Jin Xin I · Passage 29 / 46 · 孟子 7A.29

Mencius 7A.29: dig the well to the spring

Mencius compares purposeful effort to digging a well: stopping just before the water appears wastes the whole undertaking.

孟子曰：「有為者，辟若掘井。掘井九軔而不及泉，猶為棄井也。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「yǒu wéi zhě， pì ruò jué jǐng。 jué jǐng jiǔ rèn ér bù jí quán， yóu wéi qì jǐng yě。」

Mencius said, 'A man with definite aims to be accomplished may be compared to one digging a well. To dig the well to a depth of seventy-two cubits, and stop without reaching the spring, is after all throwing away the well.'

Priority note

A human-edited reading layer

Central question

Why does Mencius compare serious purpose to digging a well?

Direct answer

Because the real test is not whether work begins, but whether it continues through the stage where much has been spent and the result is still unseen.

First principle

Failure often comes nearest success. Abandoning the work beside the spring reveals a judgment problem, not just a stamina problem.

Why it matters

This passage serves searches around perseverance, abandonment, and why Mencius measures effort by completion rather than enthusiasm.

What this passage is doing

This is passage 29 of 46 in Jin Xin I. The cleanest entry point is "A man with definite aims to be accomplished…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about exhausting the heart, sincerity, and preserving the original heart and can be read alongside Human nature.

Broader search routes