Jin Xin II · Passage 28 / 38 · 孟子 7B.28

Mencius 7B.28: why say calamity follows a ruler

Mencius says a prince's real treasures are territory, people, and public affairs; to prize pearls and jade above them is to invert the whole order of rule.

孟子曰：「諸侯之寶三：土地、人民、政事。寶珠玉者，殃必及身。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「zhū hóu zhī bǎo sān： tǔ dì、 rén mín、 zhèng shì。 bǎo zhū yù zhě， yāng bì jí shēn。」

Mencius said, 'The precious things of a prince are three: the territory, the people, the government and its business. If one value as most precious pearls and jade, calamity is sure to befall him.'

Priority note

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Central question

Why does Mencius say calamity follows a ruler who prizes pearls and jade?

Direct answer

Because once luxuries sit at the top, politics is used to protect objects rather than people. The real substance of the state then gets sacrificed, and disaster follows the inversion.

First principle

Power should guard the structures that make a community exist, not rare objects detached from common life.

Why it matters

This passage serves searches around a ruler's treasures, priorities in government, and Mencius on political value, while reinforcing the site's humane-government line.

What this passage is doing

This is passage 28 of 38 in Jin Xin II. The cleanest entry point is "The precious things of a prince are three:…". 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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