Li Lou II · Passage 01 / 33 · 孟子 4B.1

Mencius 4B.1: earlier and later sages share one measure

By pairing Shun and King Wen, Mencius argues that region, era, and origin may differ, but the true measure of the Way does not split apart.

孟子曰：「舜生於諸馮，遷於負夏，卒於鳴條，東夷之人也。文王生於岐周，卒於畢郢，西夷之人也。地之相去也，千有餘里；世之相後也，千有餘歲。得志行乎中國，若合符節。先聖後聖，其揆一也。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「shùn shēng wū zhū féng， qiān wū fù xià， zú wū míng tiáo， dōng yí zhī rén yě。 wén wáng shēng wū qí zhōu， zú wū bì yǐng， xī yí zhī rén yě。 dì zhī xiāng qù yě， qiān yǒu yú lǐ； shì zhī xiāng hòu yě， qiān yǒu yú suì。 dé zhì xíng hū zhōng guó， ruò hé fú jié。 xiān shèng hòu shèng， qí kuí yī yě。」

Mencius said, 'Shun was born in Zhu Feng, removed to Fu Xia, and died in Ming Tiao - a man near the wild tribes on the east. King Wen was born in Zhou by mount Qi, and died in Bi Ying - a man near the wild tribes on the west. Those regions were distant from one another more than a thousand li, and the age of the one sage was posterior to that of the other more than a thousand years. But when they got their wish, and carried their principles into practice throughout the Middle Kingdom, it was like uniting the two halves of a seal. When we examine those sages, both the earlier and the later, their principles are found to be the same.'

Priority note

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Central question

Why does Mencius say that earlier and later sages share one standard?

Direct answer

Because he wants to deny that the Way is merely local custom or historical prejudice. A genuinely right order can be recognized across distance and time.

First principle

If a principle holds only in one place and one period, it has not yet touched the root. What approaches the Way should be able to recur under different conditions.

Why it matters

This passage helps justify translating Mencius into contemporary problems instead of locking him inside a single ancient context.

What this passage is doing

This is passage 1 of 33 in Li Lou II. The cleanest entry point is "Shun was born in Zhu Feng, removed to…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about seeing people clearly, ritual restraint, and governing relationships and can be read alongside Humane government / kingly way.

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