Gong Sun Chou I · Passage 08 / 09 · 孟子 2A.8
Mencius 2A.8: learning goodness from others
Mencius makes 'helping others practice the good' concrete: greatness lies not in hoarding virtue.
孟子曰：「子路，人告之以有過則喜。禹聞善言則拜。大舜有大焉，善與人同，舍己從人，樂取於人以為善。自耕稼、陶、漁，以至為帝，無非取於人者。取諸人以為善，是與人為善者也。故君子莫大乎與人為善。」
Mencius said, 'When any one told Zi Lu that he had a fault, he rejoiced. When Yu heard good words, he bowed to the speaker. The great Shun had a still greater delight in what was good. He regarded virtue as the common property of himself and others, giving up his own way to follow that of others, and delighting to learn from others to practise what was good. From the time when he ploughed and sowed, exercised the potter's art, and was a fisherman, to the time when he became emperor, he was continually learning from others. To take example from others to practise virtue, is to help them in the same practice. Therefore, there is no attribute of the superior man greater than his helping men to practise virtue.'
Priority note
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Central question
Why does Mencius treat helping others practice the good as greater than merely being good by oneself?
Direct answer
Because private correctness reaches only one life. When a person can drop vanity, learn good practice from others, and help others carry it out, goodness becomes a public force instead of a private possession.
First principle
Higher virtue is not only about whether I am right, but about whether what is right can circulate among many people.
Why it matters
This passage clearly serves searches around helping others practice the good, learning from others, and shared moral growth, while strengthening the site's treatment of leadership and learning.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 8 of 9 in Gong Sun Chou I. The cleanest entry point is "When any one told Zi Lu that he…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about the four beginnings, human goodness, and the grounds of humane rule and can be read alongside Four beginnings / four sprouts, Human nature.
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Gong Sun Chou I is a key part for the four beginnings, human goodness, and the grounds of humane government.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not read 'helping others practice the good' as people-pleasing. The key is 'taking what is good from others'—learning for the sake of goodness itself, not flattering whoever is nearby.