Li Lou I · Passage 12 / 28 · 孟子 4A.12

Mencius 4A.12: sincerity is Heaven's way and man's work

Mencius traces political trust, friendship, and filial harmony back to the self's sincerity, arguing that without inner truth aligned to the good.

孟子曰：「居下位而不獲於上，民不可得而治也。獲於上有道，不信於友，弗獲於上矣。信於友有道，事親弗悅，弗信於友矣。悅親有道，反身不誠，不悅於親矣。誠身有道，不明乎善，不誠其身矣。是故誠者，天之道也。思誠者，人之道也。至誠而不動者，未之有也。不誠，未有能動者也。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「jū xià wèi ér bú huò wū shàng， mín bù kě dé ér zhì yě。 huò wū shàng yǒu dào， bú xìn wū yǒu， fú huò wū shàng yǐ。 xìn wū yǒu yǒu dào， shì qīn fú yuè， fú xìn wū yǒu yǐ。 yuè qīn yǒu dào， fǎn shēn bù chéng， bú yuè wū qīn yǐ。 chéng shēn yǒu dào， bù míng hū shàn， bù chéng qí shēn yǐ。 shì gù chéng zhě， tiān zhī dào yě。 sī chéng zhě， rén zhī dào yě。 zhì chéng ér bú dòng zhě， wèi zhī yǒu yě。 bù chéng， wèi yǒu néng dòng zhě yě。」

Mencius said, 'When those occupying inferior situations do not obtain the confidence of the sovereign, they cannot succeed in governing the people. There is a way to obtain the confidence of the sovereign: if one is not trusted by his friends, he will not obtain the confidence of his sovereign. There is a way of being trusted by one's friends: if one do not serve his parents so as to make them pleased, he will not be trusted by his friends. There is a way to make one's parents pleased: if one, on turning his thoughts inwards, finds a want of sincerity, he will not give pleasure to his parents. There is a way to the attainment of sincerity in one's self: if a man do not understand what is good, he will not attain sincerity in himself. Therefore, sincerity is the way of Heaven. To think how to be sincere is the way of man. Never has there been one possessed of complete sincerity, who did not move others. Never has there been one who had not sincerity who was able to move others.'