Gong Sun Chou II · Passage 06 / 14 · 孟子 2B.6

Mencius 2B.6: when the proper officers handle

Mencius does not discuss the mission with Wang Huan because the proper officers are already charged with the work.

孟子為卿於齊，出弔於滕，王使蓋大夫王驩為輔行。王驩朝暮見，反齊、滕之路，未嘗與之言行事也。公孫丑曰：「齊卿之位，不為小矣；齊、滕之路，不為近矣。反之而未嘗與言行事，何也？」曰：「夫既或治之，予何言哉？」

mèng zǐ wéi qīng wū qí， chū diào wū téng， wáng shǐ gài dài fu wáng huān wéi fǔ xíng。 wáng huān cháo mù jiàn， fǎn qí、 téng zhī lù， wèi cháng yǔ zhī yán xíng shì yě。 gōng sūn chǒu yuē：「qí qīng zhī wèi， bù wéi xiǎo yǐ； qí、 téng zhī lù， bù wéi jìn yǐ。 fǎn zhī ér wèi cháng yǔ yán xíng shì， hé yě？」 yuē：「fū jì huò zhì zhī， yǔ hé yán zāi？」

Mencius, occupying the position of a high dignitary in Qi, went on a mission of condolence to Teng. The king also sent Wang Huan, the governor of Gai, as assistant-commissioner. Wang Huan, morning and evening, waited upon Mencius, who, during all the way to Teng and back, never spoke to him about the business of their mission. Gong Sun Chou said to Mencius, 'The position of a high dignitary of Qi is not a small one; the road from Qi to Teng is not short. How was it that during all the way there and back, you never spoke to Huan about the matters of your mission?' Mencius replied, 'There were the proper officers who attended to them. What occasion had I to speak to him about them?'

Priority note

A human-edited reading layer

Central question

Why does Mencius travel with Wang Huan yet never discuss the mission with him?

Direct answer

Because matters that belong to the proper officers should remain with the proper officers. Not every companion with rank automatically becomes a second necessary channel of deliberation.

First principle

When roles are already clear, extra intervention is not the same as care. It may only blur the boundary of who truly bears the task.

Why it matters

This passage serves searches around office, role clarity, and delegated responsibility in Mencius, while strengthening the site's account of ordered political roles.

What this passage is doing

This is passage 6 of 14 in Gong Sun Chou II. The cleanest entry point is "The position of a high dignitary of Qi…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about flood-like qi, moral judgment, and public responsibility and can be read alongside Humane government / kingly way.

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