万章上 · 第 03 / 09 章 · 孟子 5A.3
《孟子·万章上》5A.3:象至不仁,而舜何以封之
孟子处理舜与象的问题时,不是取消罪恶判断,而是在诛不仁与亲亲之责之间寻找一种不把无辜之人一并毁掉的处理方式。
万章问曰:「象日以杀舜为事,立为天子,则放之,何也?」孟子曰:「封之也。或曰放焉。」万章曰:「舜流共工于幽州,放驩兜于崇山,杀三苗于三危,殛鲧于羽山,四罪而天下咸服。诛不仁也。象至不仁,封之有庳。有庳之人奚罪焉?仁人固如是乎?在他人则诛之,在弟则封之。」曰:「仁人之于弟也,不藏怒焉,不宿怨焉,亲爱之而已矣。亲之,欲其贵也;爱之,欲其富也。封之有庳,富贵之也。身为天子,弟为匹夫,可谓亲爱之乎?」「敢问『或曰放』者何谓也?」曰:「象不得有为于其国,天子使吏治其国,而纳其贡税焉,故谓之放。岂得暴彼民哉?虽然,欲常常而见之,故源源而来。『不及贡,以政接于有庳』,此之谓也。」
英文参考译文
Wan Zhang said, 'Xiang made it his daily business to slay Shun. When Shun was made sovereign, how was it that he only banished him?' Mencius said, 'He raised him to be a prince. Some supposed that it was banishing him?' Wan Zhang said, 'Shun banished the superintendent of works to You Zhou; he sent away Huan Dou to the mountain Chong; he slew the prince of San Miao in San Wei; and he imprisoned Gun on the mountain Yu. When the crimes of those four were thus punished, the whole kingdom acquiesced - it was a cutting off of men who were destitute of benevolence. But Xiang was of all men the most destitute of benevolence, and Shun raised him to be the prince of You Bei - of what crimes had the people of You Bei been guilty? Does a benevolent man really act thus? In the case of other men, he cut them off; in the case of his brother, he raised him to be a prince.' Mencius replied, 'A benevolent man does not lay up anger, nor cherish resentment against his brother, but only regards him with affection and love. Regarding him with affection, he wishes him to be honourable: regarding him with love, he wishes him to be rich. The appointment of Xiang to be the prince of You Bei was to enrich and ennoble him. If while Shun himself was sovereign, his brother had been a common man, could he have been said to regard him with affection and love?' Wan Zhang said, 'I venture to ask what you mean by saying that some supposed that it was a banishing of Xiang?' Mencius replied, 'Xiang could do nothing in his State. The Son of Heaven appointed an officer to administer its government, and to pay over its revenues to him. This treatment of him led to its being said that he was banished. How indeed could he be allowed the means of oppressing the people? Nevertheless, Shun wished to be continually seeing him, and by this arrangement, he came incessantly to court, as is signified in that expression: "He did not wait for the rendering of tribute, or affairs of government, to receive the prince of You Bei.
重点修订页
人工补强的解释层
核心问题
为什么孟子说象至不仁,舜仍然封之?
直接回答
因为若只按简单报应逻辑行事,舜似乎该直接诛象;但孟子要考虑的是,如何在不否认象之恶的前提下,也不把封地中的无辜之人一并推入更大损害。于是‘封之’成了一种同时面对亲亲、政治和后果的复杂安排。
第一性原理
真正高阶的判断,不只惩恶,还要处理惩恶的外溢后果,避免让正义手段本身制造新的无辜伤害。
为什么重要
这章适合承接“象至不仁”“舜 封象”“justice, kinship, and consequence”这类搜索,是孟子处理复杂后果责任的关键材料。
延伸阅读
这章在做什么
这章是《万章上》第 3 / 9 章,最直接的进入线索是“象日以杀舜为事,立为天子,则放之,何…”。放回全卷,它讨论的是臣道、忠告与政治担当,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
《万章上》反复讨论臣道、忠告和政治责任的边界。
关联主题
引用提示
不要把它读成亲属包庇。孟子没有否认象之恶,而是在追问:面对真实恶人时,怎样做才不至于在纠恶时再伤及更多无辜。