Li Lou II · Passage 05 / 33 · 孟子 4B.5
Mencius 4B.5: if the ruler is benevolent
Mencius stresses that the ruler's moral orientation is not a private matter but a system-level input that shapes the direction of the whole order.
孟子曰：「君仁莫不仁，君義莫不義。」
Mencius said, 'If the sovereign be benevolent, all will be benevolent. If the sovereign be righteous, all will be righteous.'
Priority note
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Central question
Why does Mencius say that if the ruler is benevolent, none will fail to become benevolent, and if he is righteous, none will fail to become righteous?
Direct answer
Because in political order the ruler is not merely one private individual among others. His orientation rapidly shapes institutions and collective behavior. If he is truly benevolent and righteous, the public direction is pulled accordingly.
First principle
The morality of the powerful is not only personal character; it is a systemic input. A small deviation above is amplified below.
Why it matters
This passage serves searches around leadership example, Mencius, and moral influence. It helps explain why he joins self-cultivation and government so tightly.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 5 of 33 in Li Lou II. The cleanest entry point is "If the sovereign be benevolent, all will be…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about seeing people clearly, ritual restraint, and governing relationships and can be read alongside Flood-like qi.
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Li Lou II offers concrete judgments about seeing people, handling relationships, and the discipline of ritual.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not read it as crude one-man determinism. Mencius is not denying structure; he is noting that office magnifies the orientation of those who hold it into a public climate.