Li Lou II · Passage 10 / 33 · 孟子 4B.10

Mencius 4B.10: Confucius did not go to excess

Mencius sums up Confucius in one line: he did not push things beyond due measure. True principle includes knowing where excess begins.

孟子曰：「仲尼不為已甚者。」

mèng zǐ yuē：「zhòng ní bù wéi yǐ shèn zhě。」

Mencius said, 'Zhong Ni did not do extraordinary things.'

Priority note

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Central question

Why does Mencius summarize Confucius by saying he did not go to excess?

Direct answer

Because Confucius is admirable not only for holding principle, but for holding it with measure, so action does not destroy what it means to protect.

First principle

What is right is not always improved by being pushed further. Beyond a boundary, persistence can turn into distortion.

Why it matters

This passage serves searches around measure, the mean, and why moral maturity in Confucian thought includes restraint.

What this passage is doing

This is passage 10 of 33 in Li Lou II. The cleanest entry point is "Zhong Ni did not do extraordinary things". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about seeing people clearly, ritual restraint, and governing relationships and can be read alongside Human nature.

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