Teng Wen Gong I

Teng Wen Gong I

1

When Duke Wen of Teng was still heir apparent, he was traveling to Chu and passed through Song, where he went to see Mencius. Mencius spoke of the goodness of human nature and in all his discourse invariably cited Yao and Shun.

When the heir apparent returned from Chu, he visited Mencius again. Mencius said, "Does my lord doubt what I said? The Way is one and one only. Cheng Jian said to Duke Jing of Qi, 'He is a man, and I am a man. Why should I stand in awe of him?' Yan Yuan said, 'What kind of man was Shun? What kind of man am I? He who makes the effort will also become like him.' Gongming Yi said, 'King Wen is my teacher. Would the Duke of Zhou deceive me?' Now, if Teng, measuring its territory by cutting off the long to supplement the short, were to come to roughly fifty li square, it could still become a good state. The Book of Documents says, 'If the medicine does not make the patient dizzy, the disease will not be cured.'"

2

When Duke Ding of Teng died, the heir apparent said to Ran You, "Some years ago, Mencius spoke with me in Song, and to this day I have never forgotten his words. Now, unfortunately, this great matter has befallen us. I wish you would go and consult Mencius, and then we shall carry out the proceedings."

Ran You went to Zou and put his question to Mencius.

Mencius said, "Is this not good? In the matter of a parent's funeral, a man should indeed do his utmost on his own account. Zengzi said, 'When parents are alive, serve them according to ritual. When they die, bury them according to ritual and sacrifice to them according to ritual. This may be called filial piety.' I have not studied the rituals of a lord of the states. Nevertheless, I have heard this: the three-year mourning period, the garments of coarse cloth with narrow hems, and the eating of thin gruel—from the Son of Heaven down to the common people, the three dynasties observed this alike."

Ran You returned with the reply and it was decided to observe the three-year mourning period. But the senior officials and elder statesmen were all unwilling, saying, "The rulers of our ancestral state of Lu never practiced it, nor did our own former rulers. To reverse this in your own person is not permissible. Moreover, the Record says, 'In mourning and sacrifice, follow the ancestors.'" They said, "We received this from them."

The heir apparent said to Ran You, "In the past I never applied myself to study or inquiry; I was fond of galloping horses and testing swords. Now my elder statesmen and senior officials are not satisfied with me. I fear that I may not be able to carry out this great matter fully. Go and consult Mencius for me."

Ran You again went to Zou and put his question to Mencius.

Mencius said, "So it is. This is something that cannot be sought elsewhere. Confucius said, 'When the lord dies, the heir entrusts affairs to the prime minister. He eats thin gruel, and his face is of a deep dark color. When he takes his place and weeps, the hundred officials and officers of every department all dare not fail to show grief, for he has set them the example. When those above are fond of something, those below are sure to go to even greater lengths. The virtue of the gentleman is like the wind; the virtue of the small man is like the grass. When the wind passes over the grass, it must bend.' This rests with the heir apparent."

Ran You returned with the reply.

The heir apparent said, "Indeed, this truly rests with me."

He lived in the mourning hut for five months, issuing no orders or prohibitions. The hundred officials and the members of his clan could be said to have understood. When the burial came, people came from all directions to observe it. The grief on his face and the sorrow of his mourners gave great satisfaction to those who came to pay their respects.

3

Duke Wen of Teng asked about governing a state.

Mencius said, "The people's affairs cannot be delayed. The Book of Poetry says, 'By day they gather the thatch grass; by night they twist the rope. They hasten to go up to the roof; then they begin to sow the grain.' As a general principle regarding the people, those who have a constant livelihood have constant hearts, and those who have no constant livelihood have no constant hearts. Without constant hearts, they will be dissolute, depraved, and extravagant, stopping at nothing. When they have fallen into crime and you then punish them, this is to ensnare the people. How could a benevolent man in a position of authority ensnare the people and yet be considered acceptable? Therefore, a worthy ruler is necessarily respectful, frugal, and courteous to his inferiors, and takes from the people only according to proper regulation. Yang Hu said, 'Those who pursue wealth cannot be benevolent; those who practice benevolence cannot grow wealthy.'

The Xia dynasty allotted fifty mu and used the gong system; the Yin allotted seventy mu and used the zhu system; the Zhou allotted one hundred mu and used the che system. In practice, all amounted to a tenth. Che means 'to penetrate' or 'to take from the soil'; zhu means 'to borrow [the people's labor].' Longzi said, 'For managing the land, nothing is better than the zhu system, and nothing is worse than the gong system. The gong system takes an average of several years to set as the standard. In good years, when grain is abundant and scattered everywhere, taking more would not be oppressive, yet they take less; in bad years, when fertilizing the fields is insufficient, they insist on taking the full amount. Those who are parents to the people cause them to look with anxious eyes, to toil all year round and still be unable to support their parents, and even to borrow to make up the amount, so that the old and young are left to perish in the ditches—where is the sense in being parents to the people?' Hereditary emoluments—Teng has long practiced this. The Book of Poetry says, 'May the rain fall on our public fields, and then upon our private fields.' Only the zhu system had public fields. From this we may see that even the Zhou in effect practiced the zhu system.

Establish village schools and academies for the instruction of the people. Xiang means 'to nourish'; xiao means 'to teach'; xu means 'archery.' The Xia called them xiao; the Yin called them xu; the Zhou called them xiang. Xue [higher learning] was shared by the three dynasties. All these were designed to make clear the human relations. When human relations are made clear above, the common people will be affectionate below. When a true king arises, he will surely come to take this as his model. You will be a teacher to a true king. The Book of Poetry says, 'Although Zhou is an old state, its mandate is renewed.' This refers to King Wen. Put this into practice with vigor, and you will renew your state as well!"

He sent Bi Zhan to ask about the well-field system.

Mencius said, "Your ruler is going to practice benevolent government and has chosen you and sent you here. You must do your utmost. Benevolent government must begin with the demarcation of land boundaries. If the boundaries are not properly drawn, the well-fields will not be equal, and the grain salaries will not be fair. Therefore, tyrannical rulers and corrupt officials are certain to neglect the demarcation of land boundaries. Once the boundaries are properly established, the division of fields and the regulation of salaries can be settled with ease."

"Now, Teng is a small territory. Yet there will be gentlemen and there will be country people. Without gentlemen, there is no one to govern the country people; without country people, there is no one to feed the gentlemen. In the countryside, I would suggest the one-ninth zhu system; in the capital region, a one-tenth tax, to be assessed on their own. For ministers of rank and below, there must be ritual fields. Ritual fields consist of fifty mu; for an additional adult male, twenty-five mu. When people die or move, they do not leave their village. The fields of each village are in the same well; those who go out and come in are friends to one another; they keep watch and aid one another; they support one another in illness—then the people will be close and harmonious. A square li makes one well. A well consists of nine hundred mu, of which the central plot is the public field. Eight families each have a private hundred mu, and together they cultivate the public field. Only when the public work is finished do they dare to attend to their private affairs—this is how the country people are distinguished. This is the general outline. As for refining and adapting it, that rests with you and your ruler."

4

There was a man named Xu Hang, who taught the doctrines of Shennong. He came from Chu to Teng and, going to the gate, announced to Duke Wen, "I am a man from a distant place. I have heard that Your Lordship practices benevolent government and wish to receive a homestead and become one of your subjects." The Duke gave him a place to settle. His followers, several tens in number, all wore coarse cloth garments, made sandles and wove mats for their livelihood.

Chen Liang's disciple Chen Xiang, together with his younger brother Xin, carrying plows and plowshares, came from Song to Teng. They said, "We have heard that Your Lordship practices the government of a sage. Then you too are a sage. We wish to become subjects of a sage."

Chen Xiang met Xu Xing and was utterly delighted, completely abandoning his former studies to study under him.

Chen Xiang met Mencius and reported Xu Xing's words, saying: "The Lord of Teng is indeed a worthy ruler; however, he has not yet heard the Way. A worthy ruler plows together with the people and eats, preparing his own meals while governing. Now Teng possesses granaries and treasuries—this is to oppress the people in order to support oneself. How can he be deemed worthy?"

Mencius said: "Does Master Xu grow grain before he eats?"

Chen replied: "Yes."

"Does Master Xu weave cloth before he wears clothes?"

"No. Master Xu wears coarse cloth."

"Does Master Xu wear a cap?"

"He wears a cap."

"What kind of cap?"

"A plain silk cap."

"Did he weave it himself?"

"No—he bartered grain for it."

"Then why does Master Xu not weave it himself?"

"It would interfere with plowing."

"Does Master Xu cook with a pot and a steamer, and plow with iron tools?"

"Yes."

"Did he make them himself?"

"No—he bartered grain for them."

"One who barters grain for tools does not harm the potter or the founder; and when the potter or the founder barter their tools for grain, do they harm the farmer? Moreover, why does Master Xu not practice pottery and founding himself, and take everything he needs from within his own house? Why does he deal and trade so busily with the various craftsmen? Why is Master Xu not afraid of all this trouble?"

Chen replied: "The work of the various craftsmen simply cannot be done alongside plowing."

"Then is governing the world the only thing that can be done alongside plowing? There are the tasks of the great person and the tasks of the small person. Moreover, in a single person's life, the work of all craftsmen is required. If one must make everything oneself before using it, this would lead the whole world to exhaustion. Therefore it is said: some labor with the mind, and some labor with the strength of their bodies. Those who labor with the mind govern others; those who labor with their strength are governed by others. Those who are governed by others feed others; those who govern others are fed by them—this is the universal principle throughout the world."

"In the time of Yao, the world was yet ungoverned. The floods raged and spread across the land; vegetation flourished thickly, and beasts multiplied; the five grains did not ripen, and wild animals threatened the people. The tracks of beasts and birds crisscrossed throughout the central states. Yao alone was troubled by this, and raised Shun to administer the government. Shun had Yi take charge of fire; Yi set the mountains and marshes ablaze, and the wild animals fled and hid. Yu dredged the nine rivers, cleared the Ji and the Ta and channeled them to the sea; opened up the Ru and the Han, and cleared the Huai and the Si, channeling them into the Yangtze—and only then could the central states be lived in and provide food. At that time, Yu spent eight years abroad, passing his gate three times without entering—though he might have wished to plow, could he have done so?"

"Houji taught the people to sow and reap, to cultivate the five grains. When the five grains ripened, the people were nourished. It is the nature of human beings that, if they eat their fill and are warmly clothed, yet live in idleness without instruction, they are close to being mere animals. The sage was troubled by this, and appointed Xie as Minister of Instruction to teach the relations between people: affection between father and son, righteousness between ruler and minister, distinction between husband and wife, proper order between old and young, and trust between friends. Yao said: 'Toil for them, bring them to rectitude, straighten them, assist them, give them wings, let them find it in themselves; and then raise them up and confer virtue upon them.' The sage's concern for the people was like this—did he have leisure to plow?"

"Yao's worry was that he had not found a Shun. Shun's worry was that he had not found a Yu or a Gaoyao. One whose worry is that his hundred acres are not well tilled is a farmer. To share wealth with others is called generosity; to teach others what is good is called loyalty; to find worthy persons for the world is called benevolence. Therefore, to give the world to another is easy; to find worthy persons for the world is difficult. Confucius said: 'Great indeed was Yao as a ruler! Only Heaven is great, and only Yao modeled himself upon it. So vast—the people could not find words for it! How lordly was Shun! He possessed the world and yet seemed to have nothing to do with it!' Did Yao and Shun's governing the world not require the use of their minds? They simply did not apply them to plowing."

"I have heard of using the ways of Xia to transform the barbarians; I have never heard of being transformed by the barbarians. Chen Liang was a native of Chu, yet he delighted in the Way of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius, and studied north in the central states. Among the scholars of the north, no one was able to surpass him—he was what is called a person of outstanding talent. You and your brother served him for decades, and when your teacher died, you turned your backs on him. In the past, when Confucius died, after the three years had passed, the disciples gathered their belongings and prepared to return home. They went in to bow to Zigong, facing one another and weeping until they lost their voices, and only then did they depart. Zigong returned and built a grave-side hut, living there alone for another three years before he went home. Later, Zixia, Zizhang, and Ziyou, thinking that You Ruo resembled the sage, wished to serve him as they had served Confucius, and tried to compel Zengzi. Zengzi said: 'It cannot be done. He has been cleansed by the Yangtze and the Han, and bleached by the autumn sun—his purity is beyond all comparison.' Now here is a man from the southern barbarians with a tongue like a jaybird's, who condemns the Way of the former kings, and you turn your back on your teacher to study under him—how different you are from Zengzi! I have heard of leaving a dark valley to ascend to a tall tree; I have never heard of descending from a tall tree to enter a dark valley. The Song of Lu says: 'The Rong and the Di we strike down; the Jing and the Xu we punish.' The Duke of Zhou was just such a one who struck them down—and yet you choose to study under him. That is a poor transformation indeed."

"If one followed Master Xu's Way, prices in the marketplace would not vary, and there would be no deception in the state. Even if one sent a child of five chi to the market, no one would cheat him. If cloth or silk are of the same length, their prices would be the same; if hemp, silk floss, or thread are of the same weight, their prices would be the same; if grain is of the same quantity, its price would be the same; if shoes are of the same size, their prices would be the same."

Mencius said: "Things are unequal—that is their nature. They may differ by twofold or fivefold, by tenfold or a hundredfold, by a thousandfold or ten thousandfold. If you force them to be the same, you bring chaos to the world. If coarse shoes and fine shoes were sold at the same price, who would make fine shoes? If one followed Master Xu's Way, it would lead people to practice deception together—how could it govern a state?"

The Mohist Yi Zhi, through Xu Bi, sought to see Mencius. Mencius said: "I have long wished to see him. At present I am still unwell. When I recover, I will go to see him." Yi Zhi did not come.

On another day he again sought to see Mencius. Mencius said: "Now I can see him. If I do not speak plainly, the Way will not become manifest—and I will speak plainly. I have heard that Yi Zhi is a Mohist. In mourning, the Mohists take frugality as their principle. Yi Zhi wishes to reform the world with this—surely he does not regard it as wrong and therefore not valuable? Yet Yi Zhi buries his parents lavishly—this is serving his parents with what he himself considers base."

Xu Bi reported this to Yi Zhi.

Yi Zi said, "The way of the Ru speaks of the ancients 'as if protecting an infant.' What does this mean? I take it to mean that love is without degrees of distinction, but its practice begins with one's parents."

Xu Zi reported this to Mencius.

Mencius said: "Does Yi Zi truly believe that a man's affection for his brother's child is the same as his affection for an infant in a neighboring family? He has seized upon a particular point. When an infant crawls toward a well about to fall in, this is not the infant's fault. Moreover, Heaven, in producing all things, gives them but one root, whereas Yi Zi gives them two roots. In ancient times there was a man who did not bury his parents. When his parent died, he lifted the body and cast it into a gully. Passing by another day, he saw foxes and wildcats devouring it, and flies and gnats sucking upon it. A sweat broke out upon his brow; he averted his eyes and could not look. That sweat was not shed for the sake of others; it came from the deepest recesses of his heart, reaching outward to his face and eyes. He went home and returned with baskets and a spade to cover the body. Covering it was indeed the right thing to do. Thus, when a filial son and a man of benevolence covers the body of his parent, there must be a principle behind it."

Xu Zi reported this to Yi Zi. Yi Zi, after a moment of troubled reflection, said: "He has taught me."