Wan Zhang II · Passage 02 / 09 · 孟子 5B.2

Mencius 5B.2: why spend time detailing Zhou ranks

Mencius sketches the Zhou pattern of ranks, lands, and salaries to show that political hierarchy requires measured ratios tied to territory, office.

北京锜問曰：「周室班爵祿也，如之何？」孟子曰：「其詳不可得聞也，諸侯惡其害己也，而皆去其籍。然而軻也嘗聞其略也。天子一位，公一位，侯一位，伯一位，子、男同一位，凡五等也。君一位，卿一位，大夫一位，上士一位，中士一位，下士一位，凡六等。天子之制，地方千里，公侯皆方百里，伯七十里，子、男五十里，凡四等。不能五十里，不達於天子，附於諸侯，曰附庸。天子之卿受地視侯，大夫受地視伯，元士受地視子、男。大國地方百里，君十卿祿，卿祿四大夫，大夫倍上士，上士倍中士，中士倍下士，下士與庶人在官者同祿，祿足以代其耕也。次國地方七十里，君十卿祿，卿祿三大夫，大夫倍上士，上士倍中士，中士倍下士，下士與庶人在官者同祿，祿足以代其耕也。小國地方五十里，君十卿祿，卿祿二大夫，大夫倍上士，上士倍中士，中士倍下士，下士與庶人在官者同祿，祿足以代其耕也。耕者之所獲，一夫百畝；百畝之糞，上農夫食九人，上次食八人，中食七人，中次食六人，下食五人。庶人在官者，其祿以是為差。

běi jīng qí wèn yuē：「zhōu shì bān jué lù yě， rú zhī hé？」 mèng zǐ yuē：「qí xiáng bù kě dé wén yě， zhū hóu è qí hài jǐ yě， ér jiē qù qí jí。 rán ér kē yě cháng wén qí lüè yě。 tiān zǐ yí wèi， gōng yí wèi， hóu yí wèi， bó yí wèi， zǐ、 nán tóng yí wèi， fán wǔ děng yě。 jūn yí wèi， qīng yí wèi， dài fu yí wèi， shàng shì yí wèi， zhōng shì yí wèi， xià shì yí wèi， fán liù děng。 tiān zǐ zhī zhì， dì fāng qiān lǐ， gōng hóu jiē fāng bǎi lǐ， bó qī shí lǐ， zǐ、 nán wǔ shí lǐ， fán sì děng。 bù néng wǔ shí lǐ， bù dá wū tiān zǐ， fù wū zhū hóu， yuē fù yōng。 tiān zǐ zhī qīng shòu dì shì hóu， dài fu shòu dì shì bó， yuán shì shòu dì shì zǐ、 nán。 dà guó dì fāng bǎi lǐ， jūn shí qīng lù， qīng lù sì dài fu， dài fu bèi shàng shì， shàng shì bèi zhōng shì， zhōng shì bèi xià shì， xià shì yǔ shù rén zài guān zhě tóng lù， lù zú yǐ dài qí gēng yě。 cì guó dì fāng qī shí lǐ， jūn shí qīng lù， qīng lù sān dài fu， dài fu bèi shàng shì， shàng shì bèi zhōng shì， zhōng shì bèi xià shì， xià shì yǔ shù rén zài guān zhě tóng lù， lù zú yǐ dài qí gēng yě。 xiǎo guó dì fāng wǔ shí lǐ， jūn shí qīng lù， qīng lù èr dài fu， dà fū bèi shàng shì， shàng shì bèi zhōng shì， zhōng shì bèi xià shì， xià shì yǔ shù rén zài guān zhě tóng lù， lù zú yǐ dài qí gēng yě。 gēng zhě zhī suǒ huò， yì fū bǎi mǔ； bǎi mǔ zhī fèn， shàng nóng fū shí jiǔ rén， shàng cì shí bā rén， zhōng shí qī rén， zhōng cì shí liù rén， xià shí wǔ rén。 shù rén zài guān zhě， qí lù yǐ shì wéi chà。

Bei Gong Qi asked Mencius, saying, 'What was the arrangement of dignities and emoluments determined by the House of Zhou?' Mencius replied, 'The particulars of that arrangement cannot be learned, for the princes, disliking them as injurious to themselves, have all made away with the records of them. Still I have learned the general outline of them. The Son of Heaven constituted one dignity; the Gong one; the Hou one; the Bai one; and the Zi and the Nan each one of equal rank - altogether making five degrees of rank. The Ruler again constituted one dignity; the Chief Minister one; the Great Officers one; the Scholars of the First Class one; those of the Middle Class one; and those of the Lowest Class one - altogether making six degrees of dignity. 'To the Son of Heaven there was allotted a territory of a thousand li square. A Gong and a Hou had each a hundred li square. A Bai had seventy li, and a Zi and a Nan had each fifty li. The assignments altogether were of four amounts. Where the territory did not amount to fifty li, the chief could not have access himself to the Son of Heaven. His land was attached to some Hou-ship, and was called a Fu Yong. The Chief ministers of the Son of Heaven received an amount of territory equal to that of a Hou; a Great officer received as much as a Bai; and a scholar of the first class as much as a Zi or a Nan. 'In a great State, where the territory was a hundred li square, the ruler had ten times as much income as his Chief ministers; a Chief minister four times as much as a Great officer; a Great officer twice as much as a scholar of the first class; a scholar of the first class twice as much as one of the middle; a scholar of the middle class twice as much as one of the lowest; the scholars of the lowest class, and such of the common people as were employed about the government offices, had for their emolument as much as was equal to what they would have made by tilling the fields. In a State of the next order, where the territory was seventy li square, the ruler had ten times as much revenue as his Chief minister; a Chief minister three times as much as a Great officer; a Great officer twice as much as a scholar of the first class; a scholar of the first class twice as much as one of the middle; a scholar of the middle class twice as much as one of the lowest; the scholars of the lowest class, and such of the common people as were employed about the government offices, had for their emolument as much as was equal to what they would have made by tilling the fields. In a small State, where the territory was fifty li square, the ruler had ten times as much revenue as his Chief minister; a Chief minister had twice as much as a Great officer; a Great officer twice as much as a scholar of the highest class; a scholar of the highest class twice as much as one of the middle; a scholar of the middle class twice as much as one of the lowest; scholars of the lowest class, and such of the common people as were employed about the government offices, had the same emolument - as much, namely, as was equal to what they would have made by tilling the fields. As to those who tilled the fields, each husbandman received a hundred mu. When those mu were manured, the best husbandmen of the highest class supported nine individuals, and those ranking next to them supported eight. The best husbandmen of the second class supported seven individuals, and those ranking next to them supported six; while husbandmen of the lowest class only supported five. The salaries of the common people who were employed about the government offices were regulated according to these differences.'