Li Lou I · Passage 10 / 28 · 孟子 4A.10
Mencius 4A.10: self-violence, self-abandonment
Mencius defines self-violence and self-abandonment concretely: they begin when one talks against propriety and righteousness or declares in advance.
孟子曰：「自暴者，不可與有言也；自棄者，不可與有爲也。言非禮義，謂之自暴也；吾身不能居仁由義，謂之自棄也。」「仁，人之安宅也；義，人之正路也。曠安宅而弗居，舍正路而不由，哀哉！」
Mencius said, 'With those who do violence to themselves, it is impossible to speak. With those who throw themselves away, it is impossible to do anything. To disown in his conversation propriety and righteousness, is what we mean by doing violence to one's self. To say "I am not able to dwell in benevolence or pursue the path of righteousness," is what we mean by throwing one's self away. Benevolence is the tranquil habitation of man, and righteousness is his straight path. Alas for them, who leave the tranquil dwelling empty and do not reside in it, and who abandon the right path and do not pursue it?'
Priority note
A human-edited reading layer
Central question
Why does Mencius say that one who does violence to himself cannot be reasoned with, and one who abandons himself cannot be worked with?
Direct answer
Because once a person has expelled propriety and righteousness from speech, or has declared the right path impossible for himself, he has already shut the gate through which understanding and action would enter.
First principle
Many failures happen before action begins: once a person announces inwardly that the path has nothing to do with him, he has already severed it himself.
Why it matters
This passage strongly serves searches around self-abandonment, benevolence as a dwelling, and Mencius on moral despair.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 10 of 28 in Li Lou I. The cleanest entry point is "With those who do violence to themselves, it…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about self-examination, disorder, and keeping the way and can be read alongside Flood-like qi.
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Li Lou I often approaches disorder through self-examination and the standards for keeping the way.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not read self-abandonment merely as a mood. Mencius is diagnosing a structural withdrawal from propriety, righteousness, and the possibility of walking the path at all.