The Virtuous Person's Inner Ground
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English translation
Original Chinese text
孟子曰:“君子所以异于人者,以其存心也。君子以仁存心,以礼存心。仁者爱人,有礼者敬人。爱人者,人恒爱之;敬人者,人恒敬之。
English translation
Mencius said, “What distinguishes a gentleman from others is what he keeps in his heart. A gentleman keeps benevolence in his heart and keeps ritual there as well. The benevolent love others; those who observe ritual show respect. Those who love others are constantly loved by others, and those who respect others are constantly respected by others.”
Original Chinese text
有人于此,其待我以横逆,则君子必自反也:“我必不仁也,必无礼也,此物奚宜至哉?”其自反而仁矣,自反而有礼矣,其横逆由是也,君子必自反也:“我必不忠。”
English translation
“Suppose someone treats me with hostility and abuse. A gentleman first examines himself: ‘I must have been unbenevolent or discourteous; how else could this have happened?’ If he finds himself benevolent and respectful, yet the hostility continues, he examines himself again: ‘I must have been disloyal.’”
Original Chinese text
自反而忠矣,其横逆由是也,君子曰:“此亦妄人也已矣。如此则与禽兽奚择哉?于禽兽又何难焉!”
English translation
“If he finds himself loyal and the abuse still continues, the gentleman says, ‘This person is simply unreasonable. How does such a person differ from a beast? And what more could one expect from a beast?’”
Original Chinese text
是故君子有终身之忧,无一朝之患也。乃若所忧则有之。舜人也,我亦人也;舜为法于天下,可传于后世,我由未免为乡人也,是则可忧也。忧之如何?如舜而已矣。
English translation
“Thus a gentleman has concerns for his whole life, but no passing anxieties. There is indeed something he worries about: Shun was a man, and I too am a man. Shun became a model for the realm and his example was handed down to later generations, while I have yet to rise above an ordinary villager. That is a proper concern. How should I address it? By becoming like Shun.”
Original Chinese text
若夫君子所患则亡矣。非仁无为也,非礼无行也。如有一朝之患,则君子不患矣。”
English translation
“As for the calamities a gentleman might fear, they do not trouble him. He does nothing that is not benevolent and undertakes nothing that is not ritual. Even if a sudden calamity comes, he does not let it become a cause for fear.”