“Mencius and His Legacy”
Translated Passage:
In the writings of Sima Qian, we find reflections on the intellectual pursuits and ethical dilemmas of ancient Chinese philosophers. One such figure, Mencius, occupies a pivotal position. Sima Qian notes that while reading the works of Mencius, particularly his response to King Hui of Liang’s query about benefiting the state, he couldn’t help but pause and sigh. “Alas, profit truly marks the beginning of disorder!” Mencius rarely spoke of profit, always guarding against its origins. Hence, he said, “To act for the sake of profit invites much resentment.” From the emperor to the common people, the pitfalls of profit-seeking are no different!
Mencius, also known as Meng Ke, hailed from the state of Zou in Lu, later known as Zou, a county in Yanzhou. He was a disciple of Master Zi Si. (Wang Shao interpreted “人” as a redundant character, indicating that Meng Ke directly received teachings from Kong Ji, a younger disciple of Zi Si. Therefore, “disciples” refer to those who studied under the disciples of Zi Si.) Once he had mastered the teachings, he traveled to Qi, where King Xuan could not employ him. He then went to Liang, where King Hui did not fully embrace his proposals, deeming them too far-reaching and disconnected from practical matters.
During this period, Qin used Shang Yang to enrich the state and strengthen its military; Chu and Wei employed Wu Qi, achieving victories over weaker enemies. King Wei of Qi and King Xuan used Sun Zi and Tian Ji’s tactics, causing the vassal states to turn eastward towards Qi. The world was thus focused on forming alliances and attacking others, valuing military prowess, while Mencius expounded on the virtues of the Tang and Yu dynasties. Therefore, his views did not align with those of the times. He withdrew and associated with the disciples of Wan Zhang. (Mencius had disciples like Wan Zhang and Gongming Gao, who were also followers of Meng Ke. Wan was a surname, and Zhang was a given name.)
In Qi, there were three famous horsemen. The eldest, Zou Ji, gained King Xiang’s favor with his skill in playing the qin and eventually became the Marquis Cheng, receiving the seal of the prime minister before Mencius. The second, Zou Yan, succeeded Mencius. Zou Yan realized that those in power were becoming increasingly corrupt, failing to uphold virtue. He advocated for personal integrity and extended this to the common people, delving deep into the mysteries of yin and yang, producing over ten thousand words in the Beginning and Great Sage chapters. His rhetoric was grand and profound, requiring preliminary verification of minor details before making grand assertions. From ancient times to the Yellow Emperor, scholars have shared these methodologies, broadly encompassing the rise and fall of generations. (Mencius had disciples like Wan Zhang and Gongming Gao, who were also followers of Meng Ke. Wan was a surname, and Zhang was a given name.)
He also arranged the names of famous mountains and rivers in China, describing the birds, beasts, and plants in the valleys, as well as the precious materials they produced. He then extended this to include things that people from overseas could not see. By referring to the division of heaven and earth, the transition of the Five Virtues, and the appropriate governance for each period, he demonstrated that they corresponded to these. Confucian scholars regard China as occupying only one eighty-first of the world. (Huan Kuan and Wang Chong also extended his fantastical and false statements, misleading the rulers of six states, and subsequently adopted their different opinions, referred to as “ordinary men causing confusion among princes.”)
China is known as the Divine Land of Red County. Inside the Divine Land of Red County, there are nine provinces, following the sequence of Yu’s nine provinces, which do not include the number of provinces. Outside the Divine Land of Red County, there are nine provinces, referred to as the Nine Provinces. Thus, there are rivers and mountains in China, as well as birds and beasts, which are nurtured by the land and water, as well as the rare materials produced by nature. He further extended this to include the people of the sea who cannot see these things. He cited the beginning of heaven and earth’s judgments and extended it to the point where heaven and earth were not yet born. Initially, it was indistinct. He referred to the origin of the Yangtze River, explaining that the actions of superiors and inferiors, whether in government or among the people, begin with this, which is why he refers to it as indistinct.
When the princes saw his technique, they were awed and became worried, but later, they could not implement it. (Jude refers to fear as chi. He claims that his technique moves people because they see it, and he stops to think about it inwardly, which he calls wanting to follow his technique. According to Jude, this technique moves people to see it and makes them feel scared and want to follow it. According to this interpretation, the princes want to follow the technique.