3B.2  Jing Chun¹ said: Are not Gongsun Yan² and Zhang Yi³ really great men? Let them show anger once and all feudal lords are afraid. Let them live at leisure and peace and the flame of trouble in the world will be extinguished.

Mengzi said: How can such men be great men? Have you not studied the rules of propriety? At the capping of a young man, his father instructs him. At the marriage of a young woman, her mother instructs her. She accompanies the daughter to the door on her leaving and admonishes her, saying, “Go to your home. Always be respectful and careful. Never disobey your husband.” Thus, to regard obedience as the correct course of conduct is the way for women. [Both Gongsun  and Zhang attempted to please their rulers in order to obtain power and were more like women than great men.]

景春曰：「公孫衍、張儀豈不誠大丈夫哉？一怒而諸侯懼，安居而天下熄。」孟子曰：「是焉得為大丈夫乎？子未學禮乎？丈夫之冠也，父命之；女子之嫁也，母命之，往送之門，戒之曰：『往之女家，必敬必戒，無違夫子！』以順為正者，妾婦之道也。

He who dwells in the wide house of the world, stands in the correct station of the world, walks in the great path of the world; one who practices virtues along with the people when he is successful, and practices the Way alone when he is disappointed; one whose heart cannot be dissipated by the power of wealth and honors, who cannot be influenced by poverty or humble stations, who cannot be subdued by force and might—such a person is a great man.

居天下之廣居，立天下之正位，行天下之大道。得志與民由之，不得志獨行其道。富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈。此之謂大丈夫。」

3B.9  Mengzi said: Do I like to argue? I cannot help it. The world has been in existence for a long time, with a period of order and a period of chaos succeeding each other . . . After the death of Yao and Shun, the Way of the sages fell into decay.

孟子曰：「予豈好辯哉？予不得已也。天下之生久矣，一治一亂。 · · · 堯、舜既沒，聖人之道衰。 · · ·

Sage-emperors have ceased to appear. Feudal lords have become reckless and idle scholars have indulged in unreasonable opinions. The words of Yang Zhu⁴ and Mozi⁵ fill the world. If the people in their opinions do not follow Yang Zhu, they follow Mozi. Yang advocated egoism, which means a denial of the special relationship with the ruler. Mo advocated universal love, which means a denial of the special relationship with the father. To deny the special relationship with the father and the ruler is to become an animal.

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。 · · ·

If the principles of Yang and Mo are not stopped, and if the principles of Master Kong are not brought to light, perverse doctrines will delude the people and obstruct the path of humanity and righteousness. When humanity and righteousness are obstructed, beasts will be led on to devour men, and men will devour one another. I am alarmed by these things, and defend the doctrines of the ancient kings and oppose Yang and Mo.

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。」