Li Lou I · Passage 09 / 28 · 孟子 4A.9

Mencius 4A.9: win the people before the kingdom

Mencius states the chain of legitimacy plainly: rulers lose the throne by losing the people, and lose the people by losing their hearts.

孟子曰：「桀紂之失天下也，失其民也。失其民者，失其心也。得天下有道：得其民斯得天下矣。得其民有道，得其心斯得民矣。得其心有道：所欲，與之聚之；所惡，勿施爾也。民之歸仁也，猶水之就下，獸之走壙也。故爲淵驅魚者，獺也；爲叢驅爵者，鹯也；爲湯、武驅民者，桀與紂也。今天下之君有好仁者，則諸侯皆爲之駆矣；雖欲無王，不可得已。今之欲王者，猶七年之病求三年之艾也。茍爲不畜，終身不得。茍不志於仁，終身憂辱，以陷於死亡。《詩》云：『其何能淑？載胥及溺』，此之謂也。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「jié zhòu zhī shī tiān xià yě， shī qí mín yě。 shī qí mín zhě， shī qí xīn yě。 dé tiān xià yǒu dào： dé qí mín sī dé tiān xià yǐ。 dé qí mín yǒu dào， dé qí xīn sī dé mín yǐ。 dé qí xīn yǒu dào： suǒ yù， yǔ zhī jù zhī； suǒ è， wù shī ěr yě。 mín zhī guī rén yě， yóu shuǐ zhī jiù xià， shòu zhī zǒu kuàng yě。 gù wéi yuān qū yú zhě， tǎ yě； wéi cóng qū jué zhě， zhān yě； wéi tāng、 wǔ qū mín zhě， jié yǔ zhòu yě。 jīn tiān xià zhī jūn yǒu hǎo rén zhě， zé zhū hóu jiē wéi zhī qū yǐ； suī yù wú wáng， bù kě dé yǐ。 jīn zhī yù wáng zhě， yóu qī nián zhī bìng qiú sān nián zhī ài yě。 jì wéi bú chù， zhōng shēn bù dé。 jì bú zhì wū rén， zhōng shēn yōu rǔ， yǐ xiàn wū sǐ wáng。《shī》 yún：『qí hé néng shū？ zài xū jí nì』， cǐ zhī wèi yě。」

Mencius said, 'Jie and Zhou's losing the throne, arose from their losing the people, and to lose the people means to lose their hearts. There is a way to get the kingdom: get the people, and the kingdom is got. There is a way to get the people: get their hearts, and the people are got. There is a way to get their hearts: it is simply to collect for them what they like, and not to lay on them what they dislike. The people turn to a benevolent rule as water flows downwards, and as wild beasts fly to the wilderness. Accordingly, as the otter aids the deep waters, driving the fish into them, and the hawk aids the thickets, driving the little birds to them, so Jie and Zhou aided Tang and Wu, driving the people to them. If among the present rulers of the kingdom, there were one who loved benevolence, all the other princes would aid him, by driving the people to him. Although he wished not to become sovereign, he could not avoid becoming so. The case of one of the present princes wishing to become sovereign is like the having to seek for mugwort three years old, to cure a seven years' sickness. If it have not been kept in store, the patient may all his life not get it. If the princes do not set their wills on benevolence, all their days will be in sorrow and disgrace, and they will be involved in death and ruin. This is illustrated by what is said in the Book of Poetry, "How otherwise can you improve the kingdom? You will only with it go to ruin."'