King Hui of Liang I · Passage 02 / 07 · 孟子 1A.2

Mencius 1A.2: only shared joy becomes real joy

By contrasting King Wen's park with the hatred directed at Jie, Mencius argues that a ruler's enjoyment is secure only when the people can rejoice in it.

孟子見梁惠王。王立於沼上，顧鴻雁麋鹿，曰：「賢者亦樂此乎？」孟子對曰：「賢者而後樂此；不賢者雖有此，不樂也。詩云：『經始靈台，經之營之。庶民攻之，不日成之。經始勿亟，庶民子來。王在靈囿，麀鹿攸伏。麀鹿濯濯，白鳥鶴鶴。王在靈沼，於牣魚躍。』文王以民力為台為沼，而民歡樂之，謂其台曰靈台，謂其沼曰靈沼，樂其有麋鹿魚鱉。古之人與民偕樂，故能樂也。《湯誓》曰：『時日害喪，予及女皆亡。』民欲與之偕亡，雖有台池鳥獸，豈能獨樂哉？」

mèng zǐ jiàn liáng huì wáng。 wáng lì wū zhǎo shàng， gù hóng yàn mí lù， yuē：「xián zhě yì lè cǐ hū？」 mèng zǐ duì yuē：「xián zhě ér hòu lè cǐ； bù xián zhě suī yǒu cǐ， bú lè yě。 shī yún：『jīng shǐ líng tái， jīng zhī yíng zhī。 shù mín gōng zhī， bú rì chéng zhī。 jīng shǐ wù jí， shù mín zǐ lái。 wáng zài líng yòu， yōu lù yōu fú。 yōu lù zhuó zhuó， bái niǎo hè hè。 wáng zài líng zhǎo， wū rèn yú yuè。』 wén wáng yǐ mín lì wéi tái wéi zhǎo， ér mín huān lè zhī， wèi qí tái yuē líng tái， wèi qí zhǎo yuē líng zhǎo， lè qí yǒu mí lù yú biē。 gǔ zhī rén yǔ mín xié lè， gù néng lè yě。《tāng shì》 yuē：『shí rì hài sāng， yǔ jí nǚ jiē wáng。』 mín yù yǔ zhī xié wáng， suī yǒu tái chí niǎo shòu， qǐ néng dú lè zāi？」

Mencius, another day, saw King Hui of Liang. The king went and stood with him by a pond, and, looking round at the large geese and deer, said, 'Do wise and good princes also find pleasure in these things?' Mencius replied, 'Being wise and good, they have pleasure in these things. If they are not wise and good, though they have these things, they do not find pleasure. It is said in the Book of Poetry, "He measured out and commenced his marvellous tower; He measured it out and planned it. The people addressed themselves to it, And in less than a day completed it. When he measured and began it, he said to them - Be not so earnest: But the multitudes came as if they had been his children. The king was in his marvellous park; The does reposed about, The does so sleek and fat: And the white birds came glistening. The king was by his marvellous pond; How full was it of fishes leaping about!" King Wen used the strength of the people to make his tower and his pond, and yet the people rejoiced to do the work, calling the tower "the marvellous tower," calling the pond "the marvellous pond," and rejoicing that he had his large deer, his fishes, and turtles. The ancients caused the people to have pleasure as well as themselves, and therefore they could enjoy it. In the Declaration of Tang it is said, "O sun, when wilt thou expire? We will die together with thee." The people wished for Jie's death, though they should die with him. Although he had towers, ponds, birds, and animals, how could he have pleasure alone?'