| | 滕文公下: |
匡章曰：「陳仲子豈不誠廉士哉？居於陵，三日不食，耳無聞，目無見也。井上有李，螬食實者過半矣，匍匐往將食之，三咽，然後耳有聞，目有見。」 |
| Teng Wen Gong II: |
Kuang Zhang said to Mencius, 'Is not Chen Zhong a man of true self-denying purity? He was living in Wu Ling, and for three days was without food, till he could neither hear nor see. Over a well there grew a plum-tree, the fruit of which had been more than half eaten by worms. He crawled to it, and tried to eat some of the fruit, when, after swallowing three mouthfuls, he recovered his sight and hearing.' |
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孟子曰：「於齊國之士，吾必以仲子為巨擘焉。雖然，仲子惡能廉？充仲子之操，則蚓而後可者也。夫蚓，上食槁壤，下飲黃泉。仲子所居之室，伯夷之所築與？抑亦盜跖之所築與？所食之粟，伯夷之所樹與？抑亦盜跖之所樹與？是未可知也。」 |
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Mencius replied, 'Among the scholars of Qi, I must regard Zhong as the thumb among the fingers. But still, where is the self-denying purity he pretends to? To carry out the principles which he holds, one must become an earthworm, for so only can it be done. Now, an earthworm eats the dry mould above, and drinks the yellow spring below. Was the house in which Zhong dwells built by a Bo Yi? or was it built by a robber like Zhi? Was the millet which he eats planted by a Bo Yi? or was it planted by a robber like Zhi? These are things which cannot be known.' |
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曰：「是何傷哉？彼身織屨，妻辟纑，以易之也。」 |
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'But,' said Zhang, 'what does that matter? He himself weaves sandals of hemp, and his wife twists and dresses threads of hemp to sell or exchange them.' |
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曰：「仲子，齊之世家也。兄戴，蓋祿萬鍾。以兄之祿為不義之祿而不食也，以兄之室為不義之室而不居也，辟兄離母，處於於陵。他日歸，則有饋其兄生鵝者，己頻顣曰：『惡用是鶃鶃者為哉？』他日，其母殺是鵝也，與之食之。其兄自外至，曰：『是鶃鶃之肉也。』出而哇之。以母則不食，以妻則食之；以兄之室則弗居，以於陵則居之。是尚為能充其類也乎？若仲子者，蚓而後充其操者也。」 |
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Mencius rejoined, 'Zhong belongs to an ancient and noble family of Qi. His elder brother Dai received from Gai a revenue of 10,000 zhong, but he considered his brother's emolument to be unrighteous, and would not eat of it, and in the same way he considered his brother's house to be unrighteous, and would not dwell in it. Avoiding his brother and leaving his mother, he went and dwelt in Wu Ling. One day afterwards, he returned to their house, when it happened that some one sent his brother a present of a live goose. He, knitting his eyebrows, said, "What are you going to use that cackling thing for?" By-and-by his mother killed the goose, and gave him some of it to eat. Just then his brother came into the house, and said, "It is the flesh of that cackling thing," upon which he went out and vomited it. Thus, what his mother gave him he would not eat, but what his wife gives him he eats. He will not dwell in his brother's house, but he dwells in Wu Ling. How can he in such circumstances complete the style of life which he professes? With such principles as Zhong holds, a man must be an earthworm, and then he can carry them out.' |
| | 萬章下: |
萬章問曰：「敢問交際何心也？」 |
| Wan Zhang II: |
Wan Zhang asked Mencius, saying, 'I venture to ask what feeling of the mind is expressed in the presents of friendship?' |
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孟子曰：「恭也。」 |
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Mencius replied, 'The feeling of respect.' |
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曰：「卻之卻之為不恭，何哉？」 |
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'How is it,' pursued Zhang, 'that the declining a present is accounted disrespectful?' |
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曰：「尊者賜之，曰『其所取之者，義乎，不義乎」，而後受之，以是為不恭，故弗卻也。」 |
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The answer was, 'When one of honourable rank presents a gift, to say in the mind, "Was the way in which he got this righteous or not? I must know this before I can receive it" - this is deemed disrespectful, and therefore presents are not declined.' |
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曰：「請無以辭卻之，以心卻之，曰『其取諸民之不義也』，而以他辭無受，不可乎？」 |
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Wan Zhang asked again, 'When one does not take on him in so many express words to refuse the gift, but having declined it in his heart, saying, "It was taken by him unrighteously from the people," and then assigns some other reason for not receiving it - is not this a proper course?' |
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曰：「其交也以道，其接也以禮，斯孔子受之矣。」 |
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Mencius said, 'When the donor offers it on a ground of reason, and his manner of doing so is according to propriety; in such a case Confucius would have received it.' |
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萬章曰：「今有禦人於國門之外者，其交也以道，其餽也以禮，斯可受禦與？」 |
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Wan Zhang said, 'Here now is one who stops and robs people outside the gates of the city. He offers his gift on a ground of reason, and does so in a manner according to propriety - would the reception of it so acquired by robbery be proper?' |
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曰：「不可。《》曰：『殺越人于貨，閔不畏死，凡民罔不譈。』是不待教而誅者也。殷受夏，周受殷，所不辭也。於今為烈，如之何其受之？」 |
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Mencius replied, 'It would not be proper. In "The Announcement to Kang" it is said, "When men kill others, and roll over their bodies to take their property, being reckless and fearless of death, among all the people there are none but detest them" - thus, such characters are to be put to death, without waiting to give them warning. Yin received this rule from Xia and Zhou received it from Yin. It cannot be questioned, and to the present day is clearly acknowledged. How can the grift of a robber be received?' |
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曰：「今之諸侯取之於民也，猶禦也。苟善其禮際矣，斯君子受之，敢問何說也？」 |
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Zhang said, 'The princes of the present day take from their people just as a robber despoils his victim. Yet if they put a good face of propriety on their gifts, then the superior man receives them. I venture to ask how you explain this.' |
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曰：「子以為有王者作，將比今之諸侯而誅之乎？其教之不改而後誅之乎？夫謂非其有而取之者盜也，充類至義之盡也。孔子之仕於魯也，魯人獵較，孔子亦獵較。獵較猶可，而況受其賜乎？」 |
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Mencius answered, 'Do you think that, if there should arise a truly royal sovereign, he would collect the princes of the present day, and put them all to death? Or would he admonish them, and then, on their not changing their ways, put them to death? Indeed, to call every one who takes what does not properly belong to him a robber, is pushing a point of resemblance to the utmost, and insisting on the most refined idea of righteousness. When Confucius was in office in Lu, the people struggled together for the game taken in hunting, and he also did the same. If that struggling for the captured game was proper, how much more may the gifts of the princes be received!' |
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曰：「然則孔子之仕也，非事道與？」 |
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Zhang urged, 'Then are we to suppose that when Confucius held office, it was not with the view to carry his doctrines into practice?' |
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曰：「事道也。」 |
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'It was with that view,' Mencius replied, |
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「事道奚獵較也？」 |
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And Zhang rejoined, 'If the practice of his doctrines was his business, what had he to do with that struggling for the captured game?' |
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曰：「孔子先簿正祭器，不以四方之食供簿正。」 |
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Mencius said, 'Confucius first rectified his vessels of sacrifice according to the registers, and did not fill them so rectified with food gathered from every quarter.' |
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曰：「奚不去也？」 |
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'But why did he not go away?' |
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曰：「為之兆也。兆足以行矣，而不行，而後去，是以未嘗有所終三年淹也。孔子有見行可之仕，有際可之仕，有公養之仕也。於季桓子，見行可之仕也；於衛靈公，際可之仕也；於衛孝公，公養之仕也。」 |
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'He wished to make a trial of carrying his doctrines into practice. When that trial was sufficient to show that they could be practised and they were still not practised, then he went away, and thus it was that he never completed in any State a residence of three years. Confucius took office when he saw that the practice of his doctrines was likely; he took office when his reception was proper; he took office when he was supported by the State. In the case of his relation to Qi Huan, he took office, seeing that the practice of his doctrines was likely. With the duke Ling of Wei he took office, because his reception was proper. With the duke Xiao of Wei he took office, because he was maintained by the State.' |
| | 禮運: |
昔者仲尼與於蜡賓，事畢，出游於觀之上，喟然而嘆。仲尼之嘆，蓋嘆魯也。言偃在側曰：「君子何嘆？」孔子曰：「大道之行也，與三代之英，丘未之逮也，而有志焉。」大道之行也，天下為公。選賢與能，講信修睦，故人不獨親其親，不獨子其子，使老有所終，壯有所用，幼有所長，矜寡孤獨廢疾者，皆有所養。男有分，女有歸。貨惡其棄於地也，不必藏於己；力惡其不出於身也，不必為己。是故謀閉而不興，盜竊亂賊而不作，故外戶而不閉，是謂大同。 |
| Li Yun: |
Formerly Zhong-ni was present as one of the guests at the Ji sacrifice; and when it was over, he went out and walked backwards and forwards on the terrace over the gate of Proclamations, looking sad and sighing. What made him sigh was the state of Lu. Yan Yan was by his side, and said to him, 'Master, what are you sighing about?' Confucius replied, 'I never saw the practice of the Grand course, and the eminent men of the three dynasties; but I have my object (in harmony with theirs). When the Grand course was pursued, a public and common spirit ruled all under the sky; they chose men of talents, virtue, and ability; their words were sincere, and what they cultivated was harmony. Thus men did not love their parents only, nor treat as children only their own sons. A competent provision was secured for the aged till their death, employment for the able-bodied, and the means of growing up to the young. They showed kindness and compassion to widows, orphans, childless men, and those who were disabled by disease, so that they were all sufficiently maintained. Males had their proper work, and females had their homes. (They accumulated) articles (of value), disliking that they should be thrown away upon the ground, but not wishing to keep them for their own gratification. (They laboured) with their strength, disliking that it should not be exerted, but not exerting it (only) with a view to their own advantage. In this way (selfish) schemings were repressed and found no development. Robbers, filchers, and rebellious traitors did not show themselves, and hence the outer doors remained open, and were not shut. This was (the period of) what we call the Grand Union. |
