Teng Wen Gong II · Passage 07 / 10 · 孟子 3B.7

Mencius 3B.7: why the superior man does not rush to princes

Mencius is not performing hauteur. He is defending the order of meeting itself, because once the worthy learn to chase power.

公孫丑問曰：「不見諸侯，何義？」孟子曰：「古者不為臣不見。段干木逾垣而辟之，泄柳閉門而不納。是皆已甚；迫，斯可以見矣。陽貨欲見孔子，而惡無禮。大夫有賜於士，不得受於其家，則往拜其門。陽貨矙孔子之亡也，而饋孔子蒸豚，孔子亦矙其亡也而往拜之。當是時，陽貨先，豈得不見？曾子曰：『脅肩諂笑，病于夏畦。』子路曰：『未同而言，觀其色，赧赧然，非由之所知也。』由是觀之，則君子之所養，可知已矣。」

gōng sūn chǒu wèn yuē：「bú jiàn zhū hóu， hé yì？」 mèng zǐ yuē：「gǔ zhě bù wéi chén bú jiàn。 duàn gān mù yú yuán ér pì zhī， xiè liǔ bì mén ér bú nà。 shì jiē yǐ shèn； pò， sī kě yǐ jiàn yǐ。 yáng huò yù jiàn kǒng zǐ， ér è wú lǐ。 dài fu yǒu cì wū shì， bù dé shòu wū qí jiā， zé wǎng bài qí mén。 yáng huò kàn kǒng zǐ zhī wáng yě， ér kuì kǒng zǐ zhēng tún， kǒng zǐ yì kàn qí wáng yě ér wǎng bài zhī。 dāng shì shí， yáng huò xiān， qǐ dé bú jiàn？ céng zǐ yuē：『xié jiān chǎn xiào， bìng yú xià qí。』 zǐ lù yuē：『wèi tóng ér yán， guān qí sè， nǎn nǎn rán， fēi yóu zhī suǒ zhī yě。』 yóu shì guān zhī， zé jūn zǐ zhī suǒ yǎng， kě zhī yǐ yǐ。」

Gong Sun Chou asked Mencius, saying, 'What is the point of righteousness involved in your not going to see the princes?' Mencius replied, 'Among the ancients, if one had not seen a minister in a State, he did not go to see the sovereign. Duan Gan Mu leaped over his wall to avoid the prince. Xie Liu shut his door, and would not admit the prince. These two, however, carried their scrupulosity to excess. When a prince is urgent, it is not improper to see him. Yang Huo wished to get Confucius to go to see him, but disliked doing so by any want of propriety. As it is the rule, therefore, that when a great officer sends a gift to a scholar, if the latter be not at home to receive it, he must go to the officer's to pay his respects, Yang Huo watched when Confucius was out, and sent him a roasted pig. Confucius, in his turn, watched when Huo was out, and went to pay his respects to him. At that time, Yang Huo had taken the initiative - how could Confucius decline going to see him? Zengzi said, "They who shrug up their shoulders, and laugh in a flattering way, toil harder than the summer labourer in the fields." Zi Lu said, "There are those who talk with people with whom they have no great community of feeling. If you look at their countenances, they are full of blushes. I do not desire to know such persons." By considering these remarks, the spirit which the superior man nourishes may be known.'