Nature and One’s Allotted Share
Text
English translation
Original Chinese text
孟子曰:“广土众民,君子欲之,所乐不存焉。
English translation
Mencius said, “A noble person may desire broad territory and a large population, but these are not where his joy lies.”
Original Chinese text
中天下而立,定四海之民,君子乐之,所性不存焉。
English translation
“To stand at the center of the realm and bring peace to its people is a joy to a noble person, but it is not the foundation of his nature.”
Original Chinese text
君子所性,虽大行不加焉,虽穷居不损焉,分定故也。
English translation
“What belongs to a noble person’s nature is neither increased when it is widely put into practice nor diminished when he lives in hardship, because one’s allotted nature and its bounds are fixed.”
Original Chinese text
君子所性,仁义礼智根于心。其生色也,睟然见于面、盎于背。施于四体,四体不言而喻。”
English translation
“A noble person’s nature has benevolence, righteousness, ritual, and wisdom rooted in the heart. Their vitality shows in the face, fills the back, and extends through the limbs; the body makes them evident without a word.”