Gong Sun Chou II · Passage 07 / 14 · 孟子 2B.7

Mencius 2B.7: why insist on using excellent wood

Asked why his mother's coffin wood was so fine, Mencius answers that proper mourning is not for display but for fully satisfying a child's natural feeling.

孟子自齊葬於魯。反於齊，止於嬴。充虞請曰：「前日不知虞之不肖，使虞敦匠事；嚴，虞不敢請。今愿竊有請也：木若以美然。」曰：「古者棺槨無度，中古棺七寸，槨稱之，自天子達於庶人。非直為觀美也，然後盡於人心。不得，不可以為悅；無財，不可以為悅。得之為有財。古之人皆用之，吾何為獨不然？且比化者，無使土親膚，於人心獨無恔乎？吾聞之君子：不以天下儉其親。」

mèng zǐ zì qí zàng wū lǔ。 fǎn wū qí， zhǐ wū yíng。 chōng yú qǐng yuē：「qián rì bù zhī yú zhī bú xiào， shǐ yú dūn jiàng shì； yán， yú bù gǎn qǐng。 jīn yuàn qiè yǒu qǐng yě： mù ruò yǐ měi rán。」 yuē：「gǔ zhě guān guǒ wú dù， zhōng gǔ guān qī cùn， guǒ chēng zhī， zì tiān zǐ dá wū shù rén。 fēi zhí wéi guān měi yě， rán hòu jìn wū rén xīn。 bù dé， bù kě yǐ wéi yuè； wú cái， bù kě yǐ wéi yuè。 dé zhī wéi yǒu cái。 gǔ zhī rén jiē yòng zhī， wú hé wéi dú bù rán？ qiě bǐ huà zhě， wú shǐ tǔ qīn fū， wū rén xīn dú wú xiào hū？ wú wén zhī jūn zǐ： bù yǐ tiān xià jiǎn qí qīn。」

Mencius went from Qi to Lu to bury his mother. On his return to Qi, he stopped at Ying, where Chong Yu begged to put a question to him, and said, 'Formerly, in ignorance of my incompetency, you employed me to superintend the making of the coffin. As you were then pressed by the urgency of the business, I did not venture to put any question to you. Now, however, I wish to take the liberty to submit the matter. The wood of the coffin, it appeared to me, was too good.' Mencius replied, 'Anciently, there was no rule for the size of either the inner or the outer coffin. In middle antiquity, the inner coffin was made seven inches thick, and the outer one the same. This was done by all, from the sovereign to the common people, and not simply for the beauty of the appearance, but because they thus satisfied the natural feelings of their hearts. If prevented by statutory regulations from making their coffins in this way, men cannot have the feeling of pleasure. If they have not the money to make them in this way, they cannot have the feeling of pleasure. When they were not prevented, and had the money, the ancients all used this style. Why should I alone not do so? And moreover, is there no satisfaction to the natural feelings of a man, in preventing the earth from getting near to the bodies of his dead? I have heard that the superior man will not for all the world be niggardly to his parents.'