Meeting One Another with Ritual

Contents

Text

English translation

Original Chinese text

English translation

Gong Xingzi had lost a son, and the Right Minister went to offer condolences. Once he entered the gate, some people stepped forward to speak with him, while others went to where he stood and spoke to him there. Mencius did not speak with the Right Minister. The minister was displeased and said, “All the gentlemen speak with Huan; only Mencius does not. He is slighting me.”

Original Chinese text

English translation

When Mencius heard this, he said, “Ritual requires that at court one not cross from one’s place to speak with another, nor pass over the steps to exchange bows. I wished to follow ritual, yet Ziao takes me for discourteous. Is that not strange?”

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