Li Lou, Part I

Mencius said, “Even with the keen eyesight of Li Lou and the skill of Gongshu Ban, without the compass and the square, one cannot draw squares and circles. Even with the acute hearing of Shi Kuang, without the six pitch-pipes, one cannot correct the five notes. Even with the Way of Yao and Shun, without benevolent governance, one cannot order the world. Now there are rulers who have a humane heart and a humane reputation, yet the people do not receive his benefits, and his governance cannot be a model for later ages—this is because he does not practice the Way of the former kings. Hence it is said: Goodness alone is insufficient for governing; the law alone does not implement itself. The Book of Odes says: ‘Do not err, do not forget, follow the old statutes in everything.’ To follow the former kings’ laws and still err has never happened. The sages exhausted their eyesight, and then used the compass, square, level, and plumb line to make squares, circles, level, and straight things—so these things are inexhaustible. They exhausted their hearing, and then used the six pitch-pipes to correct the five notes—so these notes are inexhaustible. They exhausted their minds, and then used the benevolent governance that cannot bear to harm others to rule the world—so benevolence covers all under Heaven. Hence it is said: To build a high terrace, one must rely on a hill; to dig a deep pool, one must rely on a marsh. To govern without relying on the Way of the former kings—can this be called wisdom? Therefore, only the benevolent are fit to be in high positions. If the unbenevolent are in high positions, they spread their evil to the multitude. When those above have no moral standard, those below do not follow the laws. When the court does not trust in righteousness, the craftsmen do not trust in measures. When gentlemen offend against yi, and petty men offend against the penal laws, it is mere luck if the state survives. Hence it is said: Walls not strong, arms not sufficient—these are not the state’s calamities. Fields not cultivated, goods not accumulated—these are not the state’s disasters. But if those above do not practice li and yi, and those below do not learn culture, then rebels will arise, and the state’s destruction is not far off. The Book of Odes says: ‘Heaven is now overturning, do not chatter so much.’ ‘Chattering’ means being verbose and dilatory. To serve one’s lord without yi, to advance and retire without li, and to open one’s mouth to slander the Way of the former kings—this is being verbose and dilatory. Hence it is said: To demand difficult tasks of one’s lord is called respect; to set forth good ways and block evil thoughts before one’s lord is called reverence; to think that my lord cannot do it is to injure him.”

Mencius said, “The compass and square are the highest standards for squares and circles. The sage is the highest standard for humans. If one wishes to be a ruler, one must exhaust the Way of the ruler. If one wishes to be a minister, one must exhaust the Way of the minister. Both simply follow Yao and Shun. Not to serve one’s lord in the way Shun served Yao is to disrespect one’s lord. Not to govern the people in the way Yao governed the people is to harm one’s people. Confucius said: ‘The Way has only two paths: ren and not-ren.’ To oppress the people excessively leads to the ruler being killed and the state destroyed. Even if not excessive, one becomes endangered and the state weakened, and after death one is given the posthumous names ‘You’ or ‘Li’—even filial sons and kind grandsons cannot change this through a hundred generations. The Book of Odes says: ‘The mirror of Yin is not far; it lies in the age of Jie of Xia.’ This is what it means.”

Mencius said, “The three dynasties of Xia, Shang, and Zhou gained the world through ren, and lost it through not-ren. The rise and fall, survival and destruction of states are also like this. If the Son of Heaven is not-ren, he cannot preserve the world. If the feudal lords are not-ren, they cannot preserve their states. If the high ministers are not-ren, they cannot preserve their ancestral temples. If the scholars and common people are not-ren, they cannot preserve their own persons. Now people fear death yet delight in not-ren—this is like fearing drunkenness yet forcing oneself to drink.”

Mencius said, “If you love others and they do not become close, reflect on your own ren. If you govern others and they are not well ordered, reflect on your own wisdom. If you treat others with li and they do not respond, reflect on your own respect. Whenever your actions fail to achieve the expected result, always turn back and seek the cause in yourself. When your own person is correct, the whole world will turn to you. The Book of Odes says: ‘Long conform to the mandate of Heaven, and seek for yourself much blessing.’”

Mencius said, “People have a common saying: ‘All under Heaven, the state, the family.’ The root of the world is in the state, the root of the state is in the family, and the root of the family is in the self.”

Mencius said, “Governing the state is not difficult—just do not offend the great families. What the great families admire, the whole state will admire. What the whole state admires, all under Heaven will admire. Thus moral teaching will fill the four seas boundlessly.”

Mencius said, “When the Way prevails in the world, those of lesser virtue are employed by those of greater virtue, and those of lesser ability are employed by those of greater ability. When the Way does not prevail in the world, the small are employed by the great, and the weak are employed by the strong. Both these situations are due to Heaven. Those who conform to Heaven survive; those who oppose Heaven perish. Duke Jing of Qi said: ‘Since I cannot issue orders, and I cannot accept orders, this is truly to cut off life.’ Then he wept and married his daughter to the ruler of Wu. Now small states imitate great states, yet are ashamed to accept orders—this is like a student being ashamed to accept his teacher’s orders. If one feels shame, it is better to imitate King Wen. Imitating King Wen, a great state will in five years, and a small state in seven years, surely come to rule the world. The Book of Odes says: ‘The descendants of Shang number hundreds of thousands. Since the mandate of Heaven came, they all submitted to Zhou. They submitted to Zhou—this shows Heaven’s mandate is not fixed. The officers of Yin, fine and quick, assist in the libation at Zhou’s capital.’ Confucius said: ‘Ren cannot be measured by numbers! If the ruler loves ren, he will have no enemy in the world.’ Now someone wishes to have no enemy in the world yet does not practice benevolent governance—this is like holding something hot and not cooling it with water. The Book of Odes says: ‘Who can hold something hot and not cool it with water?’”

Mencius said, “Can one speak with the unbenevolent? They rest in danger and consider it profitable, take calamity as benefit, and delight in what leads to destruction. If the unbenevolent could be reasoned with, how could there be cases of states destroyed and families ruined? In old times, a child sang: ‘When the water of the Canglang is clear, I can wash my cap-ribbons. When the water of the Canglang is muddy, I can wash my feet.’ Confucius said: ‘Disciples, listen! When the water is clear, it washes cap-ribbons; when muddy, it washes feet. This is brought upon itself by the water.’ Thus a person must first invite insult before others insult him. A family must first invite ruin before others ruin it. A state must first invite attack before others attack it. The Charge to Tai Jia says: ‘When Heaven sends down calamities, one can still avoid them. When one brings calamity on oneself, there is no escape.’ This is what it means.”

Mencius said, “Jie and Zhou lost the world because they lost the people. To lose the people means to lose their hearts. There is a way to gain the world: gain the people, and you gain the world. There is a way to gain the people: gain their hearts, and you gain the people. There is a way to gain their hearts: what the people desire, gather it for them; what they dislike, do not impose on them—that is all. The people turn to ren like water flowing downward or beasts running to the wild. Thus it is the otter that drives the fish into deep waters, the hawk that drives the birds into the thickets, and Jie and Zhou that drove the people to Tang and King Wu. Now if there were a ruler in the world who loved ren, all other feudal lords would drive the people to him. Even if he did not wish to become king, he could not avoid it. Now those who wish to become king are like someone who has been ill for seven years and seeks three-year-old mugwort to cure it. If one does not store it up, one will never get it. If one does not set one’s mind on ren, one will be anxious and disgraced all one’s life, until one falls into death. The Book of Odes says: ‘How can that be good? They only plunge together into the deep water.’ This is what it means.”

Mencius said, “One who injures himself cannot be spoken with; one who abandons himself cannot be acted with. To speak in a way that slanders ritual and righteousness is called injuring oneself; to consider oneself unable to abide in Ren and follow Yi is called abandoning oneself.” “Ren is the most comfortable dwelling for people; Yi is the most correct path for people. To leave the comfortable dwelling empty and not dwell in it, to abandon the correct path and not walk it—how lamentable!”

Mencius said, “The Way is near, yet people seek it far away; affairs are easy, yet people do them the hard way. If only everyone would be close to their own kin and respect their own elders, the world would be at peace.”

Mencius said, “One in a low position who does not gain the trust of superiors cannot govern the people. There is a way to gain the trust of superiors: if one is not trusted by friends, one cannot gain the trust of superiors. There is a way to gain the trust of friends: if serving parents does not please them, one cannot gain the trust of friends. There is a way to please parents: if self-examination reveals insincerity, one cannot please parents. There is a way to make oneself sincere: if one does not understand what is good, one cannot make oneself sincere. Therefore, sincerity is the Way of Heaven; pursuing sincerity is the Way of humanity. That extreme sincerity does not move others has never happened; insincerity cannot move others.”

Mencius said, “Bo Yi fled from the tyrant Zhou and lived by the northern coast. 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 aged.’ Jiang Taigong fled from the tyrant Zhou and lived by the eastern coast. 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 aged.’ These two elders were the most virtuous and respected elders in the world. When they submitted to King Wen, it was as if all the fathers of the world submitted to King Wen. When all the fathers of the world submitted, where could their sons go? If among the feudal lords there is one who implements King Wen’s governance, within seven years he will surely rule the world.”

Mencius said, “Ran Qiu served as steward of the Ji family but could not change Ji’s conduct; instead, he doubled the taxes compared to before. Confucius said, ‘Ran Qiu is not my disciple. You disciples may beat the drum and attack him.’ From this it is seen that when a ruler does not practice benevolent governance, those who help him amass wealth are all condemned by Confucius—how much more so those who help him wage war? To fight for land, killing people until the fields are covered; to fight for cities, killing people until the cities are covered—this is called leading the land to devour human flesh. Such crimes are not atoned for even by death. Therefore, those fond of war should receive the heaviest punishment; those who unite feudal lords to wage war receive the next punishment; those who open up wasteland and allocate land receive the next punishment.”

Mencius said, “There is no better way to observe a person than by looking at his eyes. The eyes cannot conceal a person’s ugliness. If the heart is upright, the eyes are bright; if the heart is not upright, the eyes are dull. Listen to a person’s words and observe his eyes—what can he hide?”

Mencius said, “A respectful person does not insult others; a frugal person does not plunder others. A ruler who insults and plunders others only fears that they will not submit to him—how can he achieve respect and frugality? Can respect and frugality be achieved through voice and a smiling face?”

Chunyu Kun asked, “Is it a rule of ritual that men and women do not pass things directly hand to hand?”

Mencius said, “It is a rule of ritual.”

Chunyu Kun asked, “If one’s sister-in-law falls into water, may one pull her out with one’s hand?”

Mencius said, “To not pull her out when she falls into water is to be a wolf or a jackal. That men and women do not pass things directly hand to hand is a rule of ritual; pulling one’s sister-in-law out of water with one’s hand is an expedient.”

Chunyu Kun said, “Now the whole world has fallen into water, yet you, Master, do not reach out to rescue it—why?”

Mencius said, “When the world falls into water, one rescues it with the Way; when a sister-in-law falls into water, one rescues her with one’s hand. Do you wish to rescue the world with your hand?”

Gongsun Chou asked, “Why does the gentleman not personally teach his own son?”

Mencius said, “The circumstances make it impossible. One who teaches must use the correct Way; if the correct Way does not work, then anger follows; then anger leads to mutual injury. ‘You teach me with the correct Way, but you yourself do not act from the correct Way.’ Thus, father and son injure each other. When father and son injure each other, that is very bad. In ancient times, people exchanged sons to teach them. Between father and son, there is no demanding goodness from each other; demanding goodness leads to estrangement, and estrangement is the most inauspicious thing.”

Mencius said, “Whom is it most important to serve? Serving parents is most important. What is it most important to guard? Guarding oneself is most important. I have heard of those who do not lose themselves yet can serve their parents; I have not heard of those who lose themselves yet can serve their parents. Who does not serve? Serving parents is the root of service. Who does not guard? Guarding oneself is the root of guarding. Zengzi served Zengxi, each meal surely having wine and meat; when about to clear away, he surely asked to whom the leftovers should be given; when asked if there were any left, he surely said, ‘There are.’ After Zengxi died, Zengyuan served Zengzi, each meal surely having wine and meat; when about to clear away, he did not ask to whom the leftovers should be given; when asked if there were any left, he said, ‘There are none,’ intending to offer new dishes—this is called nourishing the mouth and body. Only like Zengzi can be called nourishing the will. To serve parents like Zengzi is sufficient.”

Mencius said, “Those people are not worth blaming for their faults; their governance is not worth criticizing for its measures. Only a great man can correct the evil thoughts in the ruler’s mind. If the ruler is Ren, then no one is not Ren; if the ruler is Yi, then no one is not Yi; if the ruler is correct, then no one is not correct. Once the ruler is correct, the state is settled.”

Mencius said, “There are unexpected praises, and there are also criticisms that seek perfection.”

Mencius said, “People speak lightly only because they have not been reproached.”

Mencius said, “People’s fault lies in their fondness for being teachers of others.”

Yuezhengzi followed Ziao to the state of Qi.

Yuezhengzi went to see Mencius. Mencius said, “Have you come to see me too?”

Yuezhengzi said, “Why does the Master say such words?”

Mencius said, “How many days have you been here?”

Yuezhengzi said, “I came yesterday.”

Mencius said, “If you came yesterday, then is it not fitting for me to say such words?”

Yuezhengzi said, “My lodgings were not yet settled.”

Mencius said, “Have you heard that one should settle one’s lodgings before seeking to see an elder?”

Yuezhengzi said, “I was wrong.”

Mencius said to Yuezhengzi, “You followed Ziao just for food and drink. I did not expect that you, having studied the Way of the ancients, would use it for food and drink.”

Mencius said, “There are three unfilial acts; having no posterity is the greatest. Shun married without informing his parents because he feared having no posterity; the gentleman considers it as if he had informed them.”

Mencius said, “The substance of Ren is serving parents. The substance of Yi is obeying elder brothers. The substance of Zhi is understanding these two and not departing from them. The substance of Li is regulating and adorning these two. The substance of Yue is delighting in these two; from delight, joy arises. When joy arises, how can it stop? When it cannot stop, one unconsciously dances with hands and feet.”

Mencius said, “When all the world is extremely delighted and is about to submit to oneself, to regard the world’s submission as insignificant as grass—only Shun could do this. Not to be able to gain one’s parents’ delight means one cannot be a proper person; not to be able to follow one’s parents’ will means one cannot be a proper son. Shun exhausted the Way of serving his parents, and his father Gusou became harmonious. When Gusou became harmonious, the whole world was transformed; when Gusou became harmonious, the relationship between fathers and sons in the world was fixed. This is called great filial piety.”