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Author: Xu Keqian, Zeng Yetao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: 【Mencius the Person】 Mencius (c. 372 BC – 289 BC), named Ke, was a native of Zou (now southern Zoucheng County, Shandong Province) during the Warring States period. He was a major representative of the Confucian school in the mid-Warring States period. It is said that after the death of Confucius, Confucianism split into eight schools, among which the most influential on later generations was the "Meng School" represented by Mencius. Mencius inherited and developed the teachings of Confucius, and later generations therefore referred to the Confucian tradition represented by Confucius and Mencius as the "Confucius-Mencius Way." Mencius was also revered as the "Second Sage" of Confucianism. Mencius's life story is primarily found in the "Biography of Mencius and Gongsun Qiang" in the Records of the Grand Historian and in certain chapters of the Mencius itself. Additionally, there are some scattered records in other pre-Qin and Han Dynasty texts. Based on these materials, we can gain a general understanding of Mencius's life. Mencius lived in the mid-Warring States period, about a century later than Confucius, and was a descendant of the noble Mengsun family of Lu. However, by the time of his birth, his family had already declined. Mencius's childhood was relatively poor, but he had a wise and patient mother who provided him with good education and upbringing. There are many stories about Mencius's mother teaching her son, such as "Mencius's Mother's Three Relocations" and "Cutting the Cloth to Encourage Study." Later, he studied under Zisi, the grandson of Confucius. Some say he learned from Zisi's disciples. Regardless, it seems that Confucius's teachings were passed down to Mencius through Zisi, so later generations also referred to the Confucian school represented by Zisi and Mencius as the "School of Zisi and Mencius." Around the age of thirty, Mencius had already achieved considerable knowledge and began teaching in the areas of Zou and Lu, gaining a good reputation. Around his mid-forties, Mencius began traveling among the states to promote his political doctrines of benevolent governance and the "Way of the King." He visited various states, including Qi, Song, Lu,, and Liang. Wherever he went, Mencius received some courtesies and favor, but his ideas were ultimately considered outdated and impractical, and were not adopted by the feudal lords. In his later years, facing repeated setbacks, Mencius returned to his hometown to gather disciples, teach, write, and left behind the Mencius, a book for later generations. 【The Mencius Itself】 Who was the author of the Mencius? There have been three views on this over the centuries: one holds that Mencius wrote it himself, another that he co-authored it with his disciples Wan Zhang and Gongsun Chou, and another that it was compiled by Mencius's disciples or even later disciples based on his teachings. However, judging from the relatively uniform style of the Mencius, the main part of the book must have been written by Mencius himself. The number of chapters in the Mencius is said to be seven in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, while the Treatise on the Arts and Literature in the Book of Han and Ying Sha's Customs of the People list it as eleven chapters, including seven inner chapters and four outer chapters. However, the so-called four outer chapters were already identified by Zhao Ji, a Han Dynasty scholar who wrote annotations to the Mencius, as forgeries by later authors. The Mencius currently in circulation consists of seven chapters, each named after a person's name or term from the chapter, in the following order: Liang Hui Wang, Gongsun Chou, Teng Wen Gong, Li Lou, Wan Zhang, Gao Zi, and Jin Xin, each divided into upper and lower parts. Before the Tang Dynasty, the Mencius was generally regarded in people's minds as a work of the Hundred Schools of Thought and was classified under the Zi (Philosophers) category. By the Tang Dynasty, Mencius's status had greatly improved. Han Yu traced the lineage of Confucian thought and placed Mencius