Mencius Selected Notes - (Senior High School Part) (Revised Edition)

Author: Li Bingying / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-05-01
Features:
Mencius, named Ke, was a native of Zou (now Zoucheng, Shandong). He was born around 372 BC and died around 289 BC. He was a descendant of the noble Meng family of Lu, who had declined to the status of "shi" (scholar). He studied under Zisi, a disciple of Confucius's grandson, and became a successor to the Xianzi and Zisi schools of Confucianism, further developing the school. After completing his studies, he traveled to various states—Zou, Ren, Qi, Lu, Song, Teng, and Liang (Wei)—to persuade the rulers to adopt his ideas. He served as a "qing" (high-ranking official) in Qi for several years and was highly respected in Liang. However, the rulers of large states like King Xuan of Qi and King Hui of Liang considered his proposals out of touch with the times, despite their generous treatment, and did not adopt his suggestions. In this situation, he did not cling to fame or position, resigned his post, and devoted himself to writing, teaching his disciples, anding his ideals in the future. After stopping his political activities, he and his disciples, such as Wan Zhang and Gongsun Chou, compiled his teachings—his political views, philosophical theories, and educational principles—into a book, which was passed down to later generations. This is the Mencius that has been preserved to this day, consisting of seven chapters.
The annotations in this book are primarily based on Jiao Xun's Zhengyi, but they do not blindly adhere to old interpretations. Instead, they carefully select and incorporate views from relevant sources. The overall goal is to ensure clarity and accuracy in expressing the original meaning. For example, the phrase "The ruler of a state should promote the worthy if he has no other choice" is annotated using Huang Zongxi's Mengzi Shishuo, and "All the things used are taken from within his own palace" is annotated using Zhang Taiyan's Xin Fangyan. To assist readers who are interested in classical literature but have limited exposure to classical Chinese, the annotations use colloquial language, aiming for simplicity. However, due to the significant changes in language over time, it is difficult to find exact equivalents for all words and phrases. To preserve the "original meaning" or "extended meaning" of the terms while maintaining the original tone, this book employs the following methods in its annotations:
(1) For a single word, if necessary, use two or more words with similar meanings to provide annotations, allowing readers to combine them and grasp the intended sense;
(2) Explain the context of the passage;
(3) Explain the part of speech and grammar when necessary;
(4) Use pinyin to note the pronunciation of rare characters or characters with different readings in modern Chinese;
(5) In some chapters, provide personal insights into the overall meaning or writing techniques, hoping to assist readers.
The main text is based on the Song Dynasty's large-character edition, with reference to Ruan's annotated edition and common collected annotations. However, in the annotations, differences in textual criticism are generally not pointed out to avoid distracting readers.