Sages as Teachers Across Generations

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孟（mèng）子（zǐ）曰（yuē）：（）“（）圣（shèng）人（rén），（）百（bǎi）世（shì）之（zhī）师（shī）也（yě），（）伯（bó）夷（yí）、（）柳（liǔ）下（xià）惠（huì）是（shì）也（yě）。（）故（gù）闻（wén）伯（bó）夷（yí）之（zhī）风（fēng）者（zhě），（）顽（wán）夫（fū）廉（lián），（）懦（nuò）夫（fū）有（yǒu）立（lì）志（zhì）。（）闻（wén）柳（liǔ）下（xià）惠（huì）之（zhī）风（fēng）者（zhě），（）薄（bó）夫（fū）敦（dūn），（）鄙（bǐ）夫（fū）宽（kuān）。（）奋（fèn）乎（hū）百（bǎi）世（shì）之（zhī）上（shàng），（）百（bǎi）世（shì）之（zhī）下（xià）闻（wén）者（zhě）莫（mò）不（bù）兴（xīng）起（qǐ）也（yě）。（）非（fēi）圣（shèng）人（rén）而（ér）能（néng）若（ruò）是（shì）乎（hū）？（）而（ér）况（kuàng）于（yú）亲（qīn）炙（zhì）之（zhī）者（zhě）乎（hū）？（）”（）

Mencius said, “A sage can serve as a teacher for a hundred generations; Boyi and Liu Xiahui are such examples. Those who hear of Boyi may become upright from greed and resolute from timidity. Those who hear of Liu Xiahui may become generous from meanness and broad-minded from narrowness. Though these men flourished a hundred generations ago, people who hear of them afterward are stirred to rise. Could anyone but a sage have such an influence? And how much more so for those who received their personal guidance?”

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Sages as Teachers Across Generations

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