Yi Yin and the Way of Service

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English translation

Original Chinese text

English translation

Wan Zhang asked, “People say Yi Yin sought Tang’s favor by cooking for him. Is that true?” Mencius said, “No, that is not so. Yi Yin farmed in the fields of Youxin and delighted in the Way of Yao and Shun. If something was not righteous or not in accord with the Way, he would not so much as glance at it even if offered the income of the whole realm; nor would he look at four thousand teams of horses. If it was not righteous or in accord with the Way, he would neither give even one small thing to another nor take even one small thing from anyone.”

Original Chinese text

English translation

Tang sent someone with gifts to invite him. Yi Yin said with serene self-possession, “What would I want Tang’s gifts of invitation for? Would it not be better to stay in the fields and delight in the Way of Yao and Shun?” Tang sent envoys three times to invite him. Then Yi Yin suddenly changed his mind and said, “Rather than remain in the fields and delight in the Way of Yao and Shun for myself, would it not be better to make this ruler a ruler like Yao and Shun? Would it not be better to make these people a people like those of Yao and Shun’s age? Would it not be better for me to see such a way of ruling with my own eyes?”

Original Chinese text

English translation

“Heaven gives birth to these people so that those who know first may awaken those who know later, and those who awaken first may awaken those who awaken later. I am one of Heaven’s people who has awakened first; I will use this Way to awaken these people. If I do not awaken them, who will? If even one ordinary man or woman in the realm does not receive the benefits of Yao and Shun, Yi Yin felt as though he himself had pushed that person into a ditch. He took the weight of the realm upon himself in this way, so he went to Tang and urged him to overthrow Xia and save the people. I have never heard of someone correcting others while bending himself out of shape; how much less could one disgrace oneself in order to set the whole realm right?”

Original Chinese text

English translation

The actions of sages differ: some keep their distance, others draw near; some leave, others stay. In the end, they all preserve their integrity. I have heard that Yi Yin approached Tang with the Way of Yao and Shun, not that he sought favor by cooking. The *Instructions of Yi* says, “Heaven’s punishment began its assault from the Mu Palace; I set out from Bo.”

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