Leading Beasts to Devour People

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English translation

Original Chinese text

English translation

King Hui of Liang said, ‘I would welcome your instruction.’ Mencius asked, ‘Is killing someone with a club different from killing with a blade?’ The king answered, ‘No.’

Original Chinese text

English translation

Mencius asked again, ‘Is killing with a blade different from doing so through government?’ The king answered, ‘No.’

Original Chinese text

English translation

Mencius said, ‘There is rich meat in the kitchens and well-fed horses in the stables, while the people look hungry and bodies of the starved lie in the fields. This is like leading beasts to devour people.’

Original Chinese text

English translation

‘People recoil even when beasts devour one another. If a ruler who is meant to be a parent to the people governs in a way that amounts to leading beasts to devour them, in what sense is that ruler a parent to the people?’

Original Chinese text

English translation

‘Confucius said, “Surely the first person to use human-shaped burial figures will have no descendants!” He condemned the practice because the figures resembled people. How, then, can a ruler let living people starve?’

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