Gao Zi II · Passage 04 / 16 · 孟子 6B.4

Mencius 6B.4: do not sell peace with profit

Mencius warns that even a peace proposal can corrupt order if it persuades rulers through profit rather than righteousness.

宋牼將之楚，孟子遇於石丘，曰：「先生將何之？」曰：「吾聞秦、楚構兵，我將見楚王，說而罷之；楚王不悅，我將見秦王，說而罷之。二王我將有所遇焉。」曰：「軻也請無問其詳，愿聞其指。說之將何如？」曰：「我將言其不利也。」曰：「先生之志則大矣，先生之號則不可。先生以利說秦、楚之王，秦、楚之王悅於利，以罷三軍之師；是三軍之士樂罷而悅於利也。為人臣者，懷利以事其君，為人子者，懷利以事其父，為人弟者，懷利以事其兄，是君臣、父子、兄弟終去仁義，懷利以相接；然而不亡者，未之有也。先生以仁義說秦、楚之王，秦、楚之王悅於仁義，以罷三軍之師；是三軍之士樂罷而悅於仁義也。為人臣者，懷仁義以事其君，為人子者，懷仁義以事其父，為人弟者，懷仁義以事其兄，是君臣、父子、兄弟去利，懷仁義以相接也；然而不王者，未之有也。何必曰利？」

sòng kēng jiāng zhī chǔ， mèng zǐ yù wū shí qiū， yuē：「xiān shēng jiāng hé zhī？」 yuē：「wú wén qín、 chǔ gòu bīng， wǒ jiāng jiàn chǔ wáng， shuō ér bà zhī； chǔ wáng bú yuè， wǒ jiāng jiàn qín wáng， shuō ér bà zhī。 èr wáng wǒ jiāng yǒu suǒ yù yān。」 yuē：「kē yě qǐng wú wèn qí xiáng， yuàn wén qí zhǐ。 shuō zhī jiāng hé rú？」 yuē：「wǒ jiāng yán qí bú lì yě。」 yuē：「xiān shēng zhī zhì zé dà yǐ， xiān shēng zhī hào zé bù kě。 xiān shēng yǐ lì shuō qín、 chǔ zhī wáng， qín、 chǔ zhī wáng yuè wū lì， yǐ bà sān jūn zhī shī； shì sān jūn zhī shì lè bà ér yuè wū lì yě。 wéi rén chén zhě， huái lì yǐ shì qí jūn， wéi rén zǐ zhě， huái lì yǐ shì qí fù， wéi rén dì zhě， huái lì yǐ shì qí xiōng， shì jūn chén、 fù zǐ、 xiōng dì zhōng qù rén yì， huái lì yǐ xiāng jiē； rán ér bù wáng zhě， wèi zhī yǒu yě。 xiān shēng yǐ rén yì shuō qín、 chǔ zhī wáng， qín、 chǔ zhī wáng yuè wū rén yì， yǐ bà sān jūn zhī shī； shì sān jūn zhī shì lè bà ér yuè wū rén yì yě。 wéi rén chén zhě， huái rén yì yǐ shì qí jūn， wéi rén zǐ zhě， huái rén yì yǐ shì qí fù， wéi rén dì zhě， huái rén yì yǐ shì qí xiōng， shì jūn chén、 fù zǐ、 xiōng dì qù lì， huái rén yì yǐ xiāng jiē yě； rán ér bù wáng zhě， wèi zhī yǒu yě。 hé bì yuē lì？」

Song Keng being about to go to Chu, Mencius met him in Shi Qiu. 'Master, where are you going?' asked Mencius. Keng replied, 'I have heard that Qin and Chu are fighting together, and I am going to see the king of Chu and persuade him to cease hostilities. If he shall not be pleased with my advice, I shall go to see the king of Qin, and persuade him in the same way. Of the two kings I shall surely find that I can succeed with one of them.' Mencius said, 'I will not venture to ask about the particulars, but I should like to hear the scope of your plan. What course will you take to try to persuade them?' Keng answered, 'I will tell them how unprofitable their course is to them.' 'Master,' said Mencius, 'your aim is great, but your argument is not good. If you, starting from the point of profit, offer your persuasive counsels to the kings of Qin and Chu, and if those kings are pleased with the consideration of profit so as to stop the movements of their armies, then all belonging to those armies will rejoice in the cessation of war, and find their pleasure in the pursuit of profit. Ministers will serve their sovereign for the profit of which they cherish the thought; sons will serve their fathers, and younger brothers will serve their elder brothers, from the same consideration - and the issue will be, that, abandoning benevolence and righteousness, sovereign and minister, father and son, younger brother and elder, will carry on all their intercourse with this thought of profit cherished in their breasts. But never has there been such a state of society, without ruin being the result of it. If you, starting from the ground of benevolence and righteousness, offer your counsels to the kings of Qin and Chu, and if those kings are pleased with the consideration of benevolence and righteousness so as to stop the operations of their armies, then all belonging to those armies will rejoice in the stopping from war, and find their pleasure in benevolence and righteousness. Ministers will serve their sovereign, cherishing the principles of benevolence and righteousness; sons will serve their fathers, and younger brothers will serve their elder brothers, in the same way - and so, sovereign and minister, father and son, elder brother and younger, abandoning the thought of profit, will cherish the principles of benevolence and righteousness, and carry on all their intercourse upon them. But never has there been such a state of society, without the State where it prevailed rising to the royal sway. Why must you use that word "profit."'