Gao Zi I · Passage 20 / 20 · 孟子 6A.20
Mencius 6A.20: the learner too must have compass and square
Learning needs standards as well as effort: archery has the full draw, craftsmanship has compass and square, and study also needs correct form.
孟子曰：「羿之教人射，必志於彀；學者亦必志於彀。大匠誨人，必以規矩；學者亦必以規矩。」
Mencius said, 'Yi, in teaching men to shoot, made it a rule to draw the bow to the full, and his pupils also did the same. A master-workman, in teaching others, uses the compass and square, and his pupils do the same.'
Priority note
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Central question
Why does Mencius say that the learner too must proceed by compass and square?
Direct answer
Because real learning is not just repetition of effort, but repeated alignment to a standard that can correct the work. Without such form, effort disperses; with it, effort gradually takes shape.
First principle
Growth is not achieved by stacking time alone, but by pressing time repeatedly onto the right standard.
Why it matters
This passage serves searches around learning method, standards, and Mencius on form. It strongly supports the site's method page.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 20 of 20 in Gao Zi I. The cleanest entry point is "Yi, in teaching men to shoot, made it…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about human goodness, desire, and the debates with Gaozi and can be read alongside Human nature.
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Related principles
Citation note
Do not read standards here as rigid standardization. Mencius is not abolishing flexibility, but pointing out that flexibility without form first collapses into arbitrariness.