Teng Wen Gong II · Passage 01 / 10 · 孟子 3B.1

Mencius 3B.1: do not bend the Way for larger results

Mencius rejects the advice to bend a little in order to achieve much, because once gain justifies the first twist, there is no stable boundary left to hold.

陳代曰：「不見諸侯，宜若小然。今一見之，大則以王，小則以霸。且《志》曰：『枉尺而直尋。』宜若可為也。」孟子曰：「昔齊景公田，招虞人以旌，不至，將殺之。『志士不忘在溝壑，勇士不忘喪其元。』孔子奚取焉？取非其招不往也。如不待其招而往，何哉？且夫枉尺而直尋者，以利言也。如以利，則枉尋直尺而利，亦可為與？昔者趙簡子使王良與嬖奚乘，終日而不獲一禽。嬖奚反命曰：『天下之賤工也。』或以告王良，良曰：『請復之。』強而後可，一朝而獲十禽。嬖奚反命曰：『天下之良工也。』簡子曰：『我使掌與女乘。』謂王良。良不可，曰：『吾為之范，我馳驅，終日不獲一；為之詭遇，一朝而獲十。《詩》云：「不失其馳，舍矢如破。」我不貫與小人乘，請辭。』御者且羞與射者比。比而得禽獸，雖若丘陵，弗為也。如枉道而從彼，何也？且子過矣，枉己者，未有能直人者也。」

chén dài yuē：「bú jiàn zhū hóu， yí ruò xiǎo rán。 jīn yí jiàn zhī， dà zé yǐ wáng， xiǎo zé yǐ bà。 qiě 《zhì》 yuē：『wǎng chǐ ér zhí xún。』 yí ruò kě wéi yě。」 mèng zǐ yuē：「xī qí jǐng gōng tián， zhāo yú rén yǐ jīng， bú zhì， jiāng shā zhī。『zhì shì bú wàng zài gōu hè， yǒng shì bú wàng sāng qí yuán。』 kǒng zǐ xī qǔ yān？ qǔ fēi qí zhāo bù wǎng yě。 rú bú dài qí zhāo ér wǎng， hé zāi？ qiě fū wǎng chǐ ér zhí xún zhě， yǐ lì yán yě。 rú yǐ lì， zé wǎng xún zhí chǐ ér lì， yì kě wéi yǔ？ xī zhě zhào jiǎn zǐ shǐ wáng liáng yǔ bì xī chéng， zhōng rì ér bú huò yì qín。 bì xī fǎn mìng yuē：『tiān xià zhī jiàn gōng yě。』 huò yǐ gào wáng liáng， liáng yuē：『qǐng fù zhī。』 qiáng ér hòu kě， yì cháo ér huò shí qín。 bì xī fǎn mìng yuē：『tiān xià zhī liáng gōng yě。』 jiǎn zǐ yuē：『wǒ shǐ zhǎng yǔ nǚ chéng。』 wèi wáng liáng。 liáng bù kě， yuē：『wú wéi zhī fàn， wǒ chí qū， zhōng rì bú huò yī； wéi zhī guǐ yù， yì cháo ér huò shí。《shī》 yún：「bù shī qí chí， shè shǐ rú pò。」 wǒ bú guàn yǔ xiǎo rén chéng， qǐng cí。』 yù zhě qiě xiū yǔ shè zhě bǐ。 bǐ ér dé qín shòu， suī ruò qiū líng， fú wéi yě。 rú wǎng dào ér cóng bǐ， hé yě？ qiě zǐ guò yǐ， wǎng jǐ zhě， wèi yǒu néng zhí rén zhě yě。」

Chen Dai said to Mencius, 'In not going to wait upon any of the princes, you seem to me to be standing on a small point. If now you were once to wait upon them, the result might be so great that you would make one of them sovereign, or, if smaller, that you would make one of them chief of all the other princes. Moreover, the History says, "By bending only one cubit, you make eight cubits straight." It appears to me like a thing which might be done.' Mencius said, 'Formerly, the duke Jing of Qi, once when he was hunting, called his forester to him by a flag. The forester would not come, and the duke was going to kill him. With reference to this incident, Confucius said, "The determined officer never forgets that his end may be in a ditch or a stream; the brave officer never forgets that he may lose his head." What was it in the forester that Confucius thus approved? He approved his not going to the duke, when summoned by the article which was not appropriate to him. If one go to see the princes without waiting to be invited, what can be thought of him? Moreover, that sentence, "By bending only one cubit, you make eight cubits straight," is spoken with reference to the gain that may be got. If gain be the object, then, if it can be got by bending eight cubits to make one cubit straight, may we likewise do that? Formerly, the officer Zhao Jian made Wang Liang act as charioteer for his favourite Xi, when, in the course of a whole day, they did not get a single bird. The favourite Xi reported this result, saying, "He is the poorest charioteer in the world." Some one told this to Wang Liang, who said, "I beg leave to try again." By dint of pressing, this was accorded to him, when in one morning they got ten birds. The favourite, reporting this result, said, "He is the best charioteer in the world." Jian said, "I will make him always drive your chariot for you." When he told Wang Liang so, however, Liang refused, saying, "I drove for him, strictly observing the proper rules for driving, and in the whole day he did not get one bird. I drove for him so as deceitfully to intercept the birds, and in one morning he got ten. It is said in the Book of Poetry, 'There is no failure in the management of their horses; The arrows are discharged surely, like the blows of an axe.' I am not accustomed to drive for a mean man. I beg leave to decline the office." Thus this charioteer even was ashamed to bend improperly to the will of such an archer. Though, by bending to it, they would have caught birds and animals sufficient to form a hill, he would not do so. If I were to bend my principles and follow those princes, of what kind would my conduct be? And you are wrong. Never has a man who has bent himself been able to make others straight.'