Original text:
Zhou Xiao asked, "Were ancient gentlemen officials?"
Mencius said, "Officer. Chuanyue:' Confucius has no monarch in March, then the emperor is like this; When you leave Xinjiang, you must take quality with you. "The public said,' If there is no monarch in March, the ancients will be hanged.' "
"March without a gentleman, no worries?"
Yue: "When a scholar loses, a vassal loses his country." "Li" said: "The princes take the prosperity of the country as their cultivation assistance; Mrs. Silkworm reeling, thinking clothes. If you can't sacrifice, you won't be clean and your clothes are not ready. You dare not sacrifice. A scholar has no land and does not sacrifice. "Sacrifice, utensils and clothes are not prepared, and you dare not sacrifice or feast. This is not acceptable."
"When you leave Xinjiang, you must bring quality. Why? "
Yue: "A scholar's official position is better than a farmer's accomplishment; Do farmers give up their lives to go abroad? "
Yue: "Jin is also an official, and I have never heard of the urgency of being an official. It is difficult for a gentleman to be an official in such a hurry. Why? "
Yue: "A husband is born with a house to live in, and a woman is born with a home to live in; Everyone has the heart of parents. If you don't wait for your parents' orders and the matchmaker, just take a quick look and follow each other over the wall, then your parents and people will be cheap. In ancient times, people didn't want to be officials, but they were evil. He who does not follow the right path is like drilling a hole. "
Translation:
Zhou Xiao asked, "Were ancient gentlemen officials?"
Mencius said, "Be an official. The ancient book records:' Confucius was anxious for three months without orders from the monarch; When you leave this country, you must bring an audience with the monarch of another country. The palace said:' If the ancients have not received your orders for three months, they should comfort him. "
Zhou Xiao said: "If you are not appointed by the monarch for three months, you have to comfort yourself. Is it too urgent to ask for an official? "
Mencius said: "A scholar who loses his official position is like a vassal who loses his country." "Li" said: "The princes cultivated themselves for sacrifice; Madame raises silkworms to reel silk, which is used to supply sacrificial clothing. Cattle and sheep (used as sacrifices) are not fat, and Gu Mi is unclean and poorly dressed, so he dare not use them for sacrifices. The scholar (who lost his official position) has no land salary, so he can't sacrifice. "Animals, sacrificial vessels and sacrificial clothes are not complete, so I dare not entertain them. (Like a mourner, shouldn't you comfort him? "
Zhou Xiao asked, "When you leave a country, you must take gifts to meet other kings. Why? "
Mencius said: "Being an official is like farming by a farmer; Will a farmer abandon his farm tools because he leaves a country? "
Zhou Xiao said: "Wei is also a country with officials, but we have never heard that it is so urgent to be an official." It is not easy for a gentleman to be an official in such a hurry. Why? "
Mencius said: "When a boy is born, he is willing to find a wife for him, and when a girl is born, she is willing to find her husband's family." Everyone has this feeling of parents. (But) if you drill holes to spy on each other and climb over the wall to follow others without waiting for parents' consent and the matchmaker's consent, then parents and people in society will think such people are despicable. The ancient gentleman didn't want to be an official, and he hated not seeking an official from the right path. Not seeking an official from the right path is tantamount to drilling a hole and drilling a seam. "
Extended data
Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' thought of ruling by virtue, and developed it into the theory of benevolent governance, which became the core of his political thought. He applied the principles of "pro" and "long" to politics, eased class contradictions and safeguarded the long-term interests of the feudal ruling class.
On the one hand, Mencius strictly distinguished the class status of the ruler and the ruled, and thought that "those who do things rule their people, and those who do things rule their people", and imitated the Zhou system to draw up a hierarchy from emperor to ruler; On the other hand, the relationship between the ruler and the ruled is compared to the relationship between parents and children, and it is advocated that the ruler should care about the sufferings of the people like parents, and the people should be close to and serve the ruler like parents.
Mencius believes that this is the most ideal politics, and the rulers can win the heartfelt support of the people if they implement benevolent policies; On the other hand, if people's lives are ignored, they will lose people's hearts, become solitary thieves and be overthrown by the people. The specific content of benevolent government is very extensive, including economy, politics, education and ways to unify the world, among which there is a clue of people-oriented thought. Moreover, this thought was developed from the idea of valuing the people over the gods in the Spring and Autumn Period.
In order to cultivate self-cultivation and achieve virtue, Mencius proposed that we must rely on self-cultivation and cultivate humanity, and fully develop the "four ends" that exist in our hearts, which Mencius called "exhaustion". The cultivation of "doing one's best" cultivates noble spirit, making people a gentleman who can't be slutty, poor and humble, and powerful and unyielding. Then, using the "mind" to control your emotions can become a virtue.