Gong Sun Chou II · Passage 09 / 14 · 孟子 2B.9
Mencius 2B.9: Yan's rebellion does not excuse Qi
Mencius refuses to excuse the king of Qi by appealing to old precedents: the real question is whether this decision itself met benevolence and wisdom.
燕人畔，王曰：「吾甚慚於孟子。」陳賈曰：「王無患焉，王自以為與周公，孰仁且智？」王曰：「惡！是何言也！」曰：「周公使管叔監殷，管叔以殷畔。知而使之，是不仁也；不知而使之，是不智也。仁智，周公未之盡也，而況於王乎？賈請見而解之。」見孟子問曰：「周公何人也？」曰：「古聖人也。」曰：「使管叔監殷，管叔以殷畔也，有諸？」曰：「然。」曰：「周公知其將畔而使之與？」曰：「不知也。」「然則聖人且有過與？」曰：「周公，弟也；管叔，兄也。周公之過，不亦宜乎？且古之君子，過則改之；今之君子，過則順之。古之君子，其過也如日月之食，民皆見之；及其更也，民皆仰之。今之君子，豈徒順之？又從為之辭。」
The people of Yan having rebelled, the king of Qi said, 'I feel very much ashamed when I think of Mencius.' Chen Jia said to him, 'Let not your Majesty be grieved. Whether does your Majesty consider yourself or Zhou Gong the more benevolent and wise?' The king replied, 'Oh! what words are those?' 'The duke of Zhou,' said Jia, 'appointed Guan Shu to oversee the heir of Yin, but Guan Shu with the power of the Yin State rebelled. If knowing that this would happen he appointed Guan Shu, he was deficient in benevolence. If he appointed him, not knowing that it would happen, he was deficient in knowledge. If the duke of Zhou was not completely benevolent and wise, how much less can your Majesty be expected to be so! I beg to go and see Mencius, and relieve your Majesty from that feeling.' Chen Jia accordingly saw Mencius, and asked him, saying, 'What kind of man was the duke of Zhou?' 'An ancient sage,' was the reply. 'Is it the fact, that he appointed Guan Shu to oversee the heir of Yin, and that Guan Shu with the State of Yin rebelled?' 'It is.' 'Did the duke of Zhou know that he would rebel, and purposely appoint him to that office?' Mencius said, 'He did not know.' 'Then, though a sage, he still fell into error?' 'The duke of Zhou,' answered Mencius, 'was the younger brother. Guan Shu was his elder brother. Was not the error of Zhou Gong in accordance with what is right? Moreover, when the superior men of old had errors, they reformed them. The superior men of the present time, when they have errors, persist in them. The errors of the superior men of old were like eclipses of the sun and moon. All the people witnessed them, and when they had reformed them, all the people looked up to them with their former admiration. But do the superior men of the present day only persist in their errors? They go on to apologize for them likewise.'
Priority note
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Central question
Why does Mencius refuse the attempt to excuse the king of Qi after the disorder in Yan?
Direct answer
Because citing the fact that even great figures once erred does not answer whether this present action was right. Mencius is not looking for a consoling comparison, but for a sober judgment of whether the decision truly met the demands of benevolence and wisdom.
First principle
The heart of responsibility is not proving that similar mistakes have happened before. It is returning to whether this act itself can stand.
Why it matters
This passage serves searches around Yan, political accountability, and Mencius on historical analogy. It shows how he handles shame without dissolving responsibility.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 9 of 14 in Gong Sun Chou II. The cleanest entry point is "I feel very much ashamed when I think…". 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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Gong Sun Chou II develops flood-like qi, steadiness of character, and the public duty of the scholar.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not treat it as a minor historical note. Mencius is modeling an ethic of responsibility in which resemblance to past events cannot automatically become present exemption.