Gong Sun Chou I · Passage 07 / 09 · 孟子 2A.7

Mencius 2A.7: benevolence is the home of benevolence

Benevolence the quiet home of human beings and uses archery to explain self-cultivation: when the shot misses, the worthy person turns back to examine the self.

孟子曰：「矢人豈不仁於函人哉？矢人惟恐不傷人，函人惟恐傷人。巫匠亦然。故術不可不慎也。孔子曰：『里仁為美。擇不處仁，焉得智？』夫仁，天之尊爵也，人之安宅也。莫之御而不仁，是不智也。不仁不智，無禮無義，人役也。人役而恥為役，由弓人而恥為弓、矢人而恥為矢也。如恥之，莫如為仁。仁者如射：射者正己而後發；發而不中，不怨勝己者，反求諸己而已矣。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「shǐ rén qǐ bù rén wū hán rén zāi？ shǐ rén wéi kǒng bù shāng rén， hán rén wéi kǒng shāng rén。 wū jiàng yì rán。 gù shù bù kě bú shèn yě。 kǒng zǐ yuē：『lǐ rén wéi měi。 zé bù chǔ rén， yān dé zhì？』 fū rén， tiān zhī zūn jué yě， rén zhī ān zhái yě。 mò zhī yù ér bù rén， shì bú zhì yě。 bù rén bú zhì， wú lǐ wú yì， rén yì yě。 rén yì ér chǐ wéi yì， yóu gōng rén ér chǐ wéi gōng、 shǐ rén ér chǐ wéi shǐ yě。 rú chǐ zhī， mò rú wéi rén。 rén zhě rú shè： shè zhě zhèng jǐ ér hòu fā； fā ér bù zhōng， bú yuàn shèng jǐ zhě， fǎn qiú zhū jǐ ér yǐ yǐ。」

Mencius said, 'Is the arrow-maker less benevolent than the maker of armour of defence? And yet, the arrow-maker's only fear is lest men should not be hurt, and the armour-maker's only fear is lest men should be hurt. So it is with the priest and the coffin-maker. The choice of a profession, therefore, is a thing in which great caution is required. Confucius said, "It is virtuous manners which constitute the excellence of a neighbourhood. If a man, in selecting a residence, do not fix on one where such prevail, how can he be wise?" Now, benevolence is the most honourable dignity conferred by Heaven, and the quiet home in which man should awell. Since no one can hinder us from being so, if yet we are not benevolent - this is being not wise. From the want of benevolence and the want of wisdom will ensue the entire absence of propriety and righteousness;-- he who is in such a case must be the servant of other men. To be the servant of men and yet ashamed of such servitude, is like a bowmaker's being ashamed to make bows, or an arrow-maker's being ashamed to make arrows. If he be ashamed of his case, his best course is to practise benevolence. The man who would be benevolent is like the archer. The archer adjusts himself and then shoots. If he misses, he does not murmur against those who surpass himself. He simply turns round and seeks the cause of his failure in himself.'