This is what Mencius said.

"The people are the most valuable, the country is the second most important, and the king is the least important" comes from "The End of the Heart Chapter 2" of "Mencius". The meaning of this sentence is that the people are the most important, followed by the country, and the monarch is the least important. The essence of this sentence also reflects Mencius's "people-oriented thinking".

"The people are more valuable than the king" has become a widely circulated saying in later generations and has been quoted by others. Both the monarch and the state can be replaced, but only the people cannot be replaced. Therefore, the people are the most important.

Mencius’ thoughts and theories

Mencius believed that the common people are the foundation of the country. As long as the common people live a stable life, the country can also be peaceful. Mencius is one of the famous philosophers in ancient my country. His book "Mencius" was also listed by Zhu Xi as one of the four books. Mencius is also a representative figure of Confucianism, and is called Confucius and Mencius together with Confucius. Mencius was later posthumously named a sub-sage, and was regarded by Han Yu as the successor to Confucius' orthodoxy.

Many of the chapters written by Mencius, such as "Fish, What I Want", "A Few People in the Country", "Born in Worry, Die in Peace", all became the lessons learned by later scholars in our country. One of the classic works. Mencius' thought is benevolence and righteousness. Mencius believed that human nature is inherently good, but it is also necessary to use etiquette to regulate people's behavior. People-centered thought is also Mencius’ discussion and understanding of the relationship between the country and the people.

In addition to people-centered thought, Mencius also developed Confucius' theory of benevolent government and regarded it as the core concept of his political thought. But in fact, all of Mencius's political ideas were something that served the feudal ruling class. Mencius believed that as long as the ruler implements benevolent government, the people will definitely support the ruler. However, if the ruler does not implement benevolent government, the people will overthrow him and oppose him.

In terms of education, Mencius also continued to develop Confucius' teaching without distinction, and he also regarded universal education as a way to realize benevolent government. Mencius also recognized Confucius's method of teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. He believed that education should vary from person to person, so Feng Youlan also believed that Mencius's status was like Plato's status in the West.