Mencius Interpretation

Author: Wang Qijun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Those who delight in the people's delight will also be delighted by them; those who worry about the people's worries will also be worried by them. Delight in the world and worry in the world, yet there has never been a ruler who did not do so. The timing is not as important as the terrain, and the terrain is not as important as harmony among people. Those who follow the Way have many helpers, while those who lose the Way have few. When few helpers are at their limit, even relatives will turn against them; when many helpers are at their limit, the world will follow them. Using what the world follows to attack what relatives turn against will ensure that a gentleman avoids war, but if war is unavoidable, victory is certain. Life is what I desire, and righteousness is what I desire. If I cannot have both, I will choose righteousness over life. Therefore, when Heaven intends to impose a great task on a person, it must first harden their will, tire their limbs, starve their body, impoverish them, and disrupt their plans, so that they can temper their minds and strengthen their weaknesses. Thus, one learns that life comes from worry and hardship, while death comes from comfort and ease. If one achieves success, they follow the people; if not, they walk their own path. Wealth and status cannot corrupt them, poverty and humility cannot move them, and power cannot bend them—this is what is called a great man. This book is a study of Meng Ke, a famous Confucian scholar, thinker, and educator from the mid-Warring States period, aimed at readers with intermediate English proficiency. It provides annotations and popular interpretations for difficult words and phrases throughout the entire book of Mencius.