Teng Wen Gong I · Passage 02 / 05 · 孟子 3A.2

Mencius 3A.2: mourn your parents with your own utmost care

In the mourning for Duke Ding of Teng, Mencius stresses that filial duty is not a ritual task to outsource.

滕定公薨，世子謂然友曰：「昔者孟子嘗與我言於宋，於心終不忘。今也不幸至於大故，吾欲使子問於孟子，然後行事。」然友之鄒問於孟子。孟子曰：「不亦善乎！親喪固所自盡也。曾子曰：『生，事之以禮；死，葬之以禮，祭之以禮，可謂孝矣。』諸侯之禮，吾未之學也。雖然，吾嘗聞之矣：三年之喪，齋疏之服，飦粥之食，自天子達於庶人，三代共之。」然友反命，定為三年之喪。父兄百官皆不欲也，故曰：「吾宗國魯先君莫之行，吾先君亦莫之行也；至於子之身而反之，不可。且《志》曰：『喪祭從先祖。』」曰：「吾有所受之也。」謂然友曰：「吾他日未嘗學問，好馳馬試劍。今也父兄百官不我足也；恐其不能盡於大事。子為我問孟子。」然友復之鄒問孟子。孟子曰：「然，不可以他求者也。孔子曰：『君薨，聽於冢宰，飦粥，面深墨，即位而哭。百官有司，莫敢不哀，先之也。上有好者，下必有甚焉者矣。君子之德，風也；小人之德，草也。草上之風必偃。』。是在世子。」然友反命。世子曰：「然，是誠在我。」五月居廬，未有命戒。百官族人，可謂曰知。及至葬，四方來觀之。顏色之戚，哭泣之哀，弔者大悅。

téng dìng gōng hōng， shì zǐ wèi rán yǒu yuē：「xī zhě mèng zǐ cháng yǔ wǒ yán wū sòng， wū xīn zhōng bú wàng。 jīn yě bú xìng zhì wū dà gù， wú yù shǐ zǐ wèn wū mèng zǐ， rán hòu xíng shì。」 rán yǒu zhī zōu wèn wū mèng zǐ。 mèng zǐ yuē：「bú yì shàn hū！ qīn sāng gù suǒ zì jìn yě。 céng zǐ yuē：『shēng， shì zhī yǐ lǐ； sǐ， zàng zhī yǐ lǐ， jì zhī yǐ lǐ， kě wèi xiào yǐ。』 zhū hóu zhī lǐ， wú wèi zhī xué yě。 suī rán， wú cháng wén zhī yǐ： sān nián zhī sāng， zhāi shū zhī fú， zhān zhōu zhī shí， zì tiān zǐ dá wū shù rén， sān dài gòng zhī。」 rán yǒu fǎn mìng， dìng wéi sān nián zhī sāng。 fù xiōng bǎi guān jiē bú yù yě， gù yuē：「wú zōng guó lǔ xiān jūn mò zhī xíng， wú xiān jūn yì mò zhī xíng yě； zhì wū zǐ zhī shēn ér fǎn zhī， bù kě。 qiě 《zhì》 yuē：『sāng jì cóng xiān zǔ。』」 yuē：「wú yǒu suǒ shòu zhī yě。」 wèi rán yǒu yuē：「wú tā rì wèi cháng xué wèn， hǎo chí mǎ shì jiàn。 jīn yě fù xiōng bǎi guān bù wǒ zú yě； kǒng qí bù néng jìn wū dà shì。 zǐ wéi wǒ wèn mèng zǐ。」 rán yǒu fù zhī zōu wèn mèng zǐ。 mèng zǐ yuē：「rán， bù kě yǐ tā qiú zhě yě。 kǒng zǐ yuē：『jūn hōng， tīng wū zhǒng zǎi， zhān zhōu， miàn shēn mò， jí wèi ér kū。 bǎi guān yǒu sī， mò gǎn bù āi， xiān zhī yě。 shàng yǒu hǎo zhě， xià bì yǒu shèn yān zhě yǐ。 jūn zǐ zhī dé， fēng yě； xiǎo rén zhī dé， cǎo yě。 cǎo shàng zhī fēng bì yǎn。』。 shì zài shì zǐ。」 rán yǒu fǎn mìng。 shì zǐ yuē：「rán， shì chéng zài wǒ。」 wǔ yuè jū lú， wèi yǒu mìng jiè。 bǎi guān zú rén， kě wèi yuē zhī。 jí zhì zàng， sì fāng lái guān zhī。 yán sè zhī qī， kū qì zhī āi， diào zhě dà yuè。

When the duke Ding of Teng died, the prince said to Ran You, 'Formerly, Mencius spoke with me in Song, and in my mind I have never forgotten his words. Now, alas! this great duty to my father devolves upon me; I wish to send you to ask the advice of Mencius, and then to proceed to its various services' Ran You accordingly proceeded to Zou, and consulted Mencius. Mencius said, 'Is this not good? In discharging the funeral duties to parents, men indeed feel constrained to do their utmost. The philosopher Zeng said, "When parents are alive, they should be served according to propriety; when they are dead, they should be buried according to propriety; and they should be sacrificed to according to propriety - this may be called filial piety." The ceremonies to be observed by the princes I have not learned, but I have heard these points: that the three years' mourning, the garment of coarse cloth with its lower edge even, and the eating of congee, were equally prescribed by the three dynasties, and binding on all, from the sovereign to the mass of the people.' Ran You reported the execution of his commission, and the prince determined that the three years' mourning should be observed. His aged relatives, and the body of the officers, did not wish that it should be so, and said, 'The former princes of Lu, that kingdom which we honour, have, none of them, observed this practice, neither have any of our own former princes observed it. For you to act contrary to their example is not proper. Moreover, the History says, "In the observances of mourning and sacrifice, ancestors are to be followed," meaning that they received those things from a proper source to hand them down.' The prince said again to Ran You, 'Hitherto, I have not given myself to the pursuit of learning, but have found my pleasure in horsemanship and sword-exercise, and now I don't come up to the wishes of my aged relatives and the officers. I am afraid I may not be able to discharge my duty in the great business that I have entered on; do you again consult Mencius for me.' On this, Ran You went again to Zou, and consulted Mencius. Mencius said, 'It is so, but he may not seek a remedy in others, but only in himself. Confucius said, "When a prince dies, his successor entrusts the administration to the prime minister. He sips the congee. His face is of a deep black. He approaches the place of mourning, and weeps. Of all the officers and inferior ministers there is not one who will presume not to join in the lamentation, he setting them this example. What the superior loves, his inferiors will be found to love exceedingly. The relation between superiors and inferiors is like that between the wind and grass. The grass must bend when the wind blows upon it." The business depends on the prince.' Ran You returned with this answer to his commission, and the prince said, 'It is so. The matter does indeed depend on me.' So for five months he dwelt in the shed, without issuing an order or a caution. All the officers and his relatives said, 'He may be said to understand the ceremonies.' When the time of interment arrived, they came from all quarters of the State to witness it. Those who had come from other States to condole with him, were greatly pleased with the deep dejection of his countenance and the mournfulness of his wailing and weeping.