Heavenly and Human Nobility

English translation

Mencius said, “There are honors bestowed by Heaven and ranks bestowed by people. Benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, trustworthiness, and delighting in goodness without weariness are heavenly honors. Duke, minister, and high official are human ranks. The ancients cultivated their heavenly honors, and human rank followed. People today cultivate heavenly honors in order to secure human rank. Once they gain that rank, they abandon their heavenly honors. This is profound delusion, and in the end they will surely lose what they have gained.”