not Yi. Where does the heart dwell? Ren is it. Where does the path lie? Yi is it. Dwelling in Ren and walking in Yi—the business of the great man is complete.”

Mencius said, “Chen Zhongzi—if it were against Yi to give him the state of Qi, he would not accept it, and people all believe in him. But this is merely the small Yi of rejecting a basket of rice and a bowl of soup. There is no greater crime than to disregard the distinctions between kin, ruler and minister, and superior and inferior. Because he has a small integrity, to believe he has great virtue—how can this be?”

Tao Ying asked, “If Shun was emperor and Gao Yao was the judge, and Gusou killed someone, what would be done?”

Mencius said, “He would be arrested.”

Tao Ying asked, “Then Shun would not stop it?”

Mencius said, “How could Shun stop it? Gao Yao had the law to uphold.”

Tao Ying asked, “Then what would Shun do?”

Mencius said, “Shun would regard abandoning the empire as throwing away a worn-out sandal. He would secretly carry his father on his back and flee, live by the seashore, and be happy all his life, joyfully forgetting the empire.”

Mencius, going from Fan to Qi, saw the son of the King of Qi from afar and sighed, saying, “The environment changes one’s qi (vital force); the conditions of nurture change one’s body. How great is the influence of environment! Is he not also the son of a man?”

Mencius said, “The prince’s palaces, carriages, horses, and clothes are mostly the same as others’, yet he appears so—it is his environment that makes him so. How much more so for one who dwells in ‘the broadest dwelling under heaven’ (Ren)! When the ruler of Lu went to Song, he called out at the Dieze Gate. The gatekeeper said, ‘This is not our ruler—why does his voice resemble our ruler’s so?’ There was no other reason—it was simply that their environments were similar.”

Mencius said, “To nourish someone without loving them is to treat them like a pig. To love someone without respecting them is to treat them like a domestic animal. The heart of respect exists before the gift is presented. If respect lacks substance, a gentleman cannot be detained by empty formalities.”

Mencius said, “The human form and appearance are natural (endowed by Heaven). Only the sage can fully realize this nature through practice.”

King Xuan of Qi wished to shorten the mourning period. Gongsun Chou said, “To mourn for one year is better than to stop mourning altogether, is it not?”

Mencius said, “This is like someone twisting his elder brother’s arm, and you say to him, ‘Slowly, slowly’—just teach him filial piety and brotherly respect.”

A prince’s mother had died, and his tutor asked leave for him to mourn for a few months. Gongsun Chou said, “What about such a case?”

Mencius said, “This is a case where he wished to complete the full mourning period but could not. Even adding one day of mourning is better than not doing it at all. This is said for those who are not forbidden but still do not do it.”

Mencius said, “There are five ways in which the gentleman teaches: there is the transformation like timely rain; there is the perfecting of virtue; there is the developing of talent; there is the answering of questions; and there is the private learning from a worthy (through indirect influence). These five are the ways in which the gentleman teaches.”

Gongsun Chou said, “The Way is lofty and beautiful, like ascending heaven—it seems unattainable. Why not make it approachable, so that learners can strive for it daily?”

Mencius said, “A master craftsman does not change or discard the marking line for the sake of a clumsy artisan. Hou Yi does not change his drawing standard for the sake of a clumsy archer. The gentleman draws his bow to the full but does not release the arrow, as if leaping into the act. He stands in the middle of the correct path, and those who are capable follow him.”

Mencius said, “When the world is well-ordered, the gentleman follows the Way in practice; when the world is dark, the gentleman devotes his life to the Way. I have never heard of sacrificing the Way to accommodate people.”

Gongsun Chou said, “Teng Geng studied under your gate, and it seemed he should have been treated with courtesy, yet you did not answer his questions. Why?”

Mencius said, “To ask relying on influence, to ask relying on worth, to ask relying on age, to ask relying on merit, to ask relying on old acquaintance—these I do not answer. Teng Geng occupied two of these.”

Mencius said, “If one stops what should not be stopped, then there is nothing that cannot be stopped. If one treats thinly those who should be treated generously, then there is no one who cannot be treated thinly. Those who advance too rapidly also retreat quickly.”

Mencius said, “The gentleman cherishes all things but does not treat them with Ren (benevolence as toward humans). He treats the people with Ren but does not (treat them as he treats his own kin) with affection. He first shows affection to his kin, then extends Ren to the people; he first extends Ren to the people, then cherishes all things.”

Mencius said, “The wise have nothing they should not know, but they regard what is urgent as their priority. The benevolent have none they do not love, but they regard drawing close to worthy persons as their urgent task. The wisdom of Yao and Shun could not know everything, because they were urgently attending to what was primary; the benevolence of Yao and Shun could not love everyone universally, because they were urgently attending to drawing close to worthy persons. If one cannot even observe the three-year mourning period, yet meticulously studies the finer details of the mourning garments for distant relatives; if one gulps down food and soup (behaving coarsely), yet quibbles over the fine point of not tearing dried meat with one’s teeth—this is called not knowing what is urgent.”