Gao Zi I · Passage 06 / 20 · 孟子 6A.6

Mencius 6A.6: why Mencius says human nature is good

Against neutral or mixed theories of human nature, Mencius returns to compassion, shame, respect, and discernment as capacities already present within us.

公都子曰：「告子曰：『性無善無不善也。』或曰：『性可以為善，可以為不善，是故文武興則民好善，幽厲興則民好暴。』或曰：『有性善，有性不善，是故以堯為君而有象，以瞽瞍為父而有舜，以紂為兄之子且以為君，而有微子啟、王子比干。』今曰『性善』，然則彼皆非歟？」孟子曰：「乃若其情則可以為善矣，乃所謂善也。若夫為不善，非才之罪也。惻隱之心，人皆有之；羞惡之心，人皆有之；恭敬之心，人皆有之；是非之心，人皆有之。惻隱之心，仁也；羞惡之心，義也；恭敬之心，禮也；是非之心，智也。仁義禮智，非由外鑠我也，我固有之也，弗思耳矣。故曰：求則得之，舍則失之。或相倍蓰而無算者，不能盡其才者也。《詩》曰：『天生蒸民，有物有則。民之秉彝，好是懿德。』孔子曰：『為此詩者，其知道乎！故有物必有則，民之秉彝也，故好是懿德。』」

gōng dōu zǐ yuē：「gào zǐ yuē：『xìng wú shàn wú bú shàn yě。』 huò yuē：『xìng kě yǐ wéi shàn， kě yǐ wéi bú shàn， shì gù wén wǔ xīng zé mín hǎo shàn， yōu lì xīng zé mín hǎo bào。』 huò yuē：『yǒu xìng shàn， yǒu xìng bú shàn， shì gù yǐ yáo wéi jūn ér yǒu xiàng， yǐ gǔ sǒu wéi fù ér yǒu shùn， yǐ zhòu wéi xiōng zhī zǐ qiě yǐ wéi jūn， ér yǒu wēi zǐ qǐ、 wáng zǐ bǐ gān。』 jīn yuē 『xìng shàn』， rán zé bǐ jiē fēi yú？」 mèng zǐ yuē：「nǎi ruò qí qíng zé kě yǐ wéi shàn yǐ， nǎi suǒ wèi shàn yě。 ruò fū wéi bú shàn， fēi cái zhī zuì yě。 cè yǐn zhī xīn， rén jiē yǒu zhī； xiū è zhī xīn， rén jiē yǒu zhī； gōng jìng zhī xīn， rén jiē yǒu zhī； shì fēi zhī xīn， rén jiē yǒu zhī。 cè yǐn zhī xīn， rén yě； xiū è zhī xīn， yì yě； gōng jìng zhī xīn， lǐ yě； shì fēi zhī xīn， zhì yě。 rén yì lǐ zhì， fēi yóu wài shuò wǒ yě， wǒ gù yǒu zhī yě， fú sī ěr yǐ。 gù yuē： qiú zé dé zhī， shè zé shī zhī。 huò xiāng bèi xǐ ér wú suàn zhě， bù néng jìn qí cái zhě yě。《shī》 yuē：『tiān shēng zhēng mín， yǒu wù yǒu zé。 mín zhī bǐng yí， hǎo shì yì dé。』 kǒng zǐ yuē：『wéi cǐ shī zhě， qí zhī dào hū！ gù yǒu wù bì yǒu zé， mín zhī bǐng yí yě， gù hǎo shì yì dé。』」

The disciple Gong Du said, 'The philosopher Gao says, "Man's nature is neither good nor bad." Some say, "Man's nature may be made to practise good, and it may be made to practise evil, and accordingly, under Wen and Wu, the people loved what was good, while under Yu and Li, they loved what was cruel." Some say, "The nature of some is good, and the nature of others is bad. Hence it was that under such a sovereign as Yao there yet appeared Xiang; that with such a father as Gu Sou there yet appeared Shun; and that with Zhou for their sovereign, and the son of their elder brother besides, there were found Qi, the viscount of Wei, and the prince Bi Gan. And now you say, "The nature is good." Then are all those wrong?' Mencius said, 'From the feelings proper to it, it is constituted for the practice of what is good. This is what I mean in saying that the nature is good. If men do what is not good, the blame cannot be imputed to their natural powers. The feeling of commiseration belongs to all men; so does that of shame and dislike; and that of reverence and respect; and that of approving and disapproving. The feeling of commiseration implies the principle of benevolence; that of shame and dislike, the principle of righteousness; that of reverence and respect, the principle of propriety; and that of approving and disapproving, the principle of knowledge. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and knowledge are not infused into us from without. We are certainly furnished with them. And a different view is simply owing to want of reflection. Hence it is said, "Seek and you will find them. Neglect and you will lose them." Men differ from one another in regard to them - some as much again as others, some five times as much, and some to an incalculable amount - it is because they cannot carry out fully their natural powers. It is said in the Book of Poetry, "Heaven in producing mankind, Gave them their various faculties and relations with their specific laws. These are the invariable rules of nature for all to hold, And all love this admirable virtue." Confucius said, "The maker of this ode knew indeed the principle of our nature!" We may thus see that every faculty and relation must have its law, and since there are invariable rules for all to hold, they consequently love this admirable virtue.'