Teng Wen Gong II · Passage 08 / 10 · 孟子 3B.8

Mencius 3B.8: if it is unjust, stop now

Mencius mocks gradual reform that knowingly prolongs wrong: stealing one chicken a month is still choosing to keep stealing.

戴盈之曰：「什一，去關市之征，今茲未能。請輕之，以待來年，然後已，何如？」孟子曰：「今有人日攘其鄰之雞者，或告之曰：『是非君子之道。』曰：『請損之，月攘一雞；以待來年，然後已。』如知其非義，斯速已矣，何待來年？」

dài yíng zhī yuē：「shén yī， qù guān shì zhī zhēng， jīn zī wèi néng。 qǐng qīng zhī， yǐ dài lái nián， rán hòu yǐ， hé rú？」 mèng zǐ yuē：「jīn yǒu rén rì rǎng qí lín zhī jī zhě， huò gào zhī yuē：『shì fēi jūn zǐ zhī dào。』 yuē：『qǐng sǔn zhī， yuè rǎng yì jī； yǐ dài lái nián， rán hòu yǐ。』 rú zhī qí fēi yì， sī sù yǐ yǐ， hé dài lái nián？」

Dai Ying Zhi said to Mencius, 'I am not able at present and immediately to do with the levying of a tithe only, and abolishing the duties charged at the passes and in the markets. With your leave I will lighten, however, both the tax and the duties, until next year, and will then make an end of them. What do you think of such a course?' Mencius said, 'Here is a man, who every day appropriates some of his neighbour's strayed fowls. Some one says to him, "Such is not the way of a good man;" and he replies, "With your leave I will diminish my appropriations, and will take only one fowl a month, until next year, when I will make an end of the practice." If you know that the thing is unrighteous, then use all despatch in putting an end to it - why wait till next year?'