King Hui of Liang II · Passage 14 / 16 · 孟子 1B.14
Mencius 1B.14: be strong to do good
When Teng fears Qi's fortification of Xue, Mencius pulls the question back from military alarm to durable goodness.
滕文公問曰：「齊人將築薛，吾甚恐，如之何則可？」孟子對曰：「昔者大王居邠，狄人侵之，去之岐山之下居焉。非擇而取之，不得已也。苟為善，後世子孫必有王者矣。君子創業垂統，為可繼也。若夫成功，則天也。君如彼何哉？強為善而已矣。」
The duke Wen of Teng asked Mencius, saying, 'The people of Qi are going to fortify Xue. The movement occasions me great alarm. What is the proper course for me to take in the case?' Mencius replied, 'Formerly, when king Tai dwelt in Bin, the barbarians of the north were continually making incursions upon it. He therefore left it, went to the foot of mount Qi, and there took up his residence. He did not take that situation, as having selected it. It was a matter of necessity with him. If you do good, among your descendants, in after generations, there shall be one who will attain to the royal dignity. A prince lays the foundation of the inheritance, and hands down the beginning which he has made, doing what may be continued by his successors. As to the accomplishment of the great result, that is with Heaven. What is that Qi to you, 0 prince? Be strong to do good. That is all your business.'
Priority note
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Central question
Why does Mencius answer the threat from Qi by saying only, 'Be strong to do good'?
Direct answer
Because under pressure the ruler's most reliable work is not to chase an illusion of total control, but to strengthen the kind of good order that can actually be continued by later generations. The final outcome is not entirely in present hands.
First principle
When external danger rises, judgment must distinguish between the root one can still strengthen and the larger situation one cannot completely command.
Why it matters
This passage fits searches around political judgment under threat, doing good under pressure, and Mencius on durable statecraft rather than panic response.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 14 of 16 in King Hui of Liang II. The cleanest entry point is "The people of Qi are going to fortify…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about shared joy with the people, judgments about war, and political responsibility and can be read alongside Humane government / kingly way.
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King Hui of Liang II places shared joy, war, and the ruler's responsibility inside one political chain of judgment.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not read it as passive fatalism. Mencius is not cancelling action. He is separating what belongs to present responsibility from what belongs to outcome beyond immediate control.