Jin Xin I · Passage 04 / 46 · 孟子 7A.4
Mencius 7A.4: all things are complete in us
When Mencius says that all things are complete in us, he is not preaching limitless ego.
孟子曰：「萬物皆備於我矣，反身而誠，樂莫大焉。強恕而行，求仁莫近焉。」
Mencius said, 'All things are already complete in us. There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination. If one acts with a vigorous effort at the law of reciprocity, when he seeks for the realization of perfect virtue, nothing can be closer than his approximation to it.'
Priority note
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Central question
Why does Mencius say that all things are complete in us and then immediately speak of self-examination and sincerity?
Direct answer
Because he is not inflating the self. He is saying that what most matters is not first outside us, but whether we become truthful on self-examination and actually act through reciprocity. That is what makes inward resources usable.
First principle
Our deepest poverty often lies not in lacking resources, but in failing to return truthfully to ourselves and realize the principles we already know.
Why it matters
This passage is a strong search entry for readers looking for Mencius on selfhood, sincerity, and what it means to find moral completeness within.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 4 of 46 in Jin Xin I. The cleanest entry point is "All things are already complete in us". 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.
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Jin Xin I centers on exhausting the heart, sincerity, and preserving the capacities already given in the human heart.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not read the line as self-deification. The immediate turn to sincerity and reciprocal practice shows that Mencius is grounding the claim in ethical realization, not inflated self-image.