Sharing the Benefits of Rule
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
齐宣王问曰:‘人皆谓我毁明堂,毁诸?已乎?’孟子对曰:‘夫明堂者,王者之堂也。王欲行王政,则勿毁之矣。’
English translation
King Xuan of Qi asked, ‘People tell me to tear down the Bright Hall. Should I do it, or leave it?’ Mencius replied, ‘The Bright Hall is a hall for a kingly ruler. If Your Majesty wishes to govern in that way, do not tear it down.’
Original Chinese text
王曰:‘王政可得闻与?’对曰:‘昔者文王之治岐也,耕者九一,仕者世禄,关市讥而不征,泽梁无禁,罪人不孥。’
English translation
‘May I hear what such rule involves?’ the king asked. Mencius replied, ‘When King Wen governed Qi, an ancestral Zhou territory, one of nine field sections was set aside as a public field; officeholding families retained stipends across generations; checkpoints and markets inspected without levying duties; waters and fishing weirs were open; and a criminal's wife and children were not punished for his offense.’
Original Chinese text
‘老而无妻曰鳏,老而无夫曰寡,老而无子曰独,幼而无父曰孤。此四者,天下之穷民而无告者。文王发政施仁,必先斯四者。’
English translation
‘An old man without a wife is called a widower; an old woman without a husband, a widow; an old person without children, one left alone; and a child without a father, an orphan. These four groups have little support. King Wen placed them first when he governed with benevolence.’
Original Chinese text
‘诗云:哿矣富人,哀此茕独。’王曰:‘善哉言乎!’曰:‘王如善之,则何为不行?’
English translation
‘The Odes say, “The wealthy can bear it; pity those left alone.”’ The king said, ‘Well spoken!’ Mencius asked, ‘If you think it good, why do you not act on it?’
Original Chinese text
王曰:‘寡人有疾,寡人好货。’对曰:‘昔者公刘好货,《诗》云:乃积乃仓,乃裹糇粮,于橐于囊。思戢用光。弓矢斯张,干戈戚扬,爰方启行。’
English translation
‘I have a failing: I am fond of wealth,’ the king said. Mencius replied, ‘Gong Liu, too, cared for material stores. The Odes tell how grain was stored and travel food packed in bags; they sought to settle the people and strengthen their state, then readied bows and weapons before setting out.’
Original Chinese text
‘故居者有积仓,行者有裹粮也,然后可以爰方启行。王如好货,与百姓同之,于王何有?’
English translation
‘Thus those who stayed had food in store, and those who traveled had provisions. Only then could they set out. If Your Majesty values wealth, let the people share in material security. What would stand in the way of kingly rule?’
Original Chinese text
王曰:‘寡人有疾,寡人好色。’对曰:‘昔者大王好色,爱厥妃。《诗》云:古公亶父,来朝走马;率西水浒,至于岐下;爰及姜女,聿来胥宇。’
English translation
‘I have another failing: I am fond of women,’ the king said. Mencius replied, ‘The Great King, too, was fond of women and loved his consort. The Odes tell how Gugong Danfu rode at dawn, followed the western riverbank to the foot of Mount Qi, and came with Lady Jiang to seek a place to settle.’
Original Chinese text
‘当是时也,内无怨女,外无旷夫;王如好色,与百姓同之,于王何有?’
English translation
‘At that time, no woman within the palace was left resentful and no man outside was left without a partner. If Your Majesty is fond of women, let the people also have the chance to form families. What would hinder kingly rule?’