Ministers and the People

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孟（mèng）子（zǐ）曰（yuē）：（）“（）今（jīn）之（zhī）事（shì）君（jūn）者（zhě），（）皆（jiē）曰（yuē）：（）‘（）我（wǒ）能（néng）为（wéi）君（jūn）辟（pì）土（tǔ）地（dì），（）充（chōng）府（fǔ）库（kù）。（）’（）今（jīn）之（zhī）所（suǒ）谓（wèi）良（liáng）臣（chén），（）古（gǔ）之（zhī）所（suǒ）谓（wèi）民（mín）贼（zéi）也（yě）。（）君（jūn）不（bù）乡（xiāng）道（dào）、（）不（bù）志（zhì）于（yú）仁（rén），（）而（ér）求（qiú）富（fù）之（zhī），（）是（shì）富（fù）桀（jié）也（yě）。（）‘（）我（wǒ）能（néng）为（wéi）君（jūn）约（yuē）与（yǔ）国（guó），（）战（zhàn）必（bì）克（kè）。（）’（）今（jīn）之（zhī）所（suǒ）谓（wèi）良（liáng）臣（chén），（）古（gǔ）之（zhī）所（suǒ）谓（wèi）民（mín）贼（zéi）也（yě）。（）君（jūn）不（bù）乡（xiāng）道（dào）、（）不（bù）志（zhì）于（yú）仁（rén），（）而（ér）求（qiú）为（wèi）之（zhī）强（qiáng）战（zhàn），（）是（shì）辅（fǔ）桀（jié）也（yě）。（）由（yóu）今（jīn）之（zhī）道（dào），（）无（wú）变（biàn）今（jīn）之（zhī）俗（sú），（）虽（suī）与（yǔ）之（zhī）天（tiān）下（xià），（）不（bù）能（néng）一（yī）朝（zhāo）居（jū）也（yě）。（）”（）

Mencius said, “Those who serve rulers today all say, ‘I can win territory for my lord and fill his treasury.’ What is called a good minister today would have been called a robber of the people in antiquity. If a ruler does not turn toward the Way or aspire to benevolence, yet a minister seeks to enrich him, that is making a tyrant like Jie richer. Others say, ‘I can form alliances for my lord, and he will always win in battle.’ They too would have been called enemies of the people. If the ruler does not seek the Way or benevolence, and the minister strengthens him through war, he is assisting Jie. If people follow today’s path and do not change today’s customs, even giving them the whole realm would not make it possible to remain there for a single morning.”

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Ministers and the People

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