What is the Mencius book?
Traditionally the Mencius is a seven-book classic. This site presents that book as fourteen readable parts and 260 passage pages, so the structure stays navigable while each citation stays stable.
Mencius full text · seven books · fourteen parts · 260 passages
Mencius full text and works of Mencius
This page is both the Mencius full-text index and the direct answer to what the Mencius book is, what the works of Mencius are, and where to start reading them in Chinese or English. Every part and passage has its own page, so interpretation can point back to a stable textual source.
14fourteen parts
260standalone passages
2bilingual reading paths
1stable citation spine
Enter the text by question
Do not treat the Mencius as a bare index; first decide what question you are asking
Enter the full text through human nature and the four beginnings
If your question is about human nature, compassion, or the four beginnings, start from the human nature page and then return to Gao Zi I and Gong Sun Chou I.
Enter the works of Mencius through humane government
If your question is about political legitimacy, the people, or kingly rule, start from humane government and then move into King Hui of Liang I and II.
Enter through self-cultivation and exhausting the heart
If your question is about preserving the heart, few desires, or mature cultivation, use the method page and then read Jin Xin I and II as part of the full text route.
Enter through quotes, then return to the proof text
If you first arrived through a famous line, use the quotes page as the fast route back to the source passage and its full textual setting.
Start here
Four passage anchors that work best for a first entry into the Mencius
Mencius 1A.1
Why profit cannot lead the argument
If you want the opening dispute between profit and righteousness, this is the clearest beginning.
Mencius 2A.6
The child at the well and the four beginnings
For readers entering through human goodness and moral psychology, this is one of the strongest anchor passages.
Mencius 6A.10
Choosing righteousness over life
This passage is the cleanest route into Mencius on value order and the moral scale above survival.
Mencius 7B.14
The people are weightiest
If you enter Mencius through political legitimacy, this passage gives the ranked answer most directly.
King Hui of Liang I
7 passages · 梁惠王上
02King Hui of Liang II
16 passages · 梁惠王下
03Gong Sun Chou I
9 passages · 公孫丑上
04Gong Sun Chou II
14 passages · 公孫丑下
05Teng Wen Gong I
5 passages · 滕文公上
06Teng Wen Gong II
10 passages · 滕文公下
07Li Lou I
28 passages · 離婁上
08Li Lou II
33 passages · 離婁下
09Wan Zhang I
9 passages · 萬章上
10Wan Zhang II
9 passages · 萬章下
11Gao Zi I
20 passages · 告子上
12Gao Zi II
16 passages · 告子下
13Jin Xin I
46 passages · 盡心上
14Jin Xin II
38 passages · 盡心下
How to use the full-text index
Let the index navigate the structure and let the passage pages carry the proof
Where can I read Mencius in Chinese?
Use the fourteen-part index and the 260 passage pages below. They lead directly into the Chinese text, and key passages also expose pinyin and English alongside the original.
What are the works of Mencius?
Traditionally the Mencius is arranged as seven books. This site presents them as fourteen parts and 260 passage pages so the structure stays readable while each citation stays stable.
Why turn the Mencius into fourteen parts and 260 passage pages?
Because stable citation and retrieval both need stable URLs. The part pages navigate the structure, and the passage pages provide precise textual proof.
Should a new reader start from the full-text index or jump straight into a passage?
If you do not yet have a map, begin with the index and the topic hubs. If you already have a question, jump to the passage and then work back to the principle page.
How does this page relate to the topic hubs and the quotes page?
This page is the textual navigation center. The topic hubs give the conceptual skeleton, the quotes page gives high-intent entry points, and this index ties every route back to the text itself.