| | 公孫丑下: |
陳臻問曰：「前日於齊，王餽兼金一百而不受；於宋，餽七十鎰而受；於薛，餽五十鎰而受。前日之不受是，則今日之受非也；今日之受是，則前日之不受非也。夫子必居一於此矣。」 |
| Gong Sun Chou II: |
Chen Zhen asked Mencius, saying, 'Formerly, when you were in Qi, the king sent you a present Of 2,400 taels of fine silver, and you refused to accept it. When you were in Song, 1,680 taels were sent to you, which you accepted; and when you were in Xue, 1,200 taels were sent, which you likewise accepted. If your declining to accept the gift in the first case was right, your accepting it in the latter cases was wrong. If your accepting it in the latter cases was right, your declining to do so in the first case was wrong. You must accept, Master, one of these alternatives.' |
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孟子曰：「皆是也。當在宋也，予將有遠行。行者必以贐，辭曰：『餽贐。』予何為不受？當在薛也，予有戒心。辭曰：『聞戒。』故為兵餽之，予何為不受？若於齊，則未有處也。無處而餽之，是貨之也。焉有君子而可以貨取乎？」 |
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Mencius said, 'I did right in all the cases. When I was in Song, I was about to take a long journey. Travellers must be provided with what is necessary for their expenses. The prince's message was, 'A present against travelling-expenses." Why should I have declined the gift? When I was in Xue, I was apprehensive for my safety, and taking measures for my protection. The message was, "I have heard that you are taking measures to protect yourself, and send this to help you in procuring arms." Why should I have declined the gift? But when I was in Qi, I had no occasion for money. To send a man a gift when he has no occasion for it, is to bribe him. How is it possible that a superior man should be taken with a bribe?' |
| | 離婁下: |
逄蒙學射於羿，盡羿之道，思天下惟羿為愈己，於是殺羿。孟子曰：「是亦羿有罪焉。」公明儀曰：「宜若無罪焉。」曰：「薄乎云爾，惡得無罪？鄭人使子濯孺子侵衛，衛使庾公之斯追之。子濯孺子曰：『今日我疾作，不可以執弓，吾死矣夫！』問其僕曰：『追我者誰也？』其僕曰：『庾公之斯也。』曰：『吾生矣。』其僕曰：『庾公之斯，衛之善射者也，夫子曰「吾生」，何謂也？』曰：『庾公之斯學射於尹公之他，尹公之他學射於我。夫尹公之他，端人也，其取友必端矣。』庾公之斯至，曰：『夫子何為不執弓？』曰：『今日我疾作，不可以執弓。』曰：『小人學射於尹公之他，尹公之他學射於夫子。我不忍以夫子之道反害夫子。雖然，今日之事，君事也，我不敢廢。』抽矢扣輪，去其金，發乘矢而後反。」 |
| Li Lou II: |
Pang Meng learned archery of Yi. When he had acquired completely all the science of Yi, he thought that in all the kingdom only Yi was superior to himself, and so he slew him. Mencius said, 'In this case Yi also was to blame. Gong Meng Yi indeed said, "It would appear as if he were not to be blamed," but he thereby only meant that his blame was slight. How can he be held without any blame? The people of Chang sent Zi Zhuo Ru to make a stealthy attack on Wei, which sent Yu Gong Zhi to pursue him. Zi Zhuo Ru said, "To-day I feel unwell, so that I cannot hold my bow. I am a dead man!" At the same time he asked his driver, "Who is it that is pursuing me?" The driver said, "It is Yu Gong Si," on which, he exclaimed, "I shall live." The driver said, "Yu Gong Si is the best archer of Wei, what do you mean by saying 'I shall live?'" Yu replied, "Yu Gong Si learned archery from Yin Gong Tuo, who again learned it from me. Now, Yin Gong Tuo is an upright man, and the friends of his selection must be upright also." When Yu Gong Si came up, he said, "Master, why are you not holding your bow?" Yu answered him, "To-day I am feeling unwell, and cannot hold my bow." On this Si said, "I learned archery from Yin Gong Tuo, who again learned it from you. I cannot bear to injure you with your own science. The business of to-day, however, is the prince's business, which I dare not neglect." He then took his arrows, knocked off their steel points against the carriage-wheel, discharged four of them, and returned. |
| | 萬章下: |
孟子曰：「伯夷，目不視惡色，耳不聽惡聲。非其君不事，非其民不使。治則進，亂則退。橫政之所出，橫民之所止，不忍居也。思與鄉人處，如以朝衣朝冠坐於塗炭也。當紂之時，居北海之濱，以待天下之清也。故聞伯夷之風者，頑夫廉，懦夫有立志。 |
| Wan Zhang II: |
Mencius said, 'Bo Yi would not allow his eyes to look on a bad sight, nor his ears to listen to a bad sound. He would not serve a prince whom he did not approve, nor command a people whom he did not esteem. In a time of good government he took office, and on the occurrence of confusion he retired. He could not bear to dwell either in a court from which a lawless government emanated, or among lawless people. He considered his being in the same place with a villager, as if he were to sit amid mud and coals with his court robes and court cap. In the time of Zhou he dwelt on the shores of the North sea, waiting the purification of the kingdom. Therefore when men now hear the character of Bo Yi, the corrupt become pure, and the weak acquire determination. |
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「伊尹曰：『何事非君？何使非民？』治亦進，亂亦進。曰：『天之生斯民也，使先知覺後知，使先覺覺後覺。予，天民之先覺者也；予將以此道覺此民也。』思天下之民匹夫匹婦有不與被堯舜之澤者，若己推而內之溝中，其自任以天下之重也。 |
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'Yi Yin said, "Whom may I not serve? My serving him makes him my sovereign. What people may I not command? My commanding them makes them my people." In a time of good government he took office, and when confusion prevailed, he also took office. He said, "Heaven's plan in the production of mankind is this: that they who are first informed should instruct those who are later in being informed, and they who first apprehend principles should instruct those who are slower in doing so. I am the one of Heaven's people who has first apprehended; I will take these principles and instruct the people in them." He thought that among all the people of the kingdom, even the common men and women, if there were any who did not share in the enjoyment of such benefits as Yao and Shun conferred, it was as if he himself pushed them into a ditch - for he took upon himself the heavy charge of the kingdom. |
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「柳下惠，不羞汙君，不辭小官。進不隱賢，必以其道。遺佚而不怨，阨窮而不憫。與鄉人處，由由然不忍去也。『爾為爾，我為我，雖袒裼裸裎於我側，爾焉能浼我哉？』故聞柳下惠之風者，鄙夫寬，薄夫敦。 |
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'Hui of Liu Xia was not ashamed to serve an impure prince, nor did he think it low to be an inferior officer. When advanced to employment, he did not conceal his virtue, but made it a point to carry out his principles. When dismissed and left without office, he did not murmur. When straitened by poverty, he did not grieve. When thrown into the company of village people, he was quite at ease and could not bear to leave them. He had a saying, "You are you, and I am I. Although you stand by my side with breast and arms bare, or with your body naked, how can you defile me?" Therefore when men now hear the character of Hui of Liu Xia, the mean become generous, and the niggardly become liberal. |
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「孔子之去齊，接淅而行；去魯，曰：『遲遲吾行也。』去父母國之道也。可以速而速，可以久而久，可以處而處，可以仕而仕，孔子也。」 |
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'When Confucius was leaving Qi, he strained off with his hand the water in which his rice was being rinsed, took the rice, and went away. When he left Lu, he said, "I will set out by-and-by" - it was right he should leave the country of his parents in this way. When it was proper to go away quickly, he did so; when it was proper to delay, he did so; when it was proper to keep in retirement, he did so; when it was proper to go into office, he did so - this was Confucius.' |
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孟子曰：「伯夷，聖之清者也；伊尹，聖之任者也；柳下惠，聖之和者也；孔子，聖之時者也。孔子之謂集大成。集大成也者，金聲而玉振之也。金聲也者，始條理也；玉振之也者，終條理也。始條理者，智之事也；終條理者，聖之事也。智，譬則巧也；聖，譬則力也。由射於百步之外也，其至，爾力也；其中，非爾力也。」 |
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Mencius said,'Bo Yi among the sages was the pure one; Yi Yin was the one most inclined to take office; Hui of Liu Xia was the accommodating one; and Confucius was the timeous one. In Confucius we have what is called a complete concert. A complete concert is when the large bell proclaims the commencement of the music, and the ringing stone proclaims its close. The metal sound commences the blended harmony of all the instruments, and the winding up with the stone terminates that blended harmony. The commencing that harmony is the work of wisdom. The terminating it is the work of sageness. As a comparison for wisdom, we may liken it to skill, and as a comparison for sageness, we may liken it to strength - as in the case of shooting at a mark a hundred paces distant. That you reach it is owing to your strength, but that you hit the mark is not owing to your strength.' |
| | 告子下: |
任人有問屋廬子曰：「禮與食孰重？」曰：「禮重。」 |
| Gaozi II: |
A man of Ren asked the disciple Wu Lu, saying, 'Is an observance of the rules of propriety in regard to eating, or eating merely, the more important?' The answer was, 'The observance of the rules of propriety is the more important.' |
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「色與禮孰重？」曰：「禮重。」 |
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'Is the gratifying the appetite of sex, or the doing so only according to the rules of propriety, the more important?' The answer again was, 'The observance of the rules of propriety in the matter is the more important.' |
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曰：「以禮食，則飢而死；不以禮食，則得食，必以禮乎？親迎，則不得妻；不親迎，則得妻，必親迎乎！」 |
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The man pursued, 'If the result of eating only according to the rules of propriety will be death by starvation, while by disregarding those rules we may get food, must they still be observed in such a case? If according to the rule that he shall go in person to meet his wife a man cannot get married, while by disregarding that rule he may get married, must he still observe the rule in such a case?' |
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屋廬子不能對，明日之鄒以告孟子。孟子曰：「於答是也何有？不揣其本而齊其末，方寸之木可使高於岑樓。金重於羽者，豈謂一鉤金與一輿羽之謂哉？取食之重者，與禮之輕者而比之，奚翅食重？取色之重者，與禮之輕者而比之，奚翅色重？往應之曰：『紾兄之臂而奪之食，則得食；不紾，則不得食，則將紾之乎？踰東家牆而摟其處子，則得妻；不摟，則不得妻，則將摟之乎？』」 |
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Wu Lu was unable to reply to these questions, and the next day he went to Zou, and told them to Mencius. Mencius said, 'What difficulty is there in answering these inquiries? If you do not adjust them at their lower extremities, but only put their tops on a level, a piece of wood an inch square may be made to be higher than the pointed peak of a high building. Gold is heavier than feathers; but does that saying have reference, on the one hand, to a single clasp of gold, and, on the other, to a waggon-load of feathers? If you take a case where the eating is of the utmost importance and the observing the rules of propriety is of little importance, and compare the things together, why stop with saying merely that the eating is more important? So, taking the case where the gratifying the appetite of sex is of the utmost importance and the observing the rules of propriety is of little importance, why stop with merely saying that the gratifying the appetite is the more important? Go and answer him thus, "If, by twisting your elder brother's arm, and snatching from him what he is eating, you can get food for yourself, while, if you do not do so, you will not get anything to eat, will you so twist his arm? If by getting over your neighbour's wall, and dragging away his virgin daughter, you can get a wife, while if you do not do so, you will not be able to get a wife, will you so drag her away?"' |
