尽心上 · 第 35 / 46 章 · 孟子 7A.35
《孟子·尽心上》7A.35:瞽瞍杀人,舜会怎么办
孟子借极端设问处理孝与法的冲突:舜不会废法,也不会轻弃父亲;真正的难处不靠取消其一,而在于承受两端同时成立的代价。
桃应问曰:「舜为天子,皋陶为士,瞽瞍杀人,则如之何?」孟子曰:「执之而已矣。」「然则舜不禁与?」曰:「夫舜恶得而禁之?夫有所受之也。」「然则舜如之何?」曰:「舜视弃天下,犹弃敝蹝也。窃负而逃,遵海滨而处,终身欣然,乐而忘天下。」
英文参考译文
Tao Ying asked, saying, 'Shun being sovereign, and Gao Yao chief minister of justice, if Gu Sou had murdered a man, what would have been done in the case?' Mencius said, 'Gao Yao would simply have apprehended him.' 'But would not Shun have forbidden such a thing?' 'Indeed, how could Shun have forbidden it? Gao Yao had received the law from a proper source.' 'In that case what would Shun have done?' 'Shun would have regarded abandoning the kingdom as throwing away a worn-out sandal. He would privately have taken his father on his back, and retired into concealment, living some where along the sea-coast. There he would have been all his life, cheerful and happy, forgetting the kingdom.'
重点修订页
人工补强的解释层
核心问题
为什么孟子面对“瞽瞍杀人”这个设问,不让舜去废法?
直接回答
因为若舜直接阻断执法,就等于把公义毁掉;但若舜完全按公义处理而内心毫无父子之痛,也不成其为舜。孟子要呈现的是:真正高阶的道德困境,不是二选一地取消一边,而是背起两边同时成立的重负。
第一性原理
成熟的道德判断,不总是把冲突抹平,而是承认某些根本义务会真正相撞,只能在不取消其一的前提下承担代价。
为什么重要
这章适合承接“舜 瞽瞍 杀人”“孝与法”“Mencius tragic conflict”这类搜索,是最能展示孟子并不幼稚化伦理冲突的章句之一。
延伸阅读
这章在做什么
这章是《尽心上》第 35 / 46 章,最直接的进入线索是“舜为天子,皋陶为士,瞽瞍杀人,则如之…”。放回全卷,它讨论的是尽心、诚与保存本心,并可与仁政互相印证。
更宽的搜索入口
如果你带着更宽的问题进入这一章,先从正确的 hub 页进入
全卷语境
《尽心上》重点是尽心、诚与如何保存已经给定的人心能力。
关联主题
引用提示
不要把这章读成给徇私开后门。孟子明确不让舜废法;重点在于,即使法律继续运行,父子之情也不会因此变得无事可言。