Liang Hui Wang I

Liang Hui Wang I

1

Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang. The King said, "Venerable sir, you have not counted it far to come a thousand li. You are doubtless prepared to profit my kingdom?"

Mencius replied, "Your Majesty, why must you speak of profit? There is also benevolence and righteousness. Your Majesty says, 'How can my kingdom be profited?' The great officers say, 'How can my family be profited?' The scholars and common people say, 'How can my person be profited?' Superiors and inferiors compete with one another for profit, and the kingdom is endangered. In a state of ten thousand chariots, the murderer of his sovereign would be the head of a family of a thousand chariots. In a state of a thousand chariots, the murderer of his sovereign would be the head of a family of a hundred chariots. To have a thousand out of ten thousand, or a hundred out of a thousand, cannot be regarded as not much. But if righteousness is put last and profit is put first, they will not be satisfied without seizing all. There has never been a case of one who was benevolent abandoning his parents, or of one who was righteous putting his sovereign last. Let Your Majesty also say, 'Benevolence and righteousness, and nothing more.' Why must you speak of profit?"

2

Mencius had an audience with King Hui of Liang. The King stood by the pond, looking at the wild geese and deer, and said, "Do worthy men also take pleasure in these things?"

Mencius replied, "It is only the worthy who can take pleasure in such things. Those who are not worthy, even if they possessed such things, could not find pleasure in them. It is said in the Book of Odes:

'He planned the commencement of the Spirit Terrace,

He planned it, and defined it.

The people laboured on it,

And in less than a day completed it.

When he was planning it, he hastened them not,

But the people came as if they were his children.

The King was in the Spirit Park,

Where the does lay down in peace.

The does were sleek and fat,

And the white birds were all glistening.

The King was in the Spirit Pond,

How full was it of fishes leaping about!'

King Wen used the strength of the people to build his terrace and his pond, yet the people rejoiced at them. They called his terrace the Spirit Terrace and his pond the Spirit Pond, and delighted in his possession of the deer, fish, and tortoises. The ancients shared their pleasures with the people, and therefore they could find pleasure. In the Declaration of Tang it is said, 'O sun, when wilt thou perish? We will all perish with you.' The people wished that he would perish, and even if he had had terraces, ponds, birds, and beasts, could he have taken pleasure in them alone?"

3

King Hui of Liang said, "I have exerted myself to the utmost in the care of my kingdom. When there is a famine in He-nei, I remove the people to He-dong and transport grain to He-nei. When there is a famine in He-dong, I do the same. I have examined the government of neighbouring kingdoms, and there is none that is as devoted as mine. Yet the people of the neighbouring kingdoms do not decrease, and my people do not increase. How is this?"

Mencius replied, "Your Majesty is fond of war. Let me take an illustration from war. The drums beat the charge. The weapons are crossed, and then the soldiers cast away their coats of mail, trail their weapons, and run. Some stop after running a hundred paces, and some after running fifty paces. What would you think if one who had run fifty paces were to laugh at one who had run a hundred?"

The King said, "That would not do. He only did not run a hundred paces, but he also ran."

Mencius said, "Since Your Majesty understands this, you need not expect your people to be more numerous than those of the neighbouring kingdoms. If the seasons of husbandry be not interfered with, the grain will be more than can be eaten. If close-meshed nets are not allowed to enter the pools and ponds, the fish and turtles will be more than can be consumed. If axes and hatchets enter the hills and forests only at the proper times, the timber will be more than can be used. When grain and fish and turtles are more than can be eaten, and timber is more than can be used, this enables the people to nourish their living and bury their dead without any feeling of dissatisfaction. This is the beginning of the kingly way. Let mulberry trees be planted about the homesteads of five mu, and persons of fifty may be clothed with silk. In keeping fowls, pigs, dogs, and swine, let not their times of breeding be neglected, and persons of seventy may eat meat. Let not the farm of a hundred mu be interfered with in its proper seasons, and families of several mouths may be kept from hunger. Let attention be paid to education in schools, inculcating especially the duties of filial piety and fraternal duty, and grey-haired people will not be seen carrying burdens on the road. It never has been that persons of seventy have worn silk and eaten flesh, while the common people have neither hunger nor cold, and yet the ruler has not attained the royal sway. When the food of dogs and swine is that of human beings, and there is no check upon this; when there are people dying of famine on the roads, and no issue of food from the granaries. When people die, you say, 'It is not my fault; it is the fault of the year.' How is this different from stabbing a man and killing him, and saying, 'It is not I; it is the weapon?' Let Your Majesty cease laying the blame on the year, and the people of the whole kingdom will come to you."

4

King Hui of Liang said, "I am ready to receive your instructions."

Mencius replied, "Is there any difference between killing a man with a stick and killing him with a sword?"

The King said, "There is no difference."

"Is there any difference between killing him with a sword and killing him with government?"

The King said, "There is no difference."

Mencius said, "In your kitchen there is fat meat; in your stables there are fat horses. The people have the look of hunger, and in the wilds there are those who have died of famine. This is leading on the beasts to devour men. Beasts devour one another, and men detest them. When he who is the father and mother of the people administers his government, he cannot avoid leading on the beasts to devour men. How can he be the father and mother of the people? Confucius said, 'The first man who made images to bury with the dead—was he not childless?' It was because he made representations of men and used them for this purpose. How much more should we not cause the people to die of hunger!"

5

King Hui of Liang said, "There was no kingdom stronger than Jin—you, venerable sir, know this. But now that it has come to me, in the east I was defeated by Qi, and my eldest son died in that engagement; in the west I lost seven hundred li of territory to Qin; and in the south I was humiliated by Chu. I am ashamed of it. I wish to wipe clean this disgrace for the sake of the dead. How may I accomplish this?"

Mencius replied, "With a territory of only one hundred li, a ruler may attain the royal sway. If Your Majesty would bestow a benevolent government on the people, punishing less severely and lightly taxing them, so that the fields are ploughed deep and well weeded, and the strong cultivate in their spare days filial piety, fraternal duty, loyalty, and good faith, so that they serve their fathers and elder brothers at home and their elders and superiors abroad—then they may be made, even with sticks, to beat the strong armour and sharp weapons of Qin and Chu. The rulers of those states rob their people of their seasons of labour, so that they cannot plough and weed to nourish their parents. Their parents suffer from cold and hunger, and their brothers, wives, and children are scattered abroad. Those rulers oppress and drown their people. If Your Majesty were to go and punish them, who would be able to oppose you? Therefore it is said, 'The benevolent has no enemy.' I beg that you entertain no doubts."

6

Mencias had an audience with King Xiang of Liang. On going out, he said to some people, "When I looked at him from a distance, he did not look like a sovereign; when I drew near to him, I saw nothing in him that commanded respect. Abruptly he asked me, 'How can the kingdom be settled?' I replied, 'It will be settled by being united under one.' 'Who can so unite it?' I replied, 'He who has no pleasure in killing men can so unite it.' 'Who can give it to him?' I replied, 'All the people of the kingdom will give it to him. Does Your Majesty understand the grain? During the seventh and eighth months, when there is drought, the plants and grain become withered. Then the clouds collect in the heavens, and the rain falls copiously, and the grain revives and lifts up its head. When it is so, who can keep it back? At this time, those who are the leaders of the people of the kingdom are all those who have pleasure in killing men. If there were one who had no pleasure in killing men, all the people of the kingdom would crane their necks to look for him. If it were really so, the people would turn to him as water rushes downward with a mighty force, and who could keep them back?'"

7

King Xuan of Qi said, "May I hear about the affairs of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin?"

Mencius replied, "The disciples of Zhongni [Confucius] spoke of no such matters, and so they were not transmitted to later generations. Your servant has not heard of them. If I may not, then may I speak about true kingship?"

The King said, "What must one's virtue be like in order to achieve true kingship?"

Mencius said, "Protect the people and become a true king—none will be able to stand against you."

The King said, "One such as I—am I capable of protecting the people?"

Mencius said, "You are."

The King said, "How do you know I am?"

Mencius said, "Your servant has heard from He that Your Majesty was sitting in the hall above when an ox was led past the hall below. You saw it and asked, 'Where is the ox being taken?' The reply was, 'It is to be sacrificed by blood for the consecration of a bell.' You said, 'Spare it. I cannot bear its trembling, as if it were an innocent creature being led to its death.' The reply was, 'Then shall the bell-consecration be abolished?' You said, 'How can it be abolished? Substitute a goat in its place.' I do not know if this is so."

The King said, "It is so."

Mencius said, "This heart is sufficient for true kingship. The people all thought Your Majesty was being sparing with the animal. I, however, knew that Your Majesty could not bear the suffering."

The King said, "That is so. There were indeed people who thought so. Though the state of Qi is small, why should I begrudge a single ox? It was because I could not bear its trembling, as if it were an innocent creature being led to its death, that I substituted a goat."

Mencius said, "Let not Your Majesty wonder that the people thought you sparing. You substituted a smaller creature for a larger one—how were they to know your meaning? If Your Majesty grieved that an innocent creature was being led to its death, then what difference was there between an ox and a goat?"

The King smiled and said, "What was this heart, truly? I was not being sparing with the ox's cost and substituting a goat for that reason. No wonder the people said I was being sparing."

Mencius said, "There is no harm in it. This is the method of benevolence. You saw the ox but had not seen the goat. As for the gentleman and animals: having seen them alive, he cannot bear to see them die; having heard their cries, he cannot bear to eat their flesh. That is why the gentleman keeps his distance from the kitchen."

The King was pleased and said, "The Odes say, 'The thoughts of others—I can weigh and measure.' This speaks of you, sir. I acted upon it, and when I turned inward to examine myself, I could not understand my own heart. But when you spoke, it resonated deeply within me. Why does this heart accord with true kingship?"

Mencius said, "Suppose someone reported to Your Majesty, 'My strength is sufficient to lift a hundred jun, but not sufficient to lift a single feather; my eyesight is sufficient to discern the tip of an autumn hair, but not sufficient to see a cartload of firewood.' Would you accept that?"

The King said, "No."

Mencius said, "Now your kindness extends to animals, but your merit does not reach the people—why is this so? Then the failure to lift a single feather is due to not using one's strength; the failure to see a cartload of firewood is due to not using one's eyesight; the failure to protect the people is due to not using one's kindness. Thus Your Majesty's failure to achieve true kingship is a matter of not doing it, not of being unable to do it."

The King said, "How does the appearance of 'not doing it' differ from that of 'being unable to do it'?"

Mencius said, "To clasp Mount Tai and leap over the North Sea, and to tell people, 'I cannot'—this is truly being unable. To pluck a branch for an elder, and to tell people, 'I cannot'—this is not doing it, not being unable. Thus Your Majesty's failure to achieve true kingship is not of the category of clasping Mount Tai and leaping over the North Sea; it is of the category of plucking a branch. Treat your own elders with respect, and extend that respect to the elders of others; treat your own young with tenderness, and extend that tenderness to the young of others—then the world can be turned upon your palm. The Odes say, 'He set the example for his wife, extended it to his brothers, and thereby governed his family and state.' This speaks of taking this heart and applying it to others. Thus extending one's kindness is sufficient to protect the four seas; failing to extend it is insufficient even to protect one's wife and children. That by which the ancients greatly surpassed others was nothing other than the ability to extend what they did. Now your kindness extends to animals, but your merit does not reach the people—why is this so? Weigh, and then one knows what is light or heavy; measure, and then one knows what is long or short. So it is with all things, and most of all with the heart. May Your Majesty weigh it. Or do Your Majesty raise armed forces, imperil your officers and subjects, and stir resentment among the feudal lords—and is this what brings joy to your heart?"

The King said, "No. What joy would I find in that? It is to pursue my great ambition."

Mencius said, "May I hear Your Majesty's great ambition?"

The King smiled and said nothing.

Mencius said, "Is it that rich flavors are not enough for your mouth? Or that light, warm clothing is not enough for your body? Or that bright colors are not enough for your eyes? Or that music is not enough for your ears? Or that attendants are not enough to serve before you? Your ministers are all capable of providing these things—surely Your Majesty does not act for such reasons?"

The King said, "No. I do not act for such reasons."

Mencius said, "Then Your Majesty's great ambition may be known: You wish to expand your territory, to bring Qin and Chu into your court, to rule over China and pacify the barbarian tribes on all sides. To seek what you desire by such means is like climbing a tree in search of fish."

The King said, "Is it as serious as that?"

Mencius said, "It may be worse. If you climb a tree in search of fish, though you do not get fish, there is no subsequent disaster. But if you act as you do and seek what you desire, exhausting your heart and strength in the effort, there will certainly be disaster afterward."

The King said, "May I hear why?"

Mencius said, "If the people of Zou were to fight the people of Chu, who does Your Majesty think would win?"

The King said, "The people of Chu."

Mencius said, "Then the small cannot withstand the large, the few cannot withstand the many, the weak cannot withstand the strong. Within the seas, there are nine domains of a thousand li square; Qi comprises one of them. To subdue the eight with one—how is this different from Zou opposing Chu? The only course is to return to the root. Now if Your Majesty were to issue policies and practice benevolence, so that all who serve in office wished to stand at Your Majesty's court, all who plow wished to plow in Your Majesty's fields, all merchants wished to store their goods in Your Majesty's markets, and all travelers wished to journey on Your Majesty's roads—so that all those who hated their rulers throughout the world wished to come and complain to Your Majesty—who could stand against it?"

The King said, "I am confused. I cannot advance to this. I hope you, sir, will assist my intention and instruct me clearly. Though I am dull, I beg to make the attempt."

He said, "It is only the cultivated scholar who can maintain a steadfast mind despite lacking a stable livelihood. As for the common people, if they lack a stable livelihood, they will lack a steadfast mind. And if they lack a steadfast mind, there is no licentious or depraved act they will not commit. When they then fall into crime, and the ruler proceeds to punish them, this is entrapping the people. How could a ruler who practices benevolence occupy his position and yet be allowed to entrap the people? Therefore, a wise sovereign regulates the livelihood of the people, ensuring that they have enough above to serve their parents, and enough below to support their wives and children; in good years they are always well-fed, and in bad years they escape death. Only then does he urge them toward goodness, and thus the people find it easy to follow him. But today, the livelihood of the people is regulated such that they do not have enough above to serve their parents, nor enough below to support their wives and children; in good years they are always in hardship, and in bad years they cannot escape death. At best they struggle to save themselves from death — how could they have leisure to cultivate propriety and righteousness? If Your Majesty wishes to put this into practice, why not return to the fundamental way? Let mulberry trees be planted in homesteads of five mu, and those of fifty years of age may wear silk. Let the raising of chickens, pigs, dogs, and swine not be neglected in its proper season, and those of seventy years of age may eat meat. Let hundred-mu fields be cultivated without interference in the proper seasons, and families of eight mouths may go without hunger. Let careful instruction be given in the schools, inculcating the principles of filial piety and fraternal duty, and those with white hair will not bear burdens upon the roads. When the elderly wear silk and eat meat, and the common people neither hunger nor suffer cold, yet the ruler fails to become a true king — such a thing has never been known."