Everyone has a sense of compassion.

Explanation: Everyone should have compassion. It comes from "The First Chapter of Gaozi" in "Mencius" in the Spring and Autumn Period.

Original text:

Mencius said: "If you have feelings, you can do good, which is what is called good. If you do not do good, it is not a crime of talent. The heart of compassion, people They all have it; the heart of shame and disgust, everyone has it; the heart of respect, everyone has it; the heart of right and wrong, everyone has it. The heart of compassion is benevolence; the heart of shame and disgust is righteousness; the heart of respect is etiquette. The heart of right and wrong is wisdom. Benevolence, justice, propriety and wisdom are not derived from me, they are inherent in me.

So it is said: "If you seek, you will gain it, if you give it up, you will lose it." Or those who are more clever than others are unable to use their talents. "Poetry" says: "People are born with things and principles. If the people follow Yi, it is good to be virtuous." , you know! Therefore, everything must have its rules; the people are Yi, so this is the virtue.'"

Translation:

Mencius said: 'From the natural disposition. Anything can be made good. This is what I mean when I say that human nature is inherently good. As for saying that some people are not kind, it cannot be attributed to their natural qualifications. Everyone has compassion; everyone has shame; everyone has respect; everyone has a sense of right and wrong. Compassion belongs to benevolence; shame belongs to righteousness; respect belongs to propriety; right and wrong belong to wisdom. This benevolence, justice, etiquette and wisdom are not imposed on me by external factors, but are inherent in me. I just don't think about it at ordinary times and therefore don't feel it.

So it is said: ‘If you seek, you will gain; if you give up, you will lose. ’ The difference between people may be one, five or even countless times, precisely because their natural talents are not fully utilized. "The Book of Songs" says: "God gave birth to human beings, and everything has laws." When ordinary people master these laws, they will have noble and beautiful moral character. ’ Confucius said: ‘The person who wrote this poem really knows the Tao! If there are things, there must be laws; the common people have mastered these laws, so they advocate good moral character. '"

Extended information:

The book "Mencius" is a collection of Mencius' remarks. It was compiled by Mencius and his disciple ***, and records Mencius' language. , political views (benevolent government, the distinction between kings and hegemons, people-centeredness, caring about the king's heart, the people are more important than the king) and political actions. Mencius once followed Confucius and led his disciples to travel around the world, but they were not accepted by various countries at that time. , retired to write books with his disciples

Whether human nature is inherently good, as Mencius believed, or inherently evil, as Gouzi believed, or whether there is neither good nor evil, as Gaozi and others believed, is a question. It is difficult to explain clearly. Even with the advancement of philosophical thought to this day, scholars often disagree on this ancient topic. Therefore, Mencius' views can only represent one opinion.