Li Lou II · Passage 07 / 33 · 孟子 4B.7
Mencius 4B.7: the capable should raise others
Mencius argues that the value of virtue and talent lies not merely in distinction from others, but in the ability to lift others upward.
孟子曰：「中也養不中，才也養不才，故人樂有賢父兄也。如中也棄不中，才也棄不才，則賢不肖之相去，其間不能以寸。」
Mencius said, 'Those who keep the Mean, train up those who do not, and those who have abilities, train up those who have not, and hence men rejoice in having fathers and elder brothers who are possessed of virtue and talent. If they who keep the Mean spurn those who do not, and they who have abilities spurn those who have not, then the space between them - those so gifted and the ungifted - will not admit an inch.'
Priority note
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Central question
Why does Mencius say that those who keep the mean should raise those who do not, and those with talent should raise those without talent?
Direct answer
Because if the so-called balanced and capable only make themselves stand higher, their public value remains small. What makes the worthy precious is not merely that they exceed others, but that they can help others become better.
First principle
Real superiority lies not in widening a gap for its own sake, but in turning advantage into the power to cultivate others.
Why it matters
This passage serves searches around education, excellence, and Mencius on public responsibility of the capable. It is a concise statement of why virtue must become generative.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 7 of 33 in Li Lou II. The cleanest entry point is "Those who keep the Mean, train up those…". 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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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 simple leveling. Mencius does not erase differences of worth and talent; he requires that their value finally show in whether they raise others rather than merely occupy height.