Gong Sun Chou I · Passage 06 / 09 · 孟子 2A.6

Mencius 2A.6: the child at the well and the four beginnings

The scene of a child about to fall into a well to argue that compassion is not social performance but one of the moral beginnings present in everyone.

孟子曰：「人皆有不忍人之心。先王有不忍人之心，斯有不忍人之政矣。以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政，治天下可運之掌上。所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心；非所以內交於孺子之父母也，非所以要譽於鄉黨朋友也，非惡其聲而然也。由是觀之，無惻隱之心，非人也。無羞惡之心，非人也。無辭讓之心，非人也。無是非之心，非人也。惻隱之心，仁之端也；羞惡之心，義之端也；辭讓之心，禮之端也；是非之心，智之端也。人之有是四端也，猶其有四體也。有是四端而自謂不能者，自賊者也；謂其君不能者，賊其君者也。凡有四端於我者，知皆擴而充之矣，若火之始然，泉之始達。茍能充之，足以保四海；茍不充之，不足以事父母。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「rén jiē yǒu bù rěn rén zhī xīn。 xiān wáng yǒu bù rěn rén zhī xīn， sī yǒu bù rěn rén zhī zhèng yǐ。 yǐ bù rěn rén zhī xīn， xíng bù rěn rén zhī zhèng， zhì tiān xià kě yùn zhī zhǎng shàng。 suǒ yǐ wèi rén jiē yǒu bù rěn rén zhī xīn zhě， jīn rén zhà jiàn rú zǐ jiāng rù wū jǐng， jiē yǒu chù tì cè yǐn zhī xīn； fēi suǒ yǐ nèi jiāo wū rú zǐ zhī fù mǔ yě， fēi suǒ yǐ yào yù wū xiāng dǎng péng yǒu yě， fēi è qí shēng ér rán yě。 yóu shì guān zhī， wú cè yǐn zhī xīn， fēi rén yě。 wú xiū è zhī xīn， fēi rén yě。 wú cí ràng zhī xīn， fēi rén yě。 wú shì fēi zhī xīn， fēi rén yě。 cè yǐn zhī xīn， rén zhī duān yě； xiū è zhī xīn， yì zhī duān yě； cí ràng zhī xīn， lǐ zhī duān yě； shì fēi zhī xīn， zhì zhī duān yě。 rén zhī yǒu shì sì duān yě， yóu qí yǒu sì tǐ yě。 yǒu shì sì duān ér zì wèi bù néng zhě， zì zéi zhě yě； wèi qí jūn bù néng zhě， zéi qí jūn zhě yě。 fán yǒu sì duān wū wǒ zhě， zhī jiē kuò ér chōng zhī yǐ， ruò huǒ zhī shǐ rán， quán zhī shǐ dá。 jì néng chōng zhī， zú yǐ bǎo sì hǎi； jì bù chōng zhī， bù zú yǐ shì fù mǔ。」

Mencius said, 'All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others. 'The ancient kings had this commiserating mind, and they, as a matter of course, had likewise a commiserating government. When with a commiserating mind was practised a commiserating government, to rule the kingdom was as easy a matter as to make anything go round in the palm. When I say that all men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated thus: even now-a-days, if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress. They will feel so, not as a ground on which they may gain the favour of the child's parents, nor as a ground on which they may seek the praise of their neighbours and friends, nor from a dislike to the reputation of having been unmoved by such a thing. From this case we may perceive that the feeling of commiseration is essential to man, that the feeling of shame and dislike is essential to man, that the feeling of modesty and complaisance is essential to man, and that the feeling of approving and disapproving is essential to man. The feeling of commiseration is the principle of benevolence. The feeling of shame and dislike is the principle of righteousness. The feeling of modesty and complaisance is the principle of propriety. The feeling of approving and disapproving is the principle of knowledge. Men have these four principles just as they have their four limbs. When men, having these four principles, yet say of themselves that they cannot develop them, they play the thief with themselves, and he who says of his prince that he cannot develop them plays the thief with his prince. Since all men have these four principles in themselves, let them know to give them all their development and completion, and the issue will be like that of fire which has begun to burn, or that of a spring which has begun to find vent. Let them have their complete development, and they will suffice to love and protect all within the four seas. Let them be denied that development, and they will not suffice for a man to serve his parents with.'