Selected and translated famous sayings from "Mencius"

Mencius (about 372 BC - 289 BC), named Ke and courtesy name Ziyu, was a native of Zou State (now Zou, Shandong Province) in the middle of the Warring States Period. County southeast), not far from Qufu, the hometown of Confucius. Below are the selections and translations of famous quotes from "Mencius" that I have brought to you. Welcome to read them.

Selection and translation of famous sayings from "Mencius"

(1) Without rules, there will be no circle. ——Mencius

Translation Without compasses and rulers, squares and circles cannot be drawn correctly.

(2) Right, then determine the severity; degree, then know the length. ——Mencius

Only when a translation is weighed can one know its importance; only by measuring it can one know its length.

(3) People have to do something, and then they can do something. ——Mencius

The translator must refrain from doing something before he can do something.

(4) Although there are things that are easy to grow in the world, if they are violent in one day and cold in ten days, none of them can survive. ——Mencius

Translation: Even if there is a plant that is easiest to grow, if it is exposed to the sun for one day and then frozen for ten days, nothing will grow again.

(5) Those who advance sharply will retreat quickly. ——Mencius

Translation He who advances too fast will retreat too quickly.

(6) The organ of the heart is thinking, thinking is what you get, and if you don’t think, you can’t get it. ——Mencius

Translation: The organ of the heart is responsible for thinking. Only by thinking can we obtain, but without thinking we cannot obtain.

(7) Born in sorrow and died in happiness. ——Mencius

Translation: Sorrow and suffering are enough to make people survive, and comfort and happiness are enough to make people die.

(8) Only benevolent people should be in high positions. Being unkind and holding a high position is spreading evil to others. ——Mencius

Translation Only benevolent people with high moral standards should be in a dominant position. If an unkind person with low morals is in a dominant position, his evil will be spread to the masses.

(9) If the emperor is unkind, he will not protect the world; if the princes are unkind, he will not protect the country; if the ministers and officials are unkind, they will not protect the ancestral temple; if the scholars and common people are unkind, they will not protect the four bodies. ——Mencius

Translation: If the emperor is not benevolent, he cannot preserve his empire; if the princes are not benevolent, they cannot preserve their country; if ministers and officials are not benevolent, they cannot preserve their ancestral temples; if ordinary people are not benevolent, they cannot be preserved. Can't save my body.

(10) If the king is benevolent, he will be invincible in the world. ——Mencius

Translation: If the monarch of a country loves benevolence, there will be no rivals in the world.

(11) Save penalties, reduce taxes, and make farming easier (n^u). ——Mencius

Translation: Reduce penalties and reduce taxes, so that people can cultivate deeply and carefully, and get rid of filthy weeds early.

(12) The benevolent are invincible. ——Mencius

Translation: A virtuous person is invincible in the world.

(13) For a five-acre house with mulberry trees, a person in his fifties can wear silk clothes. Chickens, dolphins, dogs, and pigs are all animals that have not lost their season. Those who are seventy years old can eat meat. If you do not take away a hundred acres of land, then a family of eight will not be hungry. I sincerely follow the teachings of Xiangxu, apply the meaning of filial piety and brotherhood, and award the white ones to live up to the road. ——Mencius

Translation: If each family is given a house with five acres of land, and mulberry trees are planted around it, people over fifty years old can wear silk cotton-padded jackets. Domestic animals such as chickens, dogs, and pigs have the power to raise and reproduce. Then, people over the age of seventy will have meat to eat. If the family gives him one hundred acres of land and does not hinder his production, the family of eight can have enough to eat. Run schools at all levels well and educate them repeatedly on the principles of filial piety and respect for brothers. Then the old people with gray hair and beards will have someone to do the work for them, and they will no longer have to walk on the road with things on their heads and shoulders.

(14) By changing the fields and reducing taxes, the people can become rich. ——Mencius

Translation Good farming and reduced taxes can make the people rich.

(15) If a king is benevolent, he will never be unkind; if a king is righteous, he will never be unjust; if a king is upright, he will never be unrighteous. ——Mencius

Translation: If the monarch is benevolent, no one will be unkind; if the monarch is righteous, no one will be unjust; if the monarch is upright, no one will be unjust.

(16) Those who enjoy the happiness of the people will also enjoy the happiness of the people; those who care about the worries of the people will also worry about the worries of the people.

Translation He who regards the happiness of the people as his own happiness, the people will also regard the happiness of the king as their own happiness; whoever regards the sorrow of the people as his own sorrow, the people will also regard the sorrow of the king as his own sad.

(17) Benevolence brings honor, and unkindness brings disgrace. ——Mencius

Translation If the princes and ministers implement benevolent government, they will have glory; if they implement unbenevolent government, they will suffer humiliation.

(18) Those who have permanent property have perseverance, and those who do not have perseverance have no perseverance. If you don't have perseverance, you will do everything you can to ward off evil spirits. ——Mencius

Translation People who have a certain amount of industrial income will have certain moral concepts and codes of conduct. People who do not have a certain amount of industrial income will not have certain moral concepts and codes of conduct. If you don’t have certain moral concepts and codes of conduct, you will act recklessly, break laws and disciplines, and do anything.

(19) Fight for land and kill people to fill the fields; fight for cities and kill people to fill the city. This so-called taking advantage of the land and cannibalizing human flesh is a crime not punishable by death. ——Mencius

Translation: Fighting for the land, killing people everywhere; fighting for the city, killing people all over the city, this is leading the land to eat human flesh, and the death penalty is not enough to redeem it. their sin.

(20) If the king regards his ministers as his hands and feet, then his ministers will regard him as his heart; if the king regards his ministers as dogs and horses, then his ministers will regard him as a countryman; if his ministers regard his ministers as earth and mustard, then his ministers will regard him as their own. Like a bandit. ——Mencius

Translation: If the monarch regards his ministers as his brothers and sisters, the ministers will regard the monarch as their confidant; if the monarch regards his ministers as cattle and horses, the ministers will regard the monarch as ordinary people they meet on the road; if the monarch regards his ministers If he is regarded as dirt or weeds, his subordinates will regard the monarch as an enemy.

(21) Fish is what I want, and bear’s paws are also what I want; you cannot have both, and you would give up fish and take bear’s paws. Life is what I want, and righteousness is also what I want. You cannot have both, and you have to sacrifice life for righteousness. ——Mencius

Translation: Fish is what I like to eat, and bear paws are also what I like to eat; if I cannot eat both, I will throw away the fish and eat bear paws. Life is what I love, and righteousness is what I love; if I cannot have both, I will give up life and take righteousness.

(22) When I am old, I am in harmony with others; when I am young, I am in harmony with others. ——Mencius

Translation: Respect my elders, thus extending to respecting other people’s elders; caring for one’s own juniors, thus extending to caring for other people’s juniors.

(23) Those who gain the right will get many help, while those who lose the right will get little help. When there is little help, relatives will be there; when there is much help, the world will follow. ——Mencius

Translation Those who practice benevolent government will have many people to help them; those who do not practice benevolent government will have few people to help them. When the number of people helping him is extremely small, even his relatives will oppose him; when the number of people helping him is extremely large, the whole world will submit to him.

(24) The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people. ——Translated by Mencius: The weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people.

(25) It is not benevolent to kill someone without sin, and it is not righteous to take something that does not exist. ——Mencius

Translation It is unkind to kill an innocent person; it is unjust to take something that is not yours.

(26) Those who rebel against benevolence are called "thieves", and those who rebel against righteousness are called "crippling". Those who are crippled thieves are called "one husband". I have heard of the execution of one husband, Zhou, but I have not heard of regicide. ——Mencius

Translation: People who destroy benevolence are called "thieves", and people who destroy morality are called "cruel". We call such a person a "lonely husband". I only heard that King Wu of Zhou killed the only man Yin Zhou, but I never heard that he committed regicide with his ministers.

(27) The wise are in office and the capable are in office. ——Mencius

The translation places virtuous people in appropriate official positions and talented people in certain positions.

(28) Respect the virtuous and enable the capable, and the heroes will reign. ——Mencius

Translation: Respect moral people, use capable people, and outstanding figures have official positions.

(29) The people are the most valuable, the country is the second most important, and the king is the least important. ——Mencius

Translation: The people are the most important, the god of earth and valley, who represents the country, is second, and the monarch is the least important.

(30) Civil matters cannot be postponed. ——Mencius

Translation Caring for the people is the most urgent task.

(31) If it is not contrary to the farming season, the grain will not be enough to eat; if a few grains of grain are not put into the lake (wu), the fish and turtles will not be enough to eat; if the ax weighs a pound and enters the forest in time, the wood will not be enough to use. The grain, fish and turtles cannot be eaten, and the wood cannot be used, so that the people can live and die without regret. ——Mencius

Translation: Don’t conscript soldiers and collect corvee during the busy season of farming and harvesting, which will hinder production, so that the food produced will not be eaten up. Don't use fine fishing nets to catch fish in large ponds, otherwise there won't be enough fish to eat. If you go to the forest and cut down trees at the right time, you will not run out of wood. There will be endless food and fish, and there will be endless wood. This will make the people have no dissatisfaction with life, death, and burial.

(32) There is fat meat in the kitchen, fat horses in the stables, the people are hungry, and there are people dying of hunger in the wild. This is how animals eat people. ——Mencius

Translation Now you have thin-skinned and fat meat in your kitchen, and you have strong horses in your stables, but the people's faces look hungry, and corpses of starved to death are lying in the wild. This is It is equivalent to the superior person leading the beasts to eat people.

(33) When Jie and Zhou lost the world, they also lost their people; those who lost their people also lost their hearts. There is a way to win the world: if you win its people, you will win the world; if you win its people, you will win the world; if you win their hearts, you will win the people; if you win their hearts, you will have a way: gather with them what you want, and do not do to them what you want. ——Mencius

Translation: Jie and Zhou lost the world because they lost the support of the people; they lost the support of the people because they lost the support of the people. There is a way to win the world: if you win the support of the people, you win the world; if you win the support of the people, you win the support of the people; there is a way of winning the hearts of the people: gather what they want for them; they Don't put anything you hate on them, that's all.

(34) A wise ruler will control the people's property so that they can serve their parents and their wives, and they will be full in the happy years and avoid death in the bad years. ——Mencius

Translation: When a wise monarch stipulates the property of the people, he must ensure that they can support their parents and their wives and children, so that they can have enough food and clothing during the good years, and they will not starve to death in the famine years. .

(35) To protect the people and become king, no one can control it. ——Mencius

Translation: All efforts are made to make the lives of the people stable. In this way, no one can stop the unification of the world.

(36) The three treasures of the princes are: land, people, and political affairs. Those with precious stones and jade will surely suffer disaster. ——Mencius

Translation There are three treasures of princes: land, people and politics. The kind of person who treasures pearls and jade will surely suffer disaster.

(37) Heaven descends upon the people to serve as kings and teachers, only to say that they are helped by God and favored by them. ——Mencius

Translation: For ordinary people born in the sky, monarchs and masters were born for them. The only responsibility of these monarchs and masters is to help God to care for the people.

(38) Everyone can be Yao and Shun. ——Mencius

Translation Everyone can be a good person like Yao and Shun.

(39) A wife must insult herself, and then others will insult her; a family must destroy herself, and then others will destroy it; a country must destroy itself, and then others will destroy it. ——Mencius

Translation: A person must first bring about self-insulting behavior before others can insult him; a family must first bring about self-destruction factors before others can destroy it; a country must first bring about self-destruction factors. , others will attack it.

(40) He who seeks both misfortune and good fortune by himself. ——Mencius

Translation There is no misfortune or happiness that is not brought about by oneself.

(41) A gentleman does not complain about heaven or blame others.

——Mencius

Translation: A gentleman does not complain about heaven or blame others.

(42) Wealth and honor cannot be kinky, poverty and lowliness cannot be moved, and power cannot be surrendered. This is called a true man. ——Mencius

Translation Wealth cannot disturb my heart, poverty and lowliness cannot change my aspirations, and power cannot bend my integrity. Only in this way can I be called a true man.

(43) Those who abuse themselves cannot be talked to; those who give up on themselves cannot be talked to. ——Mencius

Translation: People who harm themselves cannot have valuable conversations with them; people who abandon themselves (being extremely irresponsible to themselves) cannot do anything valuable with them .

(44) To nourish the heart, don’t be good at having few desires. ——Mencius

Translation The best way to cultivate your mind is to reduce material desires.

(45) If you say it is a great person, you will despise it, but do not look down upon its majesty. ——Mencius Translation: When advising princes, you must despise him and do not take his superior position into consideration.

(46) Therefore, when Heaven is about to assign a great responsibility to a person, he must first strain his mind, strain his muscles and bones, starve his body and skin, and deplete his heart. It has been beneficial to what it cannot do. ——Mencius

Translation: When heaven is going to assign an important task to someone, he must first trouble his mind, work his muscles and bones, starve his stomach, and impoverish his body. A behavior is always unsatisfactory, which can shake his mind, strengthen his temperament, and increase his ability.

(47) A respectful person will not insult others, and a thrifty person will not take away from others. ——Mencius

Translation People who are respectful to others will not insult others, and people who are thrifty will not rob others.

(48) Those who love others will always be loved by others; those who respect others will always be respected by others. ——Mencius

Translation: Those who love others will be loved by others; those who respect others will be respected by others.

(49) Don’t rely on elders, don’t rely on nobles, don’t rely on brothers but be friends. ——Mencius

Translation When making friends, do not rely on your age, your high status, or the wealth of your brothers.

(50) The sage uses his enlightenment to make others enlighten, but now he uses his dimness to make others enlighten. ——Mencius

Translation A wise person must first understand himself and then make others understand; today’s people are still confused but insist on making others understand.

(51) In a prosperous year, the children will be many and unlucky; in a bad year, the children will be many and violent. This is not because of talent sent from heaven, but because of the indulgence in one's heart. ——Mencius

Translation: When there is a good harvest, young people tend to be lazy; when there is a famine, young people tend to be violent. It is not because their natural aptitudes are different, but because the environment has turned their hearts bad. result. (52) A promising person is like digging a well. If the well is dug nine times and fails to reach the spring, it is like an abandoned well. ——Mencius

Translation: Doing something is like digging a well. If the well is dug six or seven feet deep and there is no spring water, it is still an abandoned well.

(53) A gentleman has three kinds of happiness, but the king of the world does not enjoy them. Having both parents and brothers without any reason is one kind of happiness; looking up to Heaven and not being ashamed of others is the second kind of happiness; being able to educate the talented people from all over the world is the third kind of happiness. ——Mencius

Translation A gentleman has three kinds of happiness, but conquering the world with virtue is not one of them. Having parents in good health and brothers free from disasters is the first pleasure; raising one's head to be worthy of heaven and bowing one's head to be worthy of man is the second pleasure; obtaining the world's outstanding talents and educating them is the third pleasure.

(54) If you are not ashamed and not like others, how can you be like others? - Mencius

Translation: If you are not ashamed of not being able to catch up with others, how can you catch up with others?

(55) If you are poor, you will be good for yourself; if you are rich, you will be good for the world. ——Translated by Mencius: If you are poor, you will be good for yourself; if you are ambitious, you will be good for the world.

(56) Those who speak poetry should not harm their words with words, nor harm their aspirations with words. To achieve it is to use your will against your will. ——Mencius

Those who translate and interpret poetry should not be constrained by the words and misunderstand the words, nor should they be constrained by the words and misunderstand the original meaning. It is right to use your own personal experience to speculate on the author's original intention.

(57) It is better to have no faith in the "Book" than to have no "Book" at all. ——Mencius

If the translation completely believes in the "Book", it would be better not to have the "Book". ;