Original text

Three Principles of "Mencius"

Jing Chun said: "Don't Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi become great men? When they are angry, the princes are afraid, and they live in peace and the world ”

Mencius said: “How can one be a great man? Has a son not learned etiquette? The husband’s crown is given by his father; the woman’s marriage is given by her mother, and she goes to the gate where she is given away. The warning said: "When you go to your daughter's house, you must respect her and do not disobey the Master!" To be righteous is to be a concubine, to live in the world, to establish the right position in the world, and to achieve the goal of the world. , and the people can't live up to their ambitions and follow their own way. Riches and honors can't be slutty, poverty and lowliness can't be moved, and power can't bend them. This is called a man."

Notes

① Jingchun: Personal name, believer of the Strategist. ② Gongsun Yan: famous lobbyist. ③Zhang Yi: Zonghengjia. ④Quit: It means that the flames of war are extinguished and the world is at peace. ⑤The husband’s crown is also ordered by his father: In ancient times, when a man reached adulthood at the age of twenty, he would undergo the crowning ceremony and his father would enlighten him. (6) Guangju, Zhengshi, Daodao: Guangju means benevolence; Zhengshi means etiquette; Daodao means righteousness.

Translation

Jing Chun said: "Aren't Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi real men? When they get angry, the princes will be afraid; when they calm down, the world will be peaceful. Mencius said: "How can this man be called a man? Have you not learned etiquette? When a man holds a crowning ceremony, his father gives him instructions; when a woman gets married, her mother gives her instructions, sends her to the door, and warns her: 'It's your turn. In your husband's home, you must be respectful and cautious, and do not disobey your husband! 'The principle of obedience is the way of a concubine. As for a real man, he should live in the most spacious house in the world and stand in the most correct place in the world. In my position, I walk the brightest road in the world. When I am successful, I will move forward with the people; when I am unsuccessful, I will stick to my own principles. Riches and honor cannot make me arrogant and extravagant. Poverty and lowliness cannot make me change my moral character. Make me surrender my will. This is what I call a man!"

Appreciation

Jing Chun believed that Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi could influence the princes and provoke wars between countries. "The princes are afraid and live in peace while the world is destroyed." This is an extraordinary man.

Mencius believed that Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi climbed up by wagging their lips and tongues and bending their will to obey the princes' wishes, which was not benevolent and righteous. Therefore, moral principles are nothing more than villains and women who pursue the "law of consecrating their wives". How can they be called men?

Mencius's statement is implicit and humorous, just by saying "propriety" " to explain the mother's instructions when a woman gets married, from which we can conclude that "the way of being a concubine is also the way of being a concubine." What is worthy of our attention here is that the ancients believed that the way of a wife is like the way of a minister. Of course, ministers should be obedient to their emperor, but the principle of obedience is based on justice. If the emperor behaves unjustly, ministers should advise him. The same is true for wives towards their husbands. Of course the wife should obey her husband, but if the husband has made mistakes, the wife should persuade him to make amends. It should be "harmony but difference". Only eunuchs, wives and maids do not care about right and wrong, and follow the principle of blind obedience. In fact, they have no principles whatsoever. "The way of a concubine" cannot be generally understood as the way of a woman, but is actually the "way of a little wife".

Mencius's sarcasm was profound and sharp, and it can be said that he deeply hated Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi. Regrettably, although Mencius hated this kind of concubine way of "taking obedience as the right thing", for more than two thousand years, such "concubines" have been popping up in endlessly. Today, monogamy is protected by law, and it is difficult for "concubines" to exist. However, the "concubine theory" may not disappear, and it may even be still popular.

Mencius’ method is to put forward the true way of a man tit for tat. This is his famous saying that has been passed down through the ages: "Wealth and honor cannot be lascivious, poverty and lowliness cannot be moved, and power cannot be surrendered." How to do it? Then you have to "live in the broadest place in the world, establish the right position in the world, and walk the great road of the world." Let’s go back to the benevolence, justice, etiquette and wisdom that Confucianism has always advocated. After doing this, we should adopt the attitude of "having the will and letting the people go their own way", which is what Confucius said, "use it and do it, abandon it and hide it," ("The Analects of Confucius") or Mencius in It is said in other places that "if you are poor, you can be good for yourself; if you are rich, you can help the world." ("Dedicate yourself to your heart") Then you can become a truly upright man.

Mencius's famous saying about "a man" Every sentence shines with the brilliance of the power of thought and personality. It has inspired many people with lofty ideals and benevolence in history, and has become their motto to not be afraid of violence and uphold justice.