Sharing the Benefits of Rule

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English translation

Original Chinese text

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?’

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