Gifts and Proper Rites

English translation

Mencius lived in Zou when Ji Ren governed Ren as regent. Ji sent him gifts as a form of friendship; Mencius accepted them but did not reciprocate. Later in Pinglu, Chu Zi, the chief minister of Qi, also exchanged gifts with him, which Mencius again accepted without returning. On a later journey from Zou to Ren, Mencius visited Ji; traveling from Pinglu to Qi, he did not visit Chu. Wulüzi was pleased and said, “At last I have found an opening.” He asked, “You visited Ji in Ren but not Chu in Qi—is that because Chu was a chief minister?” Mencius replied, “No. The Documents says, ‘A presentation depends greatly on its ritual; if the ritual does not match the offering, it is no presentation. One should not fix one’s mind on the offering.’ Chu’s exchange had not been properly completed.” Wulüzi was pleased. When someone asked why, he said, “Ji had no chance to visit Mencius in Zou, while Chu had the chance to visit him in Pinglu.”