Mencius’ famous sayings and their English translations
The following is a collection of Mencius’ famous sayings and English translations compiled by me. Everyone is welcome to enjoy them!
1. While there is excess fat meat in your kitchen and well-fed horses in your stables, you leave your people going hungry with corpuses of starvelings lying about in the wild. This is like heading the brute beasts in their man-eating frenzy!
There is fat meat in the kitchen, fat horses in the stables, the people are hungry, and there are hungry people in the wild. This is like being a beast and cannibalizing!
2. The benevolent are invincible. (Today: The virtuous are invincible.)
The benevolent are invincible.
3. Respect your own elders and extend such respect to those of others; cherish your own young and extend such cherishment to those of others.
老我老, and 人的老 ；Young, I am young, and people are young.
4. I am good at fostering my great noble spirits.
I am good at fostering my great noble spirits.
5. Either calamity or bliss comes merely at one’s own choice.
He who seeks both happiness and misfortune himself.
6. All men have the heart of mercy.
Everyone has the heart of mercy.
7. A just reason enjoys abundant support while an unjust cause finds little help.
8. The favorable opportunity does not help as much as the favorable terrain; the favorable terrain does not help as much as the group morale.
The weather is not as good as the favorable terrain, and the favorable terrain is not as good as the people. .
9. Do not try to confine the people with closed borders; do not try to defend the state with deep mountain valleys; do not try to display force with sharp weapons.
Domain The people do not rely on the boundaries of the frontier, the country does not rely on the dangers of mountains and rivers to consolidate the country, and the power of the world does not rely on the benefits of military revolution.
10. What the superior favors will receive excessively enthusiastic responses from his subordinates.
If there are good people above, there must be bad ones below. (Today's usage: What is good above is bound to be bad below.)
11. No riches or honors may induce him to corrupt; no poverty or lowliness may cause him to waver; no might or force may compel him to submit. Such would be what we call a great man.
Wealth cannot be lascivious, poverty cannot be moved, power cannot be bent, this is called a great man.
12. Without compasses and angle squares, no square or circle can ever be drawn.
Without rules, no square or circle can ever be drawn.
13. A man must have humiliated himself before others will humiliate him.
A man must have humiliated himself before others will humiliate him.
14. Men have such a defect as to be too eager to assume the role of teacher.
Men have such a defect as to be too eager to assume the role of teacher.
15. Impiety lies in three facts, and having no posterity is the worst of all.
There are three kinds of unfilial piety, and having no posterity is the worst.
16. When the sovereign regards his subjects as his hands and feet, they will regard him as bosom and heart; when the sovereign looks upon his subjects as dirt and weed, they will look upon him as a foe .
If the king treats his ministers like his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart. 8.3
17. Compassion is a feeling shared by all men.
Compassion is a feeling shared by all men.
18. The sense of shame is a feeling shared by all men.
Everyone has the feeling of shame and disgust.
19.Reverence is a state of shared mind by all men.
Everyone has a respectful heart.
20. The perceptivity of right and wrong is the conscience shared by all men.
Everyone has the conscience of right and wrong.
21.Fish is my favorite and so is the bear paw. If I could not enjoy both of them, I would give up fish and choose the bear paw. Life is what I desire and so is righteousness. If I could not keep both of them, I would give up life and choose righteousness.
Fish is what I want, and bear paws are also what I want; you can't have both, and you can take the fish instead of the fish. Those with bear's paws are also. Life is what I want, and righteousness is what I want. You cannot have both, and you have to sacrifice life for righteousness.
22. All men can be sages like Yao and Shun.
All men can be sages like Yao and Shun.
23.Before Heaven lays a grand mission on a man, it will first distress him in the spirit and exhaust him in the body, causing him to suffer from hunger and poverty, and subverting every bit of his effort , with which to inspire his ambition, forge his endurance, and remedy his defects in capacity.
When heaven is about to assign a great responsibility to a man, he must first suffer his will, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body and feel depleted. His body is disturbed by his actions, so his mind and forbearance have been beneficial to what he could not do.
24. (A state) survives adversity and perishes amid leisure.
Born in sorrow and died in peace.
25. When in adversity, maintain personal integrity for your own sake; in time of success, try to better the whole world as well.
If you are poor, you will be good for yourself; if you are successful, you will be good for the world. .
26. (One of a man's best delights is to) gather a talented crowd from across the land to render instruction.
.
27. Try not to be ashamed of anything when facing either Heaven or men.
Look up to Heaven and do not bow down to men.
28.To give all credit to a book is worse than not to have it at all.
To give all credit to a book is worse than not to have it at all.
To give all credit to a book is worse than not to have it at all.
29. The people come first, the state regime the next, and the state ruler the lightest.
The people are the most noble, the country is the second, and the ruler is the lightest.
30.The best way to foster goodness at heart is to reduce personal desires.
The best way to foster goodness at heart is to reduce personal desires.
The above is about Mencius’ famous sayings and their English translations. I hope it can help everyone! ;