What Does It Mean to Call Life Nature?
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
告子曰：“生之谓性。”
English translation
Gaozi said, “What is inborn is what we call nature.”
Original Chinese text
孟子曰：“生之谓性也，犹白之谓白与？”
English translation
Mencius asked, “To call what is inborn ‘nature’—is that like calling what is white ‘white’?”
Original Chinese text
曰：“然。”
English translation
Gaozi replied, “Yes.”
Original Chinese text
“白羽之白也，犹白雪之白；白雪之白，犹白玉之白欤？”
English translation
Mencius continued, “Is the whiteness of a white feather the same as the whiteness of snow? And is the whiteness of snow the same as the whiteness of white jade?”
Original Chinese text
曰：“然。”
English translation
Gaozi replied, “Yes.”
Original Chinese text
“然则犬之性犹牛之性，牛之性犹人之性欤？”
English translation
Mencius asked, “Then is the nature of a dog the same as the nature of an ox, and the nature of an ox the same as the nature of a human being?”