Original text:
Compassion is the purpose of benevolence; The heart of shame and evil, the end of righteousness; The words of the heart are the end of the ceremony; The heart of right and wrong is also the end of wisdom. Man has four ends, but he still has four bodies. There are those who claim that they can't do it on all sides, and some who are thieves; He who says he can't be a king steals his king. Anyone who has four ends in me will expand his knowledge and fill it up. If the fire starts, spring will begin. If you can fill it in, it is enough to protect the four seas; If you don't fill it out, it's not enough for parents.
Translation:
Compassion is the beginning of benevolence, shame is the beginning of righteousness, humility is the beginning of courtesy, and right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom. Man has these four beginnings, just as he has four limbs. It is self-defeating to say that you can't do it with these four; To say that his monarch is not good is to harm his monarch. Anyone who keeps these four beginnings will know how to expand and enrich them, just like a fire has just been lit and a spring has just gushed out. If we can expand them, it will be enough to solve the world; If you don't expand them, you can't even serve your parents. "
Extended data:
Four virtues are the four virtues that Confucianism should have, the important content of Mencius' thought and the important contribution to Confucianism in pre-Qin period. Mencius' theory of goodness of human nature, benevolence and benevolent government are all related to the "four ends" theory and all revolve around it. It can be said that the proposal of the theory of "four meetings" truly marks the maturity of Mencius' thought.
Later generations derived the idiom "compassion" from "four ends"
Pinyin: cè y ǐ nzh and xιn,
Interpretation: extreme: sadness; Hide: pain; Compassion: sympathy for the misfortunes of others. Show sympathy for those who have suffered disaster or misfortune.