Wan Zhang II · Passage 06 / 09 · 孟子 5B.6

Mencius 5B.6: why the scholar does not place

Mencius distinguishes receiving proper relief from becoming attached to a prince.

萬章曰：「士之不托諸侯，何也？」孟子曰：「不敢也。諸侯失國而後托於諸侯，禮也。士之托於諸侯，非禮也。」萬章曰：「君饋之粟，則受之乎？」曰：「受之。」「受之何義也？」曰：「君之於氓也，固周之。」曰：「周之則受，賜之則不受，何也？」曰：「不敢也。」曰：「敢問其不敢何也？」曰：「抱關擊柝者，皆有常職以食於上。無常職而賜於上者，以為不恭也。」曰：「君饋之，則受之，不識可常繼乎？」曰：「繆公之於子思也，亟問，亟饋鼎肉。子思不悅，於卒也標使者出諸大門之外，北面稽首再拜而不受，曰：『今而後知君之犬馬畜汲！』蓋自是臺無饋也。悅賢不能舉，又不能養也，可謂悅賢乎？」曰：「敢問國君欲養君子，如何斯可謂養矣？」曰：「以君命將之，再拜稽首而受；其後廩人繼粟，庖人繼肉，不以君命將之。子思以為鼎肉使己僕僕爾亟拜也，非養君子之道也。堯之於舜也，使其子九男事之，二女女焉，百官牛羊倉廩備，以養舜於畎畝之中，後舉而加諸上位。故曰王公之尊賢者也。」

wàn zhāng yuē：「shì zhī bù tuō zhū hóu， hé yě？」 mèng zǐ yuē：「bù gǎn yě。 zhū hóu shī guó ér hòu tuō wū zhū hóu， lǐ yě。 shì zhī tuō wū zhū hóu， fēi lǐ yě。」 wàn zhāng yuē：「jūn kuì zhī sù， zé shòu zhī hū？」 yuē：「shòu zhī。」「shòu zhī hé yì yě？」 yuē：「jūn zhī wū máng yě， gù zhōu zhī。」 yuē：「zhōu zhī zé shòu， cì zhī zé bú shòu， hé yě？」 yuē：「bù gǎn yě。」 yuē：「gǎn wèn qí bù gǎn hé yě？」 yuē：「bào guān jī tuò zhě， jiē yǒu cháng zhí yǐ shí wū shàng。 wú cháng zhí ér cì wū shàng zhě， yǐ wéi bù gōng yě。」 yuē：「jūn kuì zhī， zé shòu zhī， bù shí kě cháng jì hū？」 yuē：「móu gōng zhī wū zǐ sī yě， jí wèn， jí kuì dǐng ròu。 zǐ sī bú yuè， wū zú yě biāo shǐ zhě chū zhū dà mén zhī wài， běi miàn qǐ shǒu zài bài ér bú shòu， yuē：『jīn ér hòu zhī jūn zhī quǎn mǎ chù jí！』 gài zì shì tái wú kuì yě。 yuè xián bù néng jǔ， yòu bù néng yǎng yě， kě wèi yuè xián hū？」 yuē：「gǎn wèn guó jūn yù yǎng jūn zǐ， rú hé sī kě wèi yǎng yǐ？」 yuē：「yǐ jūn mìng jiāng zhī， zài bài qǐ shǒu ér shòu； qí hòu lǐn rén jì sù， páo rén jì ròu， bù yǐ jūn mìng jiāng zhī。 zǐ sī yǐ wéi dǐng ròu shǐ jǐ pú pú ěr jí bài yě， fēi yǎng jūn zǐ zhī dào yě。 yáo zhī wū shùn yě， shǐ qí zǐ jiǔ nán shì zhī， èr nǚ nǚ yān， bǎi guān niú yáng cāng lǐn bèi， yǐ yǎng shùn wū quǎn mǔ zhī zhōng， hòu jǔ ér jiā zhū shàng wèi。 gù yuē wáng gōng zhī zūn xián zhě yě。」

Wan Zhang said, 'What is the reason that a scholar does not accept a stated support from a prince?' Mencius replied, 'He does not presume to do so. When a prince loses his State, and then accepts a stated support from another prince, this is in accordance with propriety. But for a scholar to accept such support from any of the princes is not in accordance with propriety.' Wan Zhang said, 'If the prince send him a present of grain, for instance, does he accept it?' 'He accepts it,' answered Mencius. 'On what principle of righteousness does he accept it?' 'Why, the prince ought to assist the people in their necessities.' Zhang pursued, 'Why is it that the scholar will thus accept the prince's help, but will not accept his pay?' The answer was, 'He does not presume to do so.' 'I venture to ask why he does not presume to do so.' 'Even the keepers of the gates, with their watchmen's sticks, have their regular offices for which they can take their support from the prince. He who without a regular office should receive the pay of the prince must be deemed disrespectful.' Zhang asked, 'If the prince sends a scholar a present, he accepts it; I do not know whether this present may be constantly repeated.' Mencius answered, 'There was the conduct of the duke Mu to Zi Si. He made frequent inquiries after Zi Si's health, and sent him frequent presents of cooked meat. Zi Si was displeased; and at length, having motioned to the messenger to go outside the great door, he bowed his head to the ground with his face to the north, did obeisance twice, and declined the gift, saying, "From this time forth I shall know that the prince supports me as a dog or a horse." And so from that time a servant was no more sent with the presents. When a prince professes to be pleased with a man of talents and virtue, and can neither promote him to office, nor support him in the proper way, can he be said to be pleased with him?' Zhang said, 'I venture to ask how the sovereign of a State, when he wishes to support a superior man, must proceed, that he may be said to do so in the proper way?' Mencius answered, 'At first, the present must be offered with the prince's commission, and the scholar, making obeisance twice with his head bowed to the ground, will receive it. But after this the storekeeper will continue to send grain, and the master of the kitchen to send meat, presenting it as if without the prince's express commission. Zi Si considered that the meat from the prince's caldron, giving him the annoyance of constantly doing obeisance, was not the way to support a superior man. There was Yao's conduct to Shun: He caused his nine sons to serve him, and gave him his two daughters in marriage; he caused the various officers, oxen and sheep, storehouses and granaries, all to be prepared to support Shun amid the channelled fields, and then he raised him to the most exalted situation. From this we have the expression, "The honouring of virtue and talents proper to a king or a duke."'