Teng Wen Gong II · Passage 09 / 10 · 孟子 3B.9

Mencius 3B.9: I argue because I must

Mencius says he does not love disputing for its own sake: when destructive teachings distort human life and order, silence becomes surrender.

公都子曰：「外人皆稱夫子好辯，敢問何也？」孟子曰：「予豈好辯哉？予不得已也。天下之生久矣，一治一亂。當堯之時，水逆行，泛濫於中國。蛇龍居之，民無所定。下者為巢，上者為營窟。《書》曰：『洚水警餘。』洚水者，洪水也。使禹治之。禹掘地而注之海，驅蛇龍而放之菹，水由地中行，江、淮、河、漢是也。險阻既遠，鳥獸之害人者消，然後人得平土而居之。」「堯、舜既沒，聖人之道衰。暴君代作，壤宮室以為污池，民無所安息；棄田以為園囿，使民不得衣食。邪說暴行又作。園囿污地沛澤多，而禽獸至。及紂之身，天下又大亂。周公相武王，誅紂、伐奄，三年討其君；驅飛廉於海隅而戮之；滅國者五十；驅虎豹犀象而遠之。天下大悅。《書》曰：『丕顯哉文王謨！丕承哉武王烈！佑啟我後人，咸以正無缺。』」「世衰道微，邪說暴行有作。臣弒其君者有之，子弒其父者有之。孔子懼，作《春秋》。《春秋》，天子之事也。是故孔子曰：『知我者，其惟《春秋》乎！罪我者，其惟《春秋》乎！』」「聖王不作，諸侯放恣，處士橫議。楊朱、墨翟之言盈天下。天下之言，不歸楊則歸墨。楊氏為我，是無君也。墨氏兼愛，是無父也。無父無君，是禽獸也。公明儀曰：『庖有肥肉，廄有肥馬，民有饑色，野有餓莩，此率獸而食人也。』楊墨之道不息，孔子之道不著，是邪說誣民、充塞仁義也。仁義充塞，則率獸食人，人將相食。吾為此懼，閑先聖之道，距楊墨、放淫辭，邪說者不得作。作於其心，害於其事；作於其事，害於其政。聖人復起，不易吾言矣。」「昔者禹抑洪水而天下平，周公兼夷狄、驅猛獸而百姓寧，孔子成《春秋》而亂臣賊子懼。《詩》云：『戎狄是膺，荊舒是懲；則莫我敢承。』無父無君，是周公所膺也。我亦欲正人心、息邪說、距詖行、放淫辭，以承三聖者。豈好辯哉？予不得已也。能言距楊墨者，聖人之徒也。」

gōng dōu zǐ yuē：「wài rén jiē chēng fū zǐ hǎo biàn， gǎn wèn hé yě？」 mèng zǐ yuē：「yǔ qǐ hǎo biàn zāi？ yǔ bù dé yǐ yě。 tiān xià zhī shēng jiǔ yǐ， yí zhì yí luàn。 dāng yáo zhī shí， shuǐ nì xíng， fàn làn wū zhōng guó。 shé lóng jū zhī， mín wú suǒ dìng。 xià zhě wéi cháo， shàng zhě wéi yíng kū。《shū》 yuē：『jiàng shuǐ jǐng yú。』 jiàng shuǐ zhě， hóng shuǐ yě。 shǐ yǔ zhì zhī。 yǔ jué dì ér zhù zhī hǎi， qū shé lóng ér fàng zhī zū， shuǐ yóu dì zhōng háng， jiāng、 huái、 hé、 hàn shì yě。 xiǎn zǔ jì yuǎn， niǎo shòu zhī hài rén zhě xiāo， rán hòu rén dé píng tǔ ér jū zhī。」「yáo、 shùn jì méi， shèng rén zhī dào shuāi。 bào jūn dài zuò， rǎng gōng shì yǐ wéi wū chí， mín wú suǒ ān xī； qì tián yǐ wéi yuán yòu， shǐ mín bù dé yī shí。 xié shuō bào xíng yòu zuò。 yuán yòu wū dì pèi zé duō， ér qín shòu zhì。 jí zhòu zhī shēn， tiān xià yòu dà luàn。 zhōu gōng xiāng wǔ wáng， zhū zhòu、 fá yǎn， sān nián tǎo qí jūn； qū fēi lián wū hǎi yú ér lù zhī； miè guó zhě wǔ shí； qū hǔ bào xī xiàng ér yuǎn zhī。 tiān xià dà yuè。《shū》 yuē：『pī xiǎn zāi wén wáng mó！ pī chéng zāi wǔ wáng liè！ yòu qǐ wǒ hòu rén， xián yǐ zhèng wú quē。』」「shì shuāi dào wēi， xié shuō bào xíng yǒu zuò。 chén shì qí jūn zhě yǒu zhī， zǐ shì qí fù zhě yǒu zhī。 kǒng zǐ jù， zuò 《chūn qiū》。《chūn qiū》， tiān zǐ zhī shì yě。 shì gù kǒng zǐ yuē：『zhī wǒ zhě， qí wéi 《chūn qiū》 hū！ zuì wǒ zhě， qí wéi 《chūn qiū》 hū！』」「shèng wáng bú zuò， zhū hóu fàng zì， chǔ shì héng yì。 yáng zhū、 mò zhái zhī yán yíng tiān xià。 tiān xià zhī yán， bù guī yáng zé guī mò。 yáng shì wéi wǒ， shì wú jūn yě。 mò shì jiān ài， shì wú fù yě。 wú fù wú jūn， shì qín shòu yě。 gōng míng yí yuē：『páo yǒu féi ròu， jiù yǒu féi mǎ， mín yǒu jī sè， yě yǒu è piǎo， cǐ lǜ shòu ér shí rén yě。』 yáng mò zhī dào bù xī， kǒng zǐ zhī dào bú zhù， shì xié shuō wū mín、 chōng sè rén yì yě。 rén yì chōng sè， zé lǜ shòu shí rén， rén jiāng xiāng shí。 wú wéi cǐ jù， xián xiān shèng zhī dào， jù yáng mò、 fàng yín cí， xié shuō zhě bù dé zuò。 zuò wū qí xīn， hài wū qí shì； zuò wū qí shì， hài wū qí zhèng。 shèng rén fù qǐ， bú yì wú yán yǐ。」「xī zhě yǔ yì hóng shuǐ ér tiān xià píng， zhōu gōng jiān yí dí、 qū měng shòu ér bǎi xìng níng， kǒng zǐ chéng 《chūn qiū》 ér luàn chén zéi zǐ jù。《shī》 yún：『róng dí shì yīng， jīng shū shì chéng； zé mò wǒ gǎn chéng。』 wú fù wú jūn， shì zhōu gōng suǒ yīng yě。 wǒ yì yù zhèng rén xīn、 xī xié shuō、 jù bì xíng、 fàng yín cí， yǐ chéng sān shèng zhě。 qǐ hǎo biàn zāi？ yǔ bù dé yǐ yě。 néng yán jù yáng mò zhě， shèng rén zhī tú yě。」

The disciple Gong Du said to Mencius, 'Master, the people beyond our school all speak of you as being fond of disputing. I venture to ask whether it be so.' Mencius replied, 'Indeed, I am not fond of disputing, but I am compelled to do it. A long time has elapsed since this world of men received its being, and there has been along its history now a period of good order, and now a period of confusion. In the time of Yao, the waters, flowing out of their channels, inundated the Middle Kingdom. Snakes and dragons occupied it, and the people had no place where they could settle themselves. In the low grounds they made nests for themselves on the trees or raised platforms, and in the high grounds they made caves. It is said in the Book of History, "The waters in their wild course warned me." Those "waters in their wild course" were the waters of the great inundation. Shun employed Yu to reduce the waters to order. Yu dug open their obstructed channels, and conducted them to the sea. He drove away the snakes and dragons, and forced them into the grassy marshes. On this, the waters pursued their course through the country, even the waters of the Jiang, the Huai, the He, and the Han, and the dangers and obstructions which they had occasioned were removed. The birds and beasts which had injured the people also disappeared, and after this men found the plains available for them, and occupied them. 'After the death of Yao and Shun, the principles that mark sages fell into decay. Oppressive sovereigns arose one after another, who pulled down houses to make ponds and lakes, so that the people knew not where they could rest in quiet; they threw fields out of cultivation to form gardens and parks, so that the people could not get clothes and food. Afterwards, corrupt speakings and oppressive deeds became more rife; gardens and parks, ponds and lakes, thickets and marshes became more numerous, and birds and beasts swarmed. By the time of the tyrant Zhou, the kingdom was again in a state of great confusion. Zhou Gong assisted king Wu, and destroyed Zhou. He smote Yan, and after three years put its sovereign to death. He drove Fei Lian to a corner by the sea, and slew him. The States which he extinguished amounted to fifty. He drove far away also the tigers, leopards, rhinoceroses, and elephants - and all the people was greatly delighted. It is said in the Book of History, "Great and splendid were the plans of king Wen! Greatly were they carried out by the energy of king Wu! They are for the assistance and instruction of us who are of an after day. They are all in principle correct, and deficient in nothing." 'Again the world fell into decay, and principles faded away. Perverse speakings and oppressive deeds waxed rife again. There were instances of ministers who murdered their sovereigns, and of sons who murdered their fathers. Confucius was afraid, and made the "Spring and Autumn." What the "Spring and Autumn" contains are matters proper to the sovereign. On this account Confucius said, "Yes! It is the Spring and Autumn which will make men know me, and it is the Spring and Autumn which will make men condemn me." 'Once more, sage sovereigns cease to arise, and the princes of the States give the reins to their lusts. Unemployed scholars indulge in unreasonable discussions. The words of Yang Zhu and Mo Di fill the country. If you listen to people's discourses throughout it, you will find that they have adopted the views either of Yang or of Mo. Now, Yang's principle is "each one for himself," which does not acknowledge the claims of the sovereign. Mo's principle is "to love all equally," which does not acknowledge the peculiar affection due to a father. But to acknowledge neither king nor father is to be in the state of a beast. Gong Meng Yi said, "In their kitchens, there is fat meat. In their stables, there are fat horses. But their people have the look of hunger, and on the wilds there are those who have died of famine. This is leading on beasts to devour men." If the principles of Yang and Mo be not stopped, and the principles of Confucius not set forth, then those perverse speakings will delude the people, and stop up the path of benevolence and righteousness. When benevolence and righteousness are stopped up, beasts will be led on to devour men, and men will devour one another. I am alarmed by these things, and address myself to the defence of the doctrines of the former sages, and to oppose Yang and Mo. I drive away their licentious expressions, so that such perverse speakers may not be able to show themselves. Their delusions spring up in men's minds, and do injury to their practice of affairs. Shown in their practice of affairs, they are pernicious to their government. When sages shall rise up again, they will not change my words. 'In former times, Yu repressed the vast waters of the inundation, and the country was reduced to order. Zhou Gong's achievements extended even to the barbarous tribes of the east and north, and he drove away all ferocious animals, and the people enjoyed repose. Confucius completed the "Spring and Autumn," and rebellious ministers and villainous sons were struck with terror. It is said in the Book of Poetry, "He smote the barbarians of the west and the north; He punished Jing and Shu; And no one dared to resist us." These father-deniers and king-deniers would have been smitten by Zhou Gong. I also wish to rectify men's hearts, and to put an end to those perverse doctrines, to oppose their one-sided actions and banish away their licentious expressions - and thus to carry on the work of the three sages. Do I do so because I am fond of disputing? I am compelled to do it. Whoever is able to oppose Yang and Mo is a disciple of the sages.'