万章下 · 第 05 / 09 章 · 孟子 5B.5
《孟子·万章下》5B.5：仕非为贫也，而有时乎为贫
孟子把做官的动机讲得很细：做官本不该只是为贫，但人在某些情境下也可以因贫入仕，关键在于不因此扭曲道与分寸。
孟子曰：「仕非为贫也，而有时乎为贫；娶妻非为养也，而有时乎为养。为贫者，辞尊居卑，辞富居贫。辞尊居卑，辞富居贫，恶乎宜乎？抱关击柝。孔子尝为委吏矣，曰：『会计当而已矣。』尝为乘田矣，曰：『牛羊茁壮，长而已矣。』位卑而言高，罪也。立乎人之本朝而道不行，耻也。」
英文参考译文
Mencius said, 'Office is not sought on account of poverty, yet there are times when one seeks office on that account. Marriage is not entered into for the sake of being attended to by the wife, yet there are times when one marries on that account. He who takes office on account of his poverty must decline an honourable situation and occupy a low one; he must decline riches and prefer to be poor. What office will be in harmony with this declining an honourable situation and occupying a low one, this declining riches and preferring to be poor? Such an one as that of guarding the gates, or beating the watchman's stick. Confucius was once keeper of stores, and he then said, "My calculations must be all right. That is all I have to care about." He was once in charge of the public fields, and he then said, "The oxen and sheep must be fat and strong, and superior. That is all I have to care about." When one is in a low situation, to speak of high matters is a crime. When a scholar stands in a prince's court, and his principles are not carried into practice, it is a shame to him.'
重点修订页
人工补强的解释层
核心问题
为什么孟子说“仕非为贫也，而有时乎为贫”？
直接回答
因为理想上，做官不是为了混口饭，而是为了行道；但人在现实里也会遇到贫困压力。孟子允许这种现实入口，却要求人仍守住分寸：可以因贫入仕，不可以因贫卖道。
第一性原理
动机判断不能假装现实压力不存在，但也不能让现实压力取消原则边界。
为什么重要
这章适合承接“仕非为贫”“做官动机”“Mencius on office and poverty”这类搜索，也能补强本站关于道与现实关系的解释。
延伸阅读
这章在做什么
这章是《万章下》第 5 / 9 章，最直接的进入线索是“仕非为贫也，而有时乎为贫”。放回全卷，它讨论的是知人、求学与名实之辨，并可与性善互相印证。
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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
《万章下》偏重知人、求学与名实是否相副的问题。
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引用提示
不要把这章读成对功名现实主义的完全背书。孟子是给出边界条件：现实可被承认，但不能把原则彻底让位给生计。