| | 萬章下: |
孟子曰：「仕非為貧也，而有時乎為貧；娶妻非為養也，而有時乎為養。為貧者，辭尊居卑，辭富居貧。辭尊居卑，辭富居貧，惡乎宜乎？抱關擊柝。孔子嘗為委吏矣，曰『會計當而已矣』。嘗為乘田矣，曰『牛羊茁壯，長而已矣』。位卑而言高，罪也；立乎人之本朝，而道不行，恥也」 |
| Wan Zhang II: |
Mencius said, 'Office is not sought on account of poverty, yet there are times when one seeks office on that account. Marriage is not entered into for the sake of being attended to by the wife, yet there are times when one marries on that account. He who takes office on account of his poverty must decline an honourable situation and occupy a low one; he must decline riches and prefer to be poor. What office will be in harmony with this declining an honourable situation and occupying a low one, this declining riches and preferring to be poor? Such an one as that of guarding the gates, or beating the watchman's stick. Confucius was once keeper of stores, and he then said, "My calculations must be all right. That is all I have to care about." He was once in charge of the public fields, and he then said, "The oxen and sheep must be fat and strong, and superior. That is all I have to care about." When one is in a low situation, to speak of high matters is a crime. When a scholar stands in a prince's court, and his principles are not carried into practice, it is a shame to him.' |
| | 萬章下: |
萬章曰：「士之不託諸侯，何也？」 |
| Wan Zhang II: |
Wan Zhang said, 'What is the reason that a scholar does not accept a stated support from a prince?' |
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孟子曰：「不敢也。諸侯失國，而後託於諸侯，禮也；士之託於諸侯，非禮也。」 |
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Mencius replied, 'He does not presume to do so. When a prince loses his State, and then accepts a stated support from another prince, this is in accordance with propriety. But for a scholar to accept such support from any of the princes is not in accordance with propriety.' |
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萬章曰：「君餽之粟，則受之乎？」 |
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Wan Zhang said, 'If the prince send him a present of grain, for instance, does he accept it?' |
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曰：「受之。」 |
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'He accepts it,' answered Mencius. |
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「受之何義也？」 |
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'On what principle of righteousness does he accept it?' |
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曰：「君之於氓也，固周之。」 |
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'Why, the prince ought to assist the people in their necessities.' |
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曰：「周之則受，賜之則不受，何也？」 |
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Zhang pursued, 'Why is it that the scholar will thus accept the prince's help, but will not accept his pay?' |
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曰：「不敢也。」 |
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The answer was, 'He does not presume to do so.' |
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曰：「敢問其不敢何也？」 |
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'I venture to ask why he does not presume to do so.' |
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曰：「抱關擊柝者，皆有常職以食於上。無常職而賜於上者，以為不恭也。」 |
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'Even the keepers of the gates, with their watchmen's sticks, have their regular offices for which they can take their support from the prince. He who without a regular office should receive the pay of the prince must be deemed disrespectful.' |
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曰：「君餽之，則受之，不識可常繼乎？」 |
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Zhang asked, 'If the prince sends a scholar a present, he accepts it; I do not know whether this present may be constantly repeated.' |
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曰：「繆公之於子思也，亟問，亟餽鼎肉。子思不悅。於卒也，摽使者出諸大門之外，北面稽首再拜而不受。曰：『今而後知君之犬馬畜伋。』蓋自是臺無餽也。悅賢不能舉，又不能養也，可謂悅賢乎？」 |
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Mencius answered, 'There was the conduct of the duke Mu to Zi Si. He made frequent inquiries after Zi Si's health, and sent him frequent presents of cooked meat. Zi Si was displeased; and at length, having motioned to the messenger to go outside the great door, he bowed his head to the ground with his face to the north, did obeisance twice, and declined the gift, saying, "From this time forth I shall know that the prince supports me as a dog or a horse." And so from that time a servant was no more sent with the presents. When a prince professes to be pleased with a man of talents and virtue, and can neither promote him to office, nor support him in the proper way, can he be said to be pleased with him?' |
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曰：「敢問國君欲養君子，如何斯可謂養矣？」 |
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Zhang said, 'I venture to ask how the sovereign of a State, when he wishes to support a superior man, must proceed, that he may be said to do so in the proper way?' |
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曰：「以君命將之，再拜稽首而受。其後廩人繼粟，庖人繼肉，不以君命將之。子思以為鼎肉，使己僕僕爾亟拜也，非養君子之道也。堯之於舜也，使其子九男事之，二女女焉，百官牛羊倉廩備，以養舜於畎畝之中，後舉而加諸上位。故曰：王公之尊賢者也。」 |
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Mencius answered, 'At first, the present must be offered with the prince's commission, and the scholar, making obeisance twice with his head bowed to the ground, will receive it. But after this the storekeeper will continue to send grain, and the master of the kitchen to send meat, presenting it as if without the prince's express commission. Zi Si considered that the meat from the prince's caldron, giving him the annoyance of constantly doing obeisance, was not the way to support a superior man. There was Yao's conduct to Shun: He caused his nine sons to serve him, and gave him his two daughters in marriage; he caused the various officers, oxen and sheep, storehouses and granaries, all to be prepared to support Shun amid the channelled fields, and then he raised him to the most exalted situation. From this we have the expression, "The honouring of virtue and talents proper to a king or a duke."' |
