Sincerity in Mourning

English translation

King Xuan of Qi wanted to shorten the mourning period. Gongsun Chou asked, “Would observing the one-year mourning period still be better than observing none?” Mencius replied, “That is like someone twisting his elder brother’s arm while you merely tell him, ‘Just do it more gently.’ The real lesson is to teach him filial care for his elder brother.” In another case, a prince’s mother had died, and his tutor requested several months of mourning for him. Gongsun Chou asked how to judge this. Mencius answered, “He wished to complete the mourning but was unable to do so; even one extra day would be better than stopping at once. I mean those who are free to observe mourning but choose not to.”