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Chapter 334: Mencius
Confucianism had a profound influence on the Chinese nation for two thousand years, but eventually completely withdrew from the stage of history.

Common people in all dynasties have been filled with emotion, especially Confucian students of all dynasties.

No matter how complicated the emotions of the ancients in every dynasty were, Su Chen did not waste everyone's time and continued the live broadcast.

"As Confucius, the first of the Ten Sages of Ancient China, the host has already given the answer to the question."

Before Su Chen could continue, many people noticed a problem.

Wang Yangming: Host, what are the Ten Saints? Is I one of them?
"The Ten Saints refer to ten outstanding saints who have made outstanding contributions in a certain field in history and are revered as saints by our descendants."

The Ten Sages are the most outstanding representatives in various fields in Chinese history. Later generations revered them as saints, which is a full recognition of their achievements.

They have made indelible contributions in many fields including thought, literature, art, medicine, science and technology. These contributions are rare national treasures of Chinese civilization.

"Mencius was born in 372 BC, more than a hundred years later than Confucius."

"Mencius' time was also an era of contention among hundreds of schools of thought, a period of great prosperity of ancient thought and culture."

"During that period, there were many talented people and hundreds of schools of thought, including Confucianism, Legalism, Taoism, and the School of Names, all of which had their own ideas and propositions."

"Mencius's real name was Meng Ke. He was from Zou during the Warring States Period. His ancestors were the noble Mengsun clan of Lu."

"After the decline of the Mengsun clan, some of them moved to the state of Zou, where Mencius was born."

"By the time of Mencius, their family no longer had any aristocratic aura."

"So, Mencius is actually similar to Confucius, and was also born into a declining aristocratic family."

"Before he became Mencius, Meng Ke was actually a child who didn't like studying. Fortunately, he had a mother who taught him by example."

"Mencius' mother moved three times in order to find a good learning environment for Mencius."

"From the story of Meng's mother moving three times, we can see that Meng's mother understood the principle that he who keeps company with vermilion becomes red, and he who keeps company with ink becomes black."

"Of course, Meng Mu's education was also very strict."

"When Mencius was a child, he was going home from school one day."

"While Meng Mu was weaving, she was also asking about his studies."

"Mencius's perfunctory answer made his mother very angry, so she cut the woven cloth with scissors."

"Mencius was frightened and asked his mother why she was so angry."

"Mencius' mother rebuked him for neglecting his studies, just like cutting the cloth."

"A virtuous man studies to establish his reputation, and asks to increase his knowledge."

"So you can be safe and sound at ordinary times, and avoid disasters when you do things."

"If you neglect your studies now, you will inevitably end up doing menial labor and it will be difficult to avoid disaster."

"Mencius was shocked after hearing this, and from then on he never dared to neglect his studies again."

"Under the influence of his mother, Mencius did achieve academic success."

"Then Mencius studied under a disciple of Confucius' grandson, and Zisi was Confucius' grandson."

"Mencius was a student of Zisi, so he was the fifth generation descendant of Confucius."

"Mencius inherited Confucius's doctrine of benevolent government and proposed the idea of ​​governing a country with benevolence, which makes the world invincible. He was a very ambitious politician."

"Like Confucius, Mencius tried to transform Confucian political theory and ideas on governing a country into specific propositions on state governance and promote them throughout the country."

"At that time, in order to realize their own political ideas, various thinkers mainly lobbied the princes of various countries."

"Against this social background, Mencius began to travel around the countries, lobbying the monarchs of various countries and promoting his political ideas."

Mencius: I have devoted my whole life to inheriting and promoting Confucianism, and I have finally accomplished it. I have prevented Confucianism from declining in my hands.

Confucius and Mencius, he has no regrets in this life as he can be ranked alongside Confucius.

He was a staunch follower of Confucius and his admiration for him was beyond words.

Since the beginning of the common people, there has never been anyone greater than Confucius; since the beginning of human beings, there has never been a sage like Confucius.

His greatest ambition in life was to study Confucius' Confucianism.

When he was born, Confucius had been dead for more than a hundred years, and none of his disciples were still alive.

He regretted that he could not become a disciple of Confucius, he only benefited privately from Confucius's successor.

He studied under the disciple of Confucius' grandson Zisi. Although he was not Confucius's direct disciple, he could be considered a disciple of Confucius through the second generation.

By his time, Confucianism had already begun to decline.

If the opinions of the world do not belong to Yang, then they belong to Mo. The Yang Zhu School and the Mohist School are the two most influential schools.

He saw the world's decline and the rampant evil teachings, and was worried about it.

Yang Zhu advocated that individuals should come first, and he would not even pluck a hair to benefit the world, which was disrespectful to his superiors.

Mozi advocated universal love and equality for all people, regardless of closeness or distance, which is disrespectful to one's parents.

The Yang Zhu School and the Mohist School have no father or king, and are no different from animals.

As long as the teachings of Yang and Mo are not extinguished, the teachings of Confucius will never flourish.

As a disciple who inherited Confucius' thoughts, it was his duty to defend the sage's teachings.

Oppose Yang and Mo, refute fallacies, correct people's minds, and inherit Confucius' cause.

In his view, anyone who could oppose Yang and Mo with words was a disciple of Confucius.

Not only did he take Confucius as his role model throughout his life, but his life experiences were also very similar to Confucius'.

For example, both of them have been teaching students and promoting Confucianism for a long time.

A gentleman has three joys, one of which is to educate the best talents in the world.

The joy of educating talents like this is something he would not exchange even for the throne.

In terms of politics, he is just like Confucius.

He had great political ambitions and hoped to implement benevolent policies and restore the kingly way.

Therefore, from the age of forty, he began to travel around the world.

"Mencius lived in a good era, when there were many schools of thought."

"Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, Nominalism, Legalism, Agriculture and other schools of thought all wrote books and put forward various political propositions."

"They travel between the various vassal states, are well-known and well-paid."

"They are often received by the king, and some are even given high positions."

"Against this historical background, Mencius began his journey to promote his political ideals."

"He has been to many countries, including Qi, Wei, and Song, for more than 20 years, and met many monarchs."

"In his later years, Mencius came to the State of Wei and promoted his political ideas to King Hui of Wei."

"When King Hui of Wei was young, he did quite well."

"Under the leadership of King Hui of Wei, the State of Wei once defeated the three states of Han, Zhao, and Song, forcing them to pay tribute to it."

"King Hui of Wei was the first among all the princes to be crowned king and led the other princes to pay homage to the Zhou emperor."

"However, in his later years, King Hui of Wei went from bad to worse."

"Wei was defeated by Qi in the east, and the crown prince was sacrificed."

"Another 700 li of land was ceded to Qin in the west. In order to avoid the limelight, the capital had to be moved to Daliang, which was farther away from Qin."

"Eight cities in the south have been taken away by the State of Chu. This is truly a great shame and humiliation."

"So, when Mencius came to Wei, King Hui of Wei asked Mencius if he had any good ideas to enrich the country and strengthen the army."

"Mencius was very unhappy and bluntly criticized King Hui of Wei: Why did he talk about profit?"

“And it clearly points out that if everyone from top to bottom competes with each other for profit, the country will be in danger.”

"Profit-seeking is indeed the beginning of some troubles, and the only remedy Mencius gave was benevolence and righteousness."

"Of course, Mencius did not reject utilitarianism, but he was against talking about interests right from the start."

"King Hui of Wei felt very aggrieved after hearing what Mencius said, thinking that he had been very benevolent in governing the country."

"For example, when Hanoi suffered a famine, he moved some of the people to Hedong and transported grain from Hedong to Hanoi."

"When there was famine in Hedong, the same method was used."

"No other monarch cares about the people as much as he does."

"But their population did not decrease, and his own population did not increase. He did not understand why."

"Mencius used an analogy to describe a battle between two armies. As soon as the drums of war sounded and the two sides engaged in battle, one side abandoned its armor and fled."

"One soldier ran a hundred steps before he stopped, and another ran fifty steps before he stopped."

"Is it okay for someone who ran away fifty steps to mock someone who ran away a hundred steps?"

"Whether it's fifty steps or a hundred steps, they're all running away, and they're all the same kind of people."

"So all crows are black, you, King Hui of Wei, are just not as black as other princes."

"After King Hui of Wei died, his son King Xiang of Wei succeeded to the throne."

"Mencius had a very bad impression of the new monarch. He clearly did not look like a monarch."

Zhuangzi: Mencius's empty talk about governing the country with benevolence lacks practical application, so it is understandable that he is not well-received by the princes.

The State of Wei was an important stop during Mencius's tour of the various states. It was once a powerful country in the early and middle Warring States period, but unfortunately it had lost its former strength.

King Hui of Wei, the monarch of Wei, welcomed Mencius' arrival, hoped that Mencius could help him achieve national rejuvenation, and actively sought his advice.

Mencius's response to this was to implement benevolent policies for the people, reduce punishments, and reduce taxes.

He also said that if he could do these things, he could become a king within a territory of a hundred miles, and further advised King Hui of Wei that a benevolent man is invincible.

This theory sounds quite clever and there is nothing wrong with it.

However, it neither analyzed why the State of Wei went from being a powerful country to a declining one, nor did it put forward any practical suggestions for restoring the country's prestige.

Perhaps it could add icing on the cake for a king who was maintaining the status quo in a peaceful and prosperous era, but it could not play any role at all for the Wei State which was in crisis.

In the Warring States Period, when wars were frequent and the strong preyed on the weak, it was impossible to be invincible in the world just by being benevolent.

As for those who claim to be the king of a hundred miles of land, it won't be long before they are swallowed up by a stronger country.

This is in stark contrast to the theory of enriching the country and strengthening the military that Shang Yang proposed when he met Duke Xiao of Qin.

What's more, the important civil and military officials in the previous hegemony era of Wei were all practical men.

Therefore, it is not surprising that King Hui of Wei turned from expectation to disappointment in Mencius's ideas on governing the country.

Since his theories could not be applied to the big country of Wei, Mencius tried to travel around to the small country of Song to realize his ambitions.

Mencius's eldest disciple asked how a small country like Song could protect itself when faced with an attack from big countries like Qi and Chu.

In response to this, Mencius believed that we should emulate Shang Tang and implement benevolent policies. He said that if we implemented benevolent policies, the world would be invincible and we would not have to be afraid of Qi and Chu even though they were powerful.

This answer is indeed very domineering, and it shows a heroic spirit of looking down on powerful countries as dirt, but in reality it has no practical significance at all.

For a small country like Song, the strategy of Su Qin and Zhang Yi was more effective.

Although the operation of switching sides between Qin and Chu is humble, it is the real way of survival for a small country like Song.

Mencius probably forgot that during the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Song had a king named Duke Xiang of Song who always spoke of benevolence and righteousness, even when fighting a war. In the end, he was defeated and died.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Song was still relatively strong, yet it still ended up in a miserable defeat.

The State of Song, which had already fallen to a third-rate country during the Warring States Period, would probably only die faster if it acted so recklessly.

From these two examples, we can see that Mencius' theory despises pragmatism, promotes idealism, and attempts to govern the country with benevolent policies without paying attention to practical countermeasures.

This completely unworkable theory would naturally be shelved by the rulers of the various vassal states.

"Mencius later went to Qi, when King Xuan of Qi was in power."

"King Xuan of Qi was not interested in Mencius's teachings on kingly ways and benevolent government, so he excused himself by saying that he was ill."

"In addition, King Xuan of Qi told Mencius that he did not like the music of the ancient kings that Confucianism used to educate the people, and he liked to listen to the secular music."

"In short, he thinks everything Mencius said is good."

"But he has many problems and cannot be implemented."

"Mencius also has a set of arguments for such a monarch who does not seek to make progress."

"If someone reports to the king that I can lift 3,000 pounds, but cannot lift a feather." "I can see the fine feathers of autumn birds, but cannot see a cart of firewood, the king will definitely not believe this nonsense."

“The reason you can’t lift a feather is because you won’t.”

“You don’t see a load of firewood because you don’t want to see it.”

"It is the same with not implementing benevolent policies. It is a matter of unwillingness, not inability."

"At that time, all the vassal states were reforming and strengthening themselves."

"All the princes also advocate hegemony, are keen on enriching the country and strengthening the army, expanding the territory, and emphasizing practical utilitarianism."

"But what Mencius advocated was a benevolent policy that reduced punishments and taxes, and allowed the people to live and work in peace and contentment."

"Mencius was extremely disgusted with the conquest of cities and territories, which was a common concern of monarchs."

"Mencius once said that those who are good at fighting should be given the heaviest punishment."

"Those who instigate the princes to form gangs and fight shall be given the second-highest punishment."

"Anyone who forces the people to reclaim wasteland and cultivate it shall be punished with the second highest level of punishment."

"Mencius advocated learning from the teachings of Yao, Shun and Yu, but this was simply not feasible during the turbulent Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods."

“Although he was not very successful politically, Mencius’s fame grew.”

"During his travels, Mencius was respected and treated with courtesy by various countries, which was much better than Confucius's time."

"But Mencius's ideas were rarely implemented by any monarch, because it is actually very difficult to achieve a completely benevolent government."

"After more than 20 years of traveling, there are no practical results."

"Then Mencius retired to his hometown and wrote books with his disciples, and finally wrote the book Mencius."

“When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a man, it will first test his mind, make his muscles and bones work hard, and starve his body.”

"Moral support from many, scant support."

"Born in sorrow, died in happiness."

"I want fish, and I also want bear's paw, but I cannot have both."

"These well-known classic quotes all come from the book Mencius."

"Zhu Xi, a great thinker in the Song Dynasty, called the Mencius, the Analects, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Great Learning the Four Books."

"The Four Books are the soul of Confucianism and a must-have for the imperial examinations. They also brought Mencius' status to a peak."

"Mencius became the representative of Confucianism, and Confucius and Mencius began to be mentioned together."

"In the Yuan Dynasty, Mencius was posthumously named the Second Sage, and the title of Second Sage became a synonym for Mencius."

Ying Zheng: Given all the problems Mencius had, it is no wonder that he was unable to realize his ambitions throughout his life.

Mencius generally lacked proper courtesy towards the monarch, which formed a sharp contrast with the monarch's respectful and courteous treatment of him.

In general, the monarchs of various countries showed great respect and favor to Mencius, even if they did not adopt his ideas.

For example, King Xuan of Qi appointed Mencius as a guest official and arranged for him to have hundreds of followers when he went out. His treatment was excellent.

However, one day King Xuan of Qi sent someone to invite Mencius to attend court to discuss state affairs the next day.

Mencius claimed that he was ill and could not go to court, but the next day he went to someone else's house to pay his respects.

People thought that Mencius should not treat King Xuan of Qi in this way, but Mencius did not agree at all. He believed that he was the one who respected King Xuan of Qi the most, so there was no need to be so fussy about trivial matters.

In addition, when Mencius met King Xuan of Qi, he would sometimes turn around and leave without saying a word, and he also said that he was trying to temper King Xuan of Qi's temper.

Confucian scholars believed that this was a manifestation of Mencius's fearlessness of imperial power and great character, but this was not the case.

Since ancient times, China has been a society that values ​​reciprocity, and Confucius himself attached great importance to etiquette.

Not to mention the king, even if it is an ordinary person who treats you well and respects you, you should return the favor with courtesy.

But Mencius repeatedly acted like a celebrity, embarrassing the monarchs.

This was also due to the fact that there was a magnanimous monarch like King Xuan of Qi, and the background of the Warring States Period which respected scholars.

If it were in his Great Qin, he would definitely not let Mencius have a good time.

Confucius valued propriety, and Mencius valued benevolence.

But in terms of etiquette, Mencius is not as good as his ancestor Confucius.

Given Mencius' actions, it's no wonder that the kings kept their distance from him.

In addition to lacking courtesy towards the monarch, Mencius' attitude on key issues is also unacceptable.

When Mencius was in Qi, there was a civil strife in Yan, and the two countries had a long-standing feud.

Therefore, the State of Qi wanted to send troops to attack the State of Yan, and for this purpose the officials of the State of Qi went to seek Mencius's opinion.

At the beginning, Mencius clearly expressed his support.

But later, Mencius said that his statement was just a casual chat and not his true thoughts.

He also said with contempt that Qi and Yan were birds of a feather, and argued that it was impossible for him to persuade a country as unjust as Yan to attack Yan.

Not only were Mencius' words inconsistent, but his behavior of enjoying preferential treatment in Qi and despising Qi was undoubtedly a case of eating to slam the door on the stove, which naturally caused dissatisfaction among the people of Qi.

It was precisely because Mencius had various problems, big and small, that he was unable to realize his ambitions throughout his life.

However, the biggest reason was the chaotic background of the Warring States Period at that time.

Mencius' beautiful but empty political theories are completely castles in the air and cannot help the various vassal states solve any practical problems.

As the saying goes, empty talk will ruin a country. Whether it is family affairs or national affairs, only by starting from reality and earnestly solving practical problems can we ultimately achieve success.

"Although Mencius did not achieve great success in his life, his book Mencius was regarded as a Confucian classic. The key lies in Mencius's ideas and propositions."

“The first thought advocates that the benevolent are invincible.”

"Mencius inherited and developed Confucius's idea of ​​governing by virtue, developing it into the doctrine of benevolent government, which became the core of his political thought."

"Benevolence is actually the human heart. Mencius believed that this is the most ideal politics."

"If the ruler implements benevolent policies, he can gain the wholehearted support of the people."

"On the contrary, if you ignore the lives of the people and implement tyranny, you will lose the support of the people and be overthrown by the people."

"To achieve benevolence, it can be summarized into five points."

"The first is to be close to the people. Mencius advocates that the ruler should share happiness with the people."

"The second is to employ virtuous people. To win over people for the world is called benevolence."

"The third is to respect human rights. Mencius proposed that the people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important."

“I believe that how to treat the people is extremely important to the success or failure of a country.”

"Fourth, they are compassionate and require the rulers to govern the people by extending favors."

"Little children."

"By doing this, we will be welcomed and supported by the people, thus becoming invincible in the world."

"The fifth is to kill those who are unjust, which is also benevolence, and the greatest benevolence."

"Mencius called for severe condemnation of all tyrants and corrupt officials, and tried to achieve a clean and honest political atmosphere."

“Although Mencius’s concept of benevolent government has not been implemented, it is not purely theoretical.”

"If we start from economic policy, in an agricultural society, as long as the people can live in peace and health, they can die without regrets."

"Then with proper education and improvement of social order, the country will naturally get back on track."

"But unfortunately, during the war years, Mencius's ideas were not implemented by the various vassal states."

“The first ideological proposition is the theory of human nature being good.”

"In Mencius' ethical philosophy, the theory of human nature being good is a label for him, in contrast to Xunzi's theory of human nature being evil."

"Mencius' theory of human nature being good emphasizes the possibility of education, while Xunzi's theory of human nature being evil emphasizes the necessity of education."

"Mencius used the theory of human nature as the theoretical basis for people to cultivate their moral character and practice benevolent government. He believed that the ethical requirements of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and trustworthiness originated from human nature."

"At the same time, the theory of human nature believes that everyone can become a gentleman like Yao and Shun through learning, and it also emphasizes the possibility of education, which has great educational significance."

“The first idea is to teach students in accordance with their aptitude.”

"Mencius has always regarded himself as the orthodox successor of Confucius, and his contribution to education is unparalleled."

"Mencius not only taught and educated many outstanding students, but also wrote books with his disciples."

"In terms of educational methods, Mencius inherited and developed the idea of ​​teaching students in accordance with their aptitude and proposed the traditional educational method of exchanging children for teaching."

"When a favorite student asks a gentleman why he does not educate his own son himself."

"Mencius believed that due to the deep affection between father and son, the father often did not educate his son strictly, and indulged his son's mistakes and faults, thus making it difficult for the father to continue the correct education."

"So, exchanging children for education can not only set strict requirements, but also maintain a close relationship between father and son without hurting their feelings."

Wang Yangming: Mencius did not achieve much success in his life. The person he should be most grateful to for being called the second sage is Han Yu, the Confucian master of the Tang Dynasty.

The reason why Mencius is called the Second Sage is very simple, mainly because Mencius made great contributions to inheriting and developing Confucianism.

If Confucianism is a tall building, then Confucius is the one who laid the foundation for Confucianism.

Mencius was the one who built this high-rise building, and the Confucian masters after Mencius were the ones who did the interior decoration of this high-rise building.

Confucian masters after Xunzi include Dong Zhongshu of the Western Han Dynasty, Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty, and Zhu Xi of the Northern Song Dynasty.

It's just some renovation and transformation of the interior decoration of this high-rise building.

In fact, Mencius himself might not have thought that he could become the second sage of Confucianism.

Because Mencius had the dream of inheriting Confucius' teachings and becoming a saint like Confucius.

He also traveled around the countries to lobby the princes throughout his life, and opened schools to spread Confucianism.

But Mencius' ideals were shattered, his dreams were difficult to realize, and no one cared about him during his lifetime.

Even some countries, such as the monarchs of Wei and Qi, once attached great importance to him.

But no one was ever willing to accept and implement his benevolent policies.

In other words, Mencius' life was extremely unsuccessful and miserable.

The fact that Mencius was able to eventually become the second sage was first and foremost thanks to Han Yu, the leader of the Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties.

Han Yu highly respected Mencius and wrote an article specifically listing Mencius as the successor of Confucius, saying that Mencius was the only Confucian in the pre-Qin period who was qualified to inherit the Confucian orthodoxy.

From then on, Mencius' status began to rise.

During the Song Dynasty, Neo-Confucianism emerged.

As a thinker who had a profound influence on Neo-Confucianism, Mencius gradually came to the fore.

As a loyal believer of Mencius, Wang Anshi used his power of reform to include the book "Mencius" in the subjects of the imperial examination.

Although the people of the Yuan Dynasty were barbaric, they also highly respected the Confucian culture of the Han people.

Mencius was conferred the title of the Second Sage, and thereafter was called the Second Sage, his status second only to Confucius.

The reason why Mencius was chosen as the only successor of Confucianism after Confucius was mainly due to his ideological propositions.

First, Mencius’ path to success is similar to Confucius’.

Confucius loved learning, and later he founded a school. He then traveled around the countries to promote his political ideas, hoping to build a world of great harmony based on benevolence.

The same was true of Mencius. After completing his studies, he led a large number of disciples to lobby the princes, hoping to establish a world where the country was governed by benevolence and an ideal kingly way based on Confucius' doctrine of benevolence.

Second, Mencius inherited Confucius’ idea of ​​benevolence and love for others.

He also developed Confucius' ethical thoughts into political thoughts and put forward the doctrine of benevolent government.

Third, Mencius was the first thinker to clearly put forward the theory of human nature being good, which has profoundly influenced Chinese culture.

Fourth, based on the theory of human nature, Mencius put forward the moral principles of self-cultivation.

For example, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, and cultivating a sense of righteousness.

Fifth, Mencius put forward the idea that people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important.

This is Mencius's bold proposal of putting people first based on his summary of the laws governing the rise and fall of history.

How a country treats its people has a profound impact on its rise and fall.

(End of this chapter)