Gao Zi I · Passage 10 / 20 · 孟子 6A.10

Mencius 6A.10: choosing righteousness over life

Through the image of fish and bear's paws, Mencius argues that life is not the highest value.

孟子曰：「魚，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也。二者不可得兼，舍魚而取熊掌者也。生，亦我所欲也；義，亦我所欲也。二者不可得兼，舍生而取義者也。生亦我所欲，所欲有甚於生者，故不為茍得也。死亦我所惡，所惡有甚於死者，故患有所不辟也。如使人之所欲莫甚於生，則凡可以得生者何不用也？使人之所惡莫甚於死者，則凡可以辟患者何不為也？由是則生而有不用也，由是則可以辟患而有不為也。是故所欲有甚於生者，所惡有甚於死者。非獨賢者有是心也，人皆有之，賢者能勿喪耳。「一簞食，一豆羹，得之則生，弗得則死。嘑爾而與之，行道之人弗受；蹴爾而與之，乞人不屑也。萬鍾則不辨禮義而受之，萬鍾於我何加焉？為宮室之美、妻妾之奉、所識窮乏者得我與？鄉為身死而不受，今為宮室之美為之；鄉為身死而不受，今為妻妾之奉為之；鄉為身死而不受，今為所識窮乏者得我而為之。是亦不可以已乎？此之謂失其本心。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「yú， wǒ suǒ yù yě； xióng zhǎng， yì wǒ suǒ yù yě。 èr zhě bù kě dé jiān， shè yú ér qǔ xióng zhǎng zhě yě。 shēng， yì wǒ suǒ yù yě； yì， yì wǒ suǒ yù yě。 èr zhě bù kě dé jiān， shè shēng ér qǔ yì zhě yě。 shēng yì wǒ suǒ yù， suǒ yù yǒu shèn wū shēng zhě， gù bù wéi jì dé yě。 sǐ yì wǒ suǒ è， suǒ è yǒu shèn wū sǐ zhě， gù huàn yǒu suǒ bú pì yě。 rú shǐ rén zhī suǒ yù mò shèn wū shēng， zé fán kě yǐ dé shēng zhě hé bú yòng yě？ shǐ rén zhī suǒ è mò shèn wū sǐ zhě， zé fán kě yǐ pì huàn zhě hé bù wéi yě？ yóu shì zé shēng ér yǒu bú yòng yě， yóu shì zé kě yǐ pì huàn ér yǒu bù wéi yě。 shì gù suǒ yù yǒu shèn wū shēng zhě， suǒ è yǒu shèn wū sǐ zhě。 fēi dú xián zhě yǒu shì xīn yě， rén jiē yǒu zhī， xián zhě néng wù sāng ěr。「yì dān shí， yí dòu gēng， dé zhī zé shēng， fú dé zé sǐ。 hū ěr ér yǔ zhī， háng dào zhī rén fú shòu； cù ěr ér yǔ zhī， qǐ rén bú xiè yě。 wàn zhōng zé bú biàn lǐ yì ér shòu zhī， wàn zhōng wū wǒ hé jiā yān？ wéi gōng shì zhī měi、 qī qiè zhī fèng、 suǒ shí qióng fá zhě dé wǒ yǔ？ xiāng wéi shēn sǐ ér bú shòu， jīn wéi gōng shì zhī měi wéi zhī； xiāng wéi shēn sǐ ér bú shòu， jīn wéi qī qiè zhī fèng wéi zhī； xiāng wéi shēn sǐ ér bú shòu， jīn wéi suǒ shí qióng fá zhě dé wǒ ér wéi zhī。 shì yì bù kě yǐ yǐ hū？ cǐ zhī wèi shī qí běn xīn。」

Mencius said, 'I like fish, and I also like bear's paws. If I cannot have the two together, I will let the fish go, and take the bear's paws. So, I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot keep the two together, I will let life go, and choose righteousness. I like life indeed, but there is that which I like more than life, and therefore, I will not seek to possess it by any improper ways. I dislike death indeed, but there is that which I dislike more than death, and therefore there are occasions when I will not avoid danger. If among the things which man likes there were nothing which he liked more than life, why should he not use every means by which he could preserve it? If among the things which man dislikes there were nothing which he disliked more than death, why should he not do everything by which he could avoid danger? There are cases when men by a certain course might preserve life, and they do not employ it; when by certain things they might avoid danger, and they will not do them. Therefore, men have that which they like more than life, and that which they dislike more than death. They are not men of distinguished talents and virtue only who have this mental nature. All men have it; what belongs to such men is simply that they do not lose it. Here are a small basket of rice and a platter of soup, and the case is one in which the getting them will preserve life, and the want of them will be death; if they are offered with an insulting voice, even a tramper will not receive them, or if you first tread upon them, even a beggar will not stoop to take them. And yet a man will accept of ten thousand zhong, without any consideration of propriety or righteousness. What can the ten thousand chung add to him? When he takes them, is it not that he may obtain beautiful mansions, that he may secure the services of wives and concubines, or that the poor and needy of his acquaintance may be helped by him? In the former case the offered bounty was not received, though it would have saved from death, and now the emolument is taken for the sake of beautiful mansions. The bounty that would have preserved from death was not received, and the emolument is taken to get the service of wives and concubines. The bounty that would have saved from death was not received, and the emolument is taken that one's poor and needy acquaintance may be helped by him. Was it then not possible likewise to decline this? This is a case of what is called "Losing the proper nature of one's mind."'