Li Lou I

Li Lou I

1

Mencius said: "With the keen vision of Li Lou and the skill of Gongshu Zi, without compass and square one cannot form squares and circles. With the acute hearing of Shi Kuang, without the six pitch pipes one cannot correct the five notes. With the Way of Yao and Shun, without benevolent governance one cannot bring order to the world. If there is one today who has a benevolent heart and a reputation for benevolence, yet the people do not receive his blessings and he cannot serve as a model for later ages, it is because he does not put into practice the way of the former kings. Thus it is said: 'Goodness alone is insufficient to govern; laws alone cannot implement themselves.' The Odes say: 'Without transgression, without forgetting, following the old statutes.' There has never been one who followed the laws of the former kings and fell into error. When the sages had exhausted their visual powers, they followed up with compass, square, level, and plumb line to make squares, circles, levels, and straight lines — their use was inexhaustible. When they had exhausted their auditory powers, they followed up with the six pitch pipes to correct the five notes — their use was inexhaustible. When they had exhausted their mental powers, they followed up with a government of compassion, and benevolence covered the world. Thus it is said: 'To build high, one must rely on hills and mounds. To build low, one must rely on rivers and marshes.' Can one be considered wise who governs without relying on the way of the former kings? Therefore only the benevolent should occupy high positions. If one who is not benevolent occupies a high position, he spreads his wickedness among the masses. Those above have no moral standard to follow; those below have no law to observe. The court does not trust the Way; the craftsmen do not trust the measures. The gentlemen offend against righteousness; the common people offend against the penal laws. That such a state survives is mere luck. Thus it is said: 'Incomplete city walls and insufficient arms and armor are not the calamity of a state. Uncultivated fields and unaccumulated wealth are not the harm of a state. But if those above are without ritual and those below are without learning, rebellious people will arise, and the day of destruction is near.' The Odes say: 'Heaven is now shaking with anger; do not be so indifferent.' 'Indifferent' means tardy and dilatory. To serve one's lord without righteousness, to advance and retire without propriety, and to speak only in ways that depart from the way of the former kings — all this is tardy and dilatory. Thus it is said: 'Pressing one's lord to do what is difficult is called being reverent. Setting forth goodness and shutting out wickedness is called being respectful. Saying "My lord cannot do it" is called injuring him.'"

2

Mencius said: "The compass and square are the ultimate standards for circles and squares. The sage is the ultimate standard for human relations. If one wishes to be a ruler, let him fulfill the way of a ruler. If one wishes to be a minister, let him fulfill the way of a minister. Both need only take Yao and Shun as their model. To serve one's ruler in a way different from how Shun served Yao is to show no reverence for one's ruler. To govern the people in a way different from how Yao governed the people is to bring harm to the people. Confucius said: 'There are but two courses — benevolence and the absence of benevolence.' If one oppresses the people to an extreme, one will suffer assassination and the destruction of the state. If not to an extreme, one will endanger one's person and weaken the state, and one will be given the posthumous name 'You' or 'Li.' Even with filial sons and compassionate grandsons, this cannot be changed for a hundred generations. The Odes say: 'The mirror of Yin is not far off — it lies in the era of the Xia dynasty.' This is what is meant."

3

Mencius said: "The Three Dynasties gained the world through benevolence and lost it through the absence of benevolence. The rise, fall, survival, and destruction of states follow the same principle. If the Son of Heaven is not benevolent, he cannot preserve the four seas. If a feudal lord is not benevolent, he cannot preserve his altars of soil and grain. If a minister is not benevolent, he cannot preserve his ancestral temple. If a gentleman or commoner is not benevolent, he cannot preserve his four limbs. Now to hate death yet delight in the absence of benevolence is like hating drunkenness yet forcing oneself to drink."

4

Mencius said: "If you love others and they are not close to you, turn back and examine your benevolence. If you govern others and they are not well governed, turn back and examine your wisdom. If you are courteous to others and they do not respond, turn back and examine your respect. Whenever one's actions do not achieve the desired result, one must turn back and seek the cause within oneself. When one's own conduct is correct, the whole world will turn to one. The Odes say: 'Ever strive to be worthy of Heaven's appointment, and seek for yourself manifold blessings.'"

5

Mencius said: "There is a common saying among people: 'The world, the state, the family.' The root of the world lies in the state. The root of the state lies in the family. The root of the family lies in the individual person."

6

Mencius said: "Governing is not difficult — it consists in not offending the great families. What the great families admire, the whole state will admire. What the whole state admires, the whole world will admire. Thus a generous moral teaching will overflow to the four seas."

7

Mencius said: "When the world follows the Way, the lesser virtue serves the greater virtue, and the lesser worthiness serves the greater worthiness. When the world does not follow the Way, the small serves the great, and the weak serves the strong. These two are matters of Heaven. Those who follow Heaven survive; those who go against Heaven perish. Duke Jing of Qi said: 'Since I cannot give commands and cannot receive commands, I am cutting myself off from the world.' With tears he gave his daughter in marriage to Wu. Now for a small state to take a large state as its teacher, yet to feel ashamed of receiving its commands, is like a student feeling ashamed of receiving commands from his teacher. If one feels ashamed of this, one would do better to take King Wen as one's teacher. Take King Wen as one's teacher, and in five years a large state, or in seven years a small state, will surely govern the world. The Odes say: 'The descendants of Shang — their multitudes are beyond counting. God has given His command, and they submitted to the Zhou. They submitted to the Zhou — the Mandate of Heaven is not constant. The officers of Yin, handsome and quick, pour out the libations at the capital of Zhou.' Confucius said: 'Benevolence cannot be opposed by multitudes! If a ruler is devoted to benevolence, he will have no rival under Heaven.' Now to wish to have no rival under Heaven, yet not through benevolence, is like holding something hot without rinsing one's hand in water. The Odes say: 'Who can hold something hot without rinsing?'"

8

Mencius said: "Can one speak with the one who is not benevolent? He feels secure in what is dangerous and profits from what is disastrous. He delights in the things that lead to his ruin. If the one who is not benevolent could be spoken with, how could there be ruined states and destroyed families? There was a song of a child: 'When the waters of the Canglang are clear, they can wash my cap strings. When the waters of the Canglang are turbid, they can wash my feet.' Confucius said: 'Listen, my young men! When the water is clear, it washes the cap strings. When it is turbid, it washes the feet. This is determined by the water itself.' A person must first disgrace himself before others disgrace him. A family must first destroy itself before others destroy it. A state must first attack itself before others attack it. The Tai Jia says: 'Calamities sent by Heaven may still be avoided. Calamities brought upon oneself cannot be escaped.' This is what is meant."

9

Mencius said: "Jie and Zhou lost the empire because they lost the people. They lost the people because they lost their hearts. There is a way to gain the empire: gain the people, and you gain the empire. There is a way to gain the people: gain their hearts, and you gain the people. There is a way to gain their hearts: gather for them what they desire; do not inflict on them what they hate. The people's turning to humaneness is like water flowing downward and wild animals running toward the open wilds. Thus it is the otter that drives the fish deeper into the water; it is the sparrow hawk that drives the sparrows into the thicket; it was Jie and Zhou who drove the people to Tang and Wu. If among the rulers of the empire today there were one who loved humaneness, all the other lords would drive the people to him. Though he wished not to become a true king, it could not be prevented. Those today who wish to become true kings are like a man with an illness of seven years who seeks three-year-old mugwort. If he does not keep it stored, he will never obtain it. If he does not set his heart on humaneness, he all his life will be anxious and disgraced, and will sink into death and ruin. The Odes say, 'How can they be saved? They together drown.' This is what I mean."

Mencius said: "From those who have thrown themselves away, one can expect no words; from those who have abandoned themselves, one can expect no deeds. When words are contrary to ritual and rightness, that is called throwing oneself away. When one says, 'My person cannot dwell in humaneness and follow rightness,' that is called abandoning oneself. Humaneness is the peaceful dwelling of a person; rightness is the correct path of a person. To leave the peaceful dwelling empty and not to live in it, to set aside the correct path and not to follow it—how sad!"

Mencius said: "The Way is near, yet people seek it far away; the task is easy, yet people seek it in what is difficult. If everyone loved their own parents and honored their own elders, the empire would be at peace."

Mencius said: "One who occupies a lower position without gaining the confidence of those above cannot hope to govern the people. There is a way to gain the confidence of those above: if one is not trusted by one's friends, one will not gain the confidence of those above. There is a way to be trusted by one's friends: if one serves one's parents and they are not pleased, one will not be trusted by one's friends. There is a way to please one's parents: if one reflects upon oneself and finds no sincerity, one will not please one's parents. There is a way to be sincere with oneself: if one does not understand goodness, one will not be sincere with oneself. Thus sincerity is the Way of Heaven; to think how to be sincere is the Way of Man. There has never been one who was utterly sincere and did not move others. There has never been one who was not sincere and could move others."

Mencius said: "Bo Yi fled from Zhou and lived on the shores of the northern sea. When he heard that King Wen had risen and was flourishing, he said, 'Why should I not return? I have heard that the Earl of the West is good at nourishing the aged.' Tai Gong fled from Zhou and lived on the shores of the eastern sea. When he heard that King Wen had risen and was flourishing, he said, 'Why should I not return? I have heard that the Earl of the West is good at nourishing the aged.' These two old men were the greatest elders of the empire, and they went to him—this means the fathers of the empire went to him. When the fathers of the empire went to him, where could the sons go? If among the lords of the empire there were one who put King Wen's governance into practice, within seven years he would certainly hold sway over the empire."

Mencius said: "Qiu served as steward to the Ji family. He was unable to change their virtue, yet he doubled their grain levy from what it had been before. Confucius said, 'Qiu is no follower of mine. My little ones, you may sound the drum and attack him.' From this it may be seen: if a ruler does not practice humane governance and yet is enriched, such a one is rejected by Confucius—how much more so if one engages in aggressive warfare! Fighting for territory, the dead fill the plains; fighting for cities, the dead fill the city walls. This is called leading the earth to devour human flesh—such a crime does not merit mere death. Therefore those skilled in warfare should receive the highest punishment; those who form alliances with the lords should receive the next; those who open wastelands and exploit land should receive the next."

Mencius said: "In observing a person, nothing is better than the pupils of the eyes. The pupils cannot conceal wickedness. If one's breast is correct, the pupils are clear; if one's breast is not correct, the pupils are clouded. Listen to a person's words and observe the pupils—how can he hide?"

Mencius said: "A respectful person does not insult others; a frugal person does not seize from others. A ruler who insults and seizes from others, fearing only that others will not submit—how could he be called respectful or frugal? Can respectfulness and frugality be a matter of voice and laughter, of a smiling countenance?"

Chunyu Kun said: "Is it the rule of ritual that men and women should not touch in giving and receiving?"

Mencius said: "It is the rule of ritual."

He said: "If a man's sister-in-law is drowning, does he rescue her with his hand?"

Mencius said: "If a man would not rescue his sister-in-law when she is drowning, he would be a wolf or a jackal. That men and women should not touch in giving and receiving is the rule of ritual; that a man rescues his sister-in-law with his hand is a matter of weighing the circumstances."

He said: "The whole empire is drowning, and yet you do not rescue it. Why?"

Mencius said: "The empire is drowning—one rescues it with the Way. A sister-in-law is drowning—one rescues her with the hand. Would you have me rescue the empire with my hand?"

Gongsun Chou said: "Why do gentlemen not teach their own sons?"

Mencius said: "The circumstances do not allow it. Teaching must proceed by what is correct; when proceeding by what is correct does not succeed, anger follows; and when anger follows, then there is mutual hurt. The son says, 'You teach me by what is correct, yet you yourself do not proceed correctly.' Thus father and son hurt each other. When father and son hurt each other, it is bad. In ancient times, they exchanged sons and taught them. Between father and son, there is no demand for goodness; to demand goodness leads to estrangement, and nothing is worse than estrangement."

Mencius said: "Of services, which is the greatest? Serving one's parents is the greatest. Of guardianships, which is the greatest? Guarding one's person is the greatest. I have heard of one who did not lose his person and was able to serve his parents; I have not heard of one who lost his person and yet was able to serve his parents. There are many services; serving one's parents is the root of all services. There are many guardianships; guarding one's person is the root of all guardianships. Zeng Zi nourished Zeng Xi; there was always wine and meat. When the meal was to be cleared, he always asked to whom the remainder should be given. If asked whether there was any left, he always said, 'There is.' When Zeng Xi died, Zeng Yuan nourished Zeng Zi; there was always wine and meat. When the meal was to be cleared, he did not ask to whom the remainder should be given. If asked whether there was any left, he said, 'There is none,' intending to bring it back again. This is called nourishing the mouth and body. Zeng Zi, on the other hand, may be said to have nourished the will. If one serves one's parents as Zeng Zi did, that is acceptable."

Mencius said: "It is not worth blaming a person, nor is it worth criticizing his policies. Only a great person can correct the errors in a ruler's heart. If the ruler is humane, everyone will be humane. If the ruler is righteous, everyone will be righteous. If the ruler is correct, everyone will be correct. Once the ruler is corrected, the state is settled."

Mencius said: "There is praise one does not expect; there is criticism that demands perfection."

Mencius said: "When a person speaks too easily, it is because no one holds him to account."

Mencius said: "The trouble with people is that they like to be teachers of others."

Yue Zhengzi followed Ziao to Qi.

Yue Zhengzi went to see Mencius. Mencius said: "Have you also come to see me?"

Someone said, "Why does the Master speak such words?"

Mencius said, "How many days have you been here?"

"Since yesterday," the visitor replied.

"Since yesterday—then is it not fitting that I speak such words?"

"I have not yet secured lodging."

"Have you not heard it said: 'Only after lodging is secured should one seek to meet a senior figure'?"

"I am guilty," the visitor acknowledged.

Mencius said to Yue Zhengzi, "You came along with Ziao, merely to get food and drink. I did not expect that you, who study the ways of the ancients, would do so merely for food and drink."

Mencius said, "Of unfilial conduct, there are three kinds, and the worst is having no posterity. Shun married without informing his parents, out of concern for having no posterity. Yet the gentleman regards this as though he had informed them."

Mencius said, "The substance of benevolence is serving one's parents. The substance of righteousness is following one's elder brothers. The substance of wisdom is to understand these two and not depart from them. The substance of ritual propriety is to regulate and adorn these two. The substance of music is to delight in these two. When there is delight, then joy arises. When joy arises, can it be stopped? When it cannot be stopped, then one dances with one's feet and waves one's hands without even knowing it."

Mencius said, "When the world is greatly pleased and is about to submit to him, he regards the world's pleasure and submission as mere grass and weeds—only Shun was like this. If one cannot gain the affection of one's parents, one cannot be considered a person. If one cannot please one's parents, one cannot be considered a son. Shun exhausted the way of serving his parents, and his father, Gusou, became contented. When Gusou became contented, the world was transformed. When Gusou became contented, the way of father and son in the world was settled. This is called great filial piety."