离娄上 · 第 03 / 28 章 · 孟子 4A.3
《孟子·离娄上》4A.3：三代之得天下也以仁
孟子把朝代兴亡、国家存废与个人保身放到同一逻辑里：得之于仁，失之于不仁。仁不是装饰，而是从天下到四体都离不开的保存条件。
孟子曰：「三代之得天下也以仁，其失天下也以不仁。国之所以废兴存亡者亦然。天子不仁，不保四海；诸侯不仁，不保社稷；卿大夫不仁，不保宗庙；士庶人不仁，不保四体。今恶死亡而乐不仁，是由恶醉而强酒。」
英文参考译文
Mencius said, 'It was by benevolence that the three dynasties gained the throne, and by not being benevolent that they lost it. It is by the same means that the decaying and flourishing, the preservation and perishing, of States are determined. If the sovereign be not benevolent, he cannot preserve the throne from passing from him. If the Head of a State be not benevolent, he cannot preserve his rule. If a high noble or great officer be not benevolent, he cannot preserve his ancestral temple. If a scholar or common man be not benevolent, be cannot preserve his four limbs. Now they hate death and ruin, and yet delight in being not benevolent - this is like hating to be drunk, and yet being strong to drink wine!'
重点修订页
人工补强的解释层
核心问题
为什么孟子说三代得天下以仁，失天下也以不仁？
直接回答
因为他要说明，仁并不是只在私德层面好看，而是决定一个秩序能否被长期保存的根本条件。从天子到庶人，只要离开仁，最后连自己最想保的东西也守不住。
第一性原理
真正的根本原则，必须能同时解释最大的秩序如何成立，也解释最小的生命如何自保；仁在孟子这里就是这样的原则。
为什么重要
这章适合承接“得天下以仁”“国家兴亡”“Mencius on benevolence and political survival”这类搜索，是仁政主题的总纲页之一。
延伸阅读
这章在做什么
这章是《离娄上》第 3 / 28 章，最直接的进入线索是“三代之得天下也以仁，其失天下也以不仁”。放回全卷，它讨论的是自反、乱世与守道，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
《离娄上》经常从自反与守道的角度讨论乱世中的行动标准。
关联主题
引用提示
不要把这章读成道德说教。孟子不是说仁比较好看，而是在断言：不仁连自保都做不到，所谓现实主义到最后会变成更大的不现实。