Jin Xin II · Passage 22 / 38 · 孟子 7B.22
Mencius 7B.22: wear is not enough to prove worth
When Gao argues that Yu's music is better because the bell knob is more worn, Mencius replies that a mark of use is not by itself proof of superiority.
高子曰：「禹之聲，尚文王之聲。」孟子曰：「何以言之？」曰：「以追蠡。」曰：「是奚足哉？城門之軌，兩馬之力與？」
The disciple Gao said, 'The music of Yu was better than that of king Wen.' Mencius observed, 'On what ground do you say so?' And the other replied, 'Because at the pivot the knob of Yu's bells is nearly worn through.' Mencius said, 'How can that be a sufficient proof? Are the ruts at the gate of a city made by a single two-horsed chariot?'
Priority note
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Central question
Why does Mencius reject heavy wear as evidence that one thing is better than another?
Direct answer
Because a trace of use describes an outcome, not necessarily the intrinsic reason for it. Greater wear may reflect more users, more time, or different conditions, not higher worth.
First principle
Popularity, repetition, and visible traces are not identical with value. One must not mistake a surface mark for a full causal proof.
Why it matters
This passage serves searches around evidence, popularity, and judgment in Mencius, and it directly strengthens the site's first-principles reading method.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 22 of 38 in Jin Xin II. The cleanest entry point is "The music of Yu was better than that…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about knowing words, knowing destiny, and the completion of cultivation and can be read alongside Humane government / kingly way.
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Jin Xin II treats knowing words, knowing destiny, and the judgments proper to mature cultivation together.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not treat Mencius here as merely quibbling. He is warning that evidence must match the cause being claimed rather than substitute a single trace for a whole judgment.