4A.2  Mengzi said: The compass and square are the ultimate standards of the circle and the square. The sage is the ultimate standard of human relations. To be a ruler, one should carry out to the limit the way of the ruler. To be a minister, one should carry out to the limit the way of the minister. They only have to follow the example of Yao and Shun. He who does not serve his ruler as Shun served Yao does not respect his ruler, and he who does not rule his people as Yao ruled his, injures his people.

孟子曰：「規矩，方員之至也；聖人，人倫之至也。欲為君盡君道，欲為臣盡臣道，二者皆法堯舜而已矣。不以舜之所以事堯事君，不敬其君者也；不以堯之所以治民治民，賊其民者也。

Master Kong said, “There are but two ways to follow, that of humanity and that of inhumanity.” A ruler who oppresses his people to the extreme will himself be slain and his kingdom will perish. If he oppresses not to the extreme, even then his life will be in danger and his kingdom will be weakened. They will be called by the names of “King You” (meaning an unenlightened king) and “King Li” (meaning a cruel king) arid though they may have filial sons and affectionate grandsons, they will not be able in a hundred generations to change these names. The Book of Odes says:

The mirror of the Shang dynasty is not far back,
It was in the time of the Xia dynasty [whose last, wicked king was removed by the founder of Shang].¹

This is what is meant.

孔子曰：『道二：仁與不仁而已矣。』暴其民甚，則身弒國亡；不甚，則身危國削。名之曰『幽厲』，雖孝子慈孫，百世不能改也。《詩》云『殷鑒不遠，在夏后之世』，此之謂也。」

4A.9  Mengzi said: Jie and Zhou lost their empires because they lost the people and they lost the people because they lost the hearts of the people. There is a way to win the empire. Win the people and you win the empire. There is a way to win the people. Win their hearts and you will win the people. And there is a way to win their hearts. It is to collect for them what they like and do not do to them what they do not like, that is all. The people turn to the humanity [of the ruler] as water flows downward and as beasts run to the wilderness.

孟子曰：「桀紂之失天下也，失其民也；失其民者，失其心也。得天下有道：得其民，斯得天下矣；得其民有道：得其心，斯得民矣；得其心有道：所欲與之聚之，所惡勿施爾也。民之歸仁也，猶水之就下、獸之走壙也。· · · 」

4A.10  Mengzi said: It is useless to talk to those who do violence to their own nature, and it is useless to do anything with those who throw themselves away. To speak what is against propriety and righteousness is to do violence to oneself. To say that one cannot abide by humanity and follow righteousness is to throw oneself away. Humanity is the peaceful abode of men and righteousness is his straight path. What a pity for those who leave the peaceful abode and do not live there, and abandon the straight path and do not follow it!

孟子曰：「自暴者，不可與有言也；自棄者，不可與有為也。言非禮義，謂之自暴也；吾身不能居仁由義，謂之自棄也。仁，人之安宅也；義，人之正路也。曠安宅而弗居，舍正路而不由，哀哉！」

4A.12  Mengzi said: If those occupying inferior positions do not have the confidence of their superiors, they will not be able to govern the people. There is a way to have the confidence of the superiors. If one is not trusted by his friends, he will not have the confidence of his superiors. There is a way to be trusted by one’s friends. If one’s service to his parents does not give them pleasure, he will not be trusted by his friends. There is a way to please one’s parents. If one examines himself and finds himself to be insincere, he cannot please his parents. There is a way to be sincere with himself. If one does not understand what is good, he will not be sincere with himself. Therefore sincerity is the way of Heaven, and to think how to be sincere is the way of man.² There has never been a person who was completely sincere and yet did not move others. Nor has there been a person who was not sincere and yet could move others.

孟子曰：「居下位而不獲於上，民不可得而治也。獲於上有道：不信於友，弗獲於上矣；信於友有道：事親弗悅，弗信於友矣；悅親有道：反身不誠，不悅於親矣；誠身有道：不明乎善，不誠其身矣。是故誠者，天之道也；思誠者，人之道也。至誠而不動者，未之有也；不誠，未有能動者也。」

4A.14  Mengzi said: When a ruler failed to practice humane government, all those ministers who enriched him were rejected by Master Kong. How much more would he have rejected those who are vehement to fight for their rulers? When they fight for territory, they slaughter so many people that the field is full of them. When they fight for a city, they slaughter so many people that the city is full of them. This is what is called leading on the land to devour human flesh. Death is not enough for such a crime. Therefore those who are skillful in fighting should suffer the heaviest punishment. Those who form alliances with feudal lords should come next. And those who open up uncultivated fields and require the people to cultivate for them should come next after that.

孟子曰：「求也為季氏宰，無能改於其德，而賦粟倍他日。孔子曰：『求非我徒也，小子鳴鼓而攻之可也。』由此觀之，君不行仁政而富之，皆棄於孔子者也。況於為之強戰？爭地以戰，殺人盈野；爭城以戰，殺人盈城。此所謂率土地而食人肉，罪不容於死。故善戰者服上刑，連諸侯者次之，辟草萊、任土地者次之。」

4A.17  Chunyu Kun³ said: Is it a rule of propriety that men and women should not touch hands when they give or receive things?⁴

Mengzi said: It is a rule of propriety.

If someone’s sister-in-law is drowning, should he rescue her with his hand?

Mengzi said: He who does not rescue his drowning sister-in-law is a wolf. It is a rule of propriety for men and women not to touch hands when giving or receiving things, but it is a matter of expediency to rescue one’s drowning sister-in-law with hands.⁵

The whole world is now drowning. Why do you, sir, not rescue it?

Mengzi said: A drowning empire must be rescued with moral principles. Do you wish me to rescue the world with my hand?

淳于髡曰：「男女授受不親，禮與？」孟子曰：「禮也。」曰：「嫂溺則援之以手乎？」曰：「嫂溺不援，是豺狼也。男女授受不親，禮也；嫂溺援之以手者，權也。」曰：「今天下溺矣，夫子之不援，何也？」曰：「天下溺，援之以道；嫂溺，援之以手。子欲手援天下乎？」

4A.18  Gongsun Chou said: Why is it that the superior man does not teach his son himself?

Mengzi said: The circumstance is such that it cannot be done. To teach is necessarily to inculcate correct principles. When these correct principles are not practiced, anger will follow. As anger follows, feelings will be hurt. [The son would say], “My master teaches me the correct principles but he himself does not proceed according to correct principles.” This means that the father and son hurt each other’s feelings. When father and son hurt each other’s feelings, it is bad. The ancients exchanged their sons, one teaching the son of another. Between father and son there should be no reproving admonition to what is good. Such reproofs lead to alienation, and nothing is more inauspicious than alienation.

孟子曰：「勢不行也。教者必以正；以正不行，繼之以怒；繼之以怒，則反夷矣。『夫子教我以正，夫子未出於正也。』則是父子相夷也。父子相夷，則惡矣。古者易子而教之。父子之間不責善。責善則離，離則不祥莫大焉。」

4A.20  Mengzi said: It is not enough to remonstrate the government officials, nor is it enough to criticize the governmental measures. It is only the great man who can rectify what is wrong in the ruler’s mind. Let the ruler be humane, and all his people will be humane. Let the ruler be righteous, and all his people will be righteous. Let the ruler be correct, and all his people will be correct. Once the ruler is rectified, the whole kingdom will be at peace.

孟子曰：「人不足與適也，政不足間也。惟大人為能格君心之非。君仁莫不仁，君義莫不義，君正莫不正。一正君而國定矣。」

4A.26  Mengzi said: There are three things which are unfilial, and to have no posterity is the greatest of them all. Shun married without first informing his parents lest he should have no posterity. Superior men consider this as if he had informed his parents.

孟子曰：「不孝有三，無後為大。舜不告而娶，為無後也，君子以為猶告也。」

4A.27  Mengzi said: The actuality of humanity consists in serving one’s parents. The actuality of righteousness consists in obeying one's elder brother. The actuality of wisdom consists in knowing these two things and not departing from them. The actuality of propriety consists in regulating and adorning these two things. The actuality of music consists in rejoicing in these two things. When they are rejoiced in, they will grow. Growing, how can they be stopped? As they cannot be stopped, then unconsciously the feet begin to dance and the hands begin to move.

孟子曰：「仁之實，事親是也；義之實，從兄是也。智之實，知斯二者弗去是也；禮之實，節文斯二者是也；樂之實，樂斯二者，樂則生矣；生則惡可已也，惡可已，則不知足之蹈之、手之舞之。」