(1) The first is the idea of ??"being with the people." "Those who enjoy the happiness of the people will also enjoy the happiness of the people; those who worry about the worries of the people will also worry about the worries of the people. He is happy for the world and worried for the world. However, there is no one who is not a king." [5] From material needs to spirituality In pursuit of the will of the people, Mencius emphasized that the monarch can act in harmony with the people from the perspective of the people, which is different from the relationship between the monarch and the people mentioned by Confucius. Although Mencius did not deny the status of the monarch as a political subject, he required that the monarch's actions conform to the will of the people. The country is not the private property of the monarch, and cannot only be coveted for personal enjoyment. The country should be owned jointly with the people and with the working masses. **Shared. (2) Since the country is not the private property of the monarch, the monarch must solicit the opinions of the people when formulating and implementing national policies, and public opinion should occupy an important position in decision-making. "If the ruler of the country has to promote the virtuous, if he has no choice but to make him humble or neglect his relatives, can he do so carelessly? Everyone on the left and right calls him virtuous, which is not allowed. All the officials call him virtuous, but it is not allowed. All the people of the country call him virtuous. Then he will observe and see. The wise people then use it. The people on the left and right say no, don't listen; the officials all say no, don't listen; the people of the country all say no, then check it, and if it doesn't work, then go. Everyone says it’s okay to kill, but don’t listen; people in the country say it’s okay to kill, and then they check it out. If they see something that can be killed, they kill it, so they say people in the country kill it.”[6] The monarch needs to be careful when selecting talented people and dismissing those who are not talented. When dealing with the opinions of the left and right ministers, officials, and people of the country, you should not listen to their one-sided words. If the people of the country say yes, then check whether it is indeed the case, and then appoint them. People-oriented thinking has been further deepened. (3) Whether it is the monarch's "being with the people" or the importance of people's opinions in decision-making, both of these are what the monarch needs to do in order to consolidate the political power. This is a necessary condition for the rise of the political power. At the same time, the people's will can also determine the legitimacy of the regime. Mencius said: "Jie and Zhou lost the world and lost their people; those who lost their people also lost their hearts. To gain the world, you have a way to win the people, and you have won the world. To win the people, you have a way, and to win their hearts, you have won the world. The people have the right to do what they want, and do not do what they want. The people should be benevolent, just like the water falls and the beasts run away. "[7] There are two ways to rule the world. , one is domineering, the other is benevolent. Although tyranny can achieve temporary success, it can expand territory and conquer all peoples. "Those who use force to pretend to be benevolent" can dominate a country and make their country a great power. However, those who use force to convince others may not necessarily be convinced, and they will not gain the support of the people. , then you will lose the world like Jie and Zhou, so you must "conquer people with virtue" and make the world sincerely convinced, so that the political power can rise and not decline. Mencius's idea of ??"valuing the people" is also undoubtedly reflected. (4) Mencius placed the status of the people in such an important position, so how should the status of the monarch be viewed? Mencius said to King Xuan of Qi: "If the king's minister entrusts his wife to his friends and travels to Chu, what is the opposite? If his wife is frozen and discouraged, what should I do?" The king said: "Abandon her." He said: "Shishi. "If you can't govern the country, what should you do?" The king said, "That's it." He said, "If you can't govern the country, what should you do?" [8] If a king cannot govern the country well, he should change his throne. If a monarch has made serious mistakes and does not repent, in extreme circumstances, a new monarch can be established. In Mencius' view, the Tang-Wu revolution was legitimate. Xia Jie and Shang Zhou indulged in excessive selfish desires and ignored the people of the world. They were monopolies and thieves. Mencius's view that the monarch can "change positions" on the one hand affirms that the country is not the private property of the monarch alone and does not deliberately do whatever he wants. On the other hand, it can also serve as a warning to the monarch at that time, and on the other hand, it can play a role in urging the monarch.

Source: Jinxiu Late Issue