滕文公下 · 第 10 / 10 章 · 孟子 3B.10
《孟子·滕文公下》3B.10:陈仲子之廉,为何廉到最后只剩蚯蚓可做
孟子批评陈仲子式的绝对清廉:若真要把“凡不义皆绝”贯彻到底,人就得像蚯蚓一样活着,否则总会落入选择性洁癖与自相矛盾。
匡章曰:「陈仲子岂不诚廉士哉?居于于陵,三日不食,耳无闻,目无见也。井上有李,螬食实者过半矣,匍匐往将食之,三咽,然后耳有闻、目有见。」孟子曰:「于齐国之士,吾必以仲子为巨擘焉。虽然,仲子恶能廉?充仲子之操,则蚓而后可者也。夫蚓上食槁壤,下饮黄泉。仲子所居之室,伯夷之所筑与?抑亦盗跖之所筑与?所食之粟,伯夷之所树与?抑亦盗跖之所树与?是未可知也。」曰:「是何伤哉?彼身织屦、妻辟纑,以易之也。」曰:「仲子,齐之世家也。兄戴,盖禄万锺。以兄之禄为不义之禄而不食也,以兄之室为不义之室而不居也,避兄、离母,处于于陵。他日归,则有馈其兄生鹅者,己频戚曰:『恶用是鶃鶃者为哉?』他日其母杀是鹅也,与之食之。其兄自外至,曰:『是鶃鶃之肉也。』出而哇之。以母则不食,以妻则食之;以兄之室则弗居,以于陵则居之。是尚为能充其类也乎?若仲子者,蚓而后充其操者也。」
英文参考译文
Kuang Zhang said to Mencius, 'Is not Chen Zhong a man of true self-denying purity? He was living in Wu Ling, and for three days was without food, till he could neither hear nor see. Over a well there grew a plum-tree, the fruit of which had been more than half eaten by worms. He crawled to it, and tried to eat some of the fruit, when, after swallowing three mouthfuls, he recovered his sight and hearing.' Mencius replied, 'Among the scholars of Qi, I must regard Zhong as the thumb among the fingers. But still, where is the self-denying purity he pretends to? To carry out the principles which he holds, one must become an earthworm, for so only can it be done. Now, an earthworm eats the dry mould above, and drinks the yellow spring below. Was the house in which Zhong dwells built by a Bo Yi? or was it built by a robber like Zhi? Was the millet which he eats planted by a Bo Yi? or was it planted by a robber like Zhi? These are things which cannot be known.' 'But,' said Zhang, 'what does that matter? He himself weaves sandals of hemp, and his wife twists and dresses threads of hemp to sell or exchange them.' Mencius rejoined, 'Zhong belongs to an ancient and noble family of Qi. His elder brother Dai received from Gai a revenue of 10,000 zhong, but he considered his brother's emolument to be unrighteous, and would not eat of it, and in the same way he considered his brother's house to be unrighteous, and would not dwell in it. Avoiding his brother and leaving his mother, he went and dwelt in Wu Ling. One day afterwards, he returned to their house, when it happened that some one sent his brother a present of a live goose. He, knitting his eyebrows, said, "What are you going to use that cackling thing for?" By-and-by his mother killed the goose, and gave him some of it to eat. Just then his brother came into the house, and said, "It is the flesh of that cackling thing," upon which he went out and vomited it. Thus, what his mother gave him he would not eat, but what his wife gives him he eats. He will not dwell in his brother's house, but he dwells in Wu Ling. How can he in such circumstances complete the style of life which he professes? With such principles as Zhong holds, a man must be an earthworm, and then he can carry them out.'
重点修订页
人工补强的解释层
核心问题
为什么孟子认为,陈仲子的“廉”并不真能成立?
直接回答
因为他一方面拒绝兄长与家室的不义来源,另一方面却又在别处照样依赖别人搭好的世界生活。若原则只在看得见处发作,最后就成了选择性洁癖。
第一性原理
真正的道德一致性,不是把自己想象成可完全脱离世界污染的纯点,而是诚实面对自己所依赖的关系与结构,再在其中作有分寸的判断。
为什么重要
这章适合承接“陈仲子”“绝对清廉”“purity and inconsistency in Mencius”这类搜索,也能补强本站对假纯洁与真德行的区分。
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引用提示
不要把孟子这里只当成反苦行。更深的批评是:若你的洁癖无法一致地贯彻,它就会用高姿态掩盖不自知的依赖。