Mencius’ famous sayings

It is better to have no books than to believe in books.

(Mencius: Try your best)

Be born in sorrow and die in peace and happiness.

(Mencius, Part 2 of Gaozi)

Those who have attained the Way will receive much help, while those who have lost the Way will receive little help.

(Mencius Gongsun Chou)

The people are the most valuable, the country is the second most important, and the king is the least important.

(Mencius: Be dedicated)

People have to do nothing, and then they can do something.

(Mencius·Li Lou Xia)

If you are poor, you can only benefit yourself; if you are rich, you can help the world.

(Mencius · Be dedicated)

The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people.

(Mencius·Gongsun Chou)

Zi climbed the East Mountain and became a small Lu, and climbed the Taishan Mountain and made the world small.

(Mencius·Dedicate oneself to one's heart)

Wealth and honor cannot be fornicated, poverty and lowliness cannot be moved, and power cannot be surrendered. This is a true man.

(Mencius·Teng Wengong)

Old people, I am in harmony with people's oldness; young people, I am young, and people are young.

(Mencius, King Hui of Liang)

(1) Without rules, there will be no square.

The translation cannot draw squares and circles correctly without compasses and rulers.

(2) Right, then you know the severity; degree, then you know the length.

Only when the translation is weighed can one know its importance; only by measuring it can one know its length.

(3) People do not do anything, and then they can do something.

The translator must not do anything before he can do something.

(4) Although there are things that are easy to grow in the world, if they are violent in one day and cold in ten days, nothing can survive.

Translation Even if there is a plant that is the easiest to grow, if it is exposed to the sun for one day and then frozen for ten days, it will not grow again.

(5) Those who advance sharply will retreat quickly.

Those who move forward too quickly will retreat too quickly.

(6) The organ of the heart is thinking, and if you think, you can get it, and if you don’t think, you can’t get it.

Translation: The organ of the heart is responsible for thinking. Only by thinking can we obtain, but without thinking we cannot obtain.

(7) Born in sorrow and died in happiness.

The translation survives due to sorrow and declines due to addiction to peace and happiness.

The elders and younger ones are in order. - Mencius

When I am old, I am in harmony with other people's oldness; when I am young, I am in harmony with others' youngness. The world can be transported in the palm of your hand. - Mencius

The most important thing for a filial son is to respect his relatives. - Mencius

Only being filial to your parents can relieve worries. - Mencius

Father and son are related, monarch and ministers are righteous, husband and wife are distinguished, elders and young are in order, and friends have trust. - Mencius

Which one is greater? It is the greatest thing to do things closely; to protect oneself, which one is greater? Keep your body intact. I have heard of those who can serve their relatives without losing their bodies; I have not heard of those who can serve their relatives without losing their bodies. What's wrong? Serving relatives is the foundation of everything; who doesn't keep it? Keeping oneself is the foundation of keeping oneself. - Mencius

The true form of benevolence is to serve relatives; the true form of righteousness is to obey elder brothers. - Mencius

If you don't have close relatives, you can't be a human being; if you don't have close relatives, you can't be a son. - Mencius

A gentleman has three kinds of happiness, but the king of the world does not share them. Having both parents and having brothers without any reason is one happiness; looking up to Heaven and not being ashamed of others is the second happiness; being able to educate the talented people from all over the world is the third happiness. A gentleman has three kinds of happiness, but the king of the world does not share them. - Mencius

There are five so-called unfilial persons in the world. Four are lazy and do not care about the support of parents. The third kind of unfilial piety is to ignore the support of one's parents; the fourth kind of unfilial piety is to kill one's parents according to the desires of one's ears and eyes; the fifth kind of unfilial piety is to be brave and aggressive and endanger one's parents. - Mencius

Having no father and no king is just a beast. - Mencius

Those who enjoy the happiness of the people will also enjoy their happiness; those who worry about the worries of the people will also worry about their worries. He is happy with the world and worried with the world. However, there is no king who is not a king. .

--Mencius