管之畎

夷間

吾膠

他從其言也使饑餓於

日吾大者不能行甘

饑去

餓不能出門已君聞之 去之其下朝不食夕不食

於又之食

4. The last case was that of the superior man who had nothing to eat, either morning or evening, and was so famished that he could not move out of his door. If the prince, on hearing of his state, said, "I must fail in the great point,-that of carrying his doctrines into practice, neither am I able to follow his words, but I am ashamed to allow him to die of want in my country;" the assistance offered in such a case might be received, but not beyond what was sufficient to avert death."'

CHAP.XV. 1. Mencius said, 'Shun rose from among the channelled fields. Fu Yüeh was called to office from the midst of his building frames; Chiao-ko from his fish and salt; Kwan Î-wa from the hands of his gaoler; Sun-shu Ao from his hiding by the sea-shore; and Pâi-li Hst from the market-place.

in loc. 4. The assistance is in the shape of name as y 悦 Chiao Ko is mentioned in Bk. II. employment offered. If not, then would not be a case of 就仕

Pt. I. i. 8, where it is said in the notes that his worth when living in retirement, was discovered by king Wän. He was then selling 15. TRIALS AND HARDSHIPS THE WAY IN WHICH fish and salt, and on Wan's recommendation HEAVEN PREPARES MEN FOR GREAT SERVICES. I. was raised to office by the last sovereign of Yin, With Shun, Kwan Î-wû, and Pai-li Hsi, the to whose fortunes he continued faithful. Sunstudent must be familiar. Fü Yüeh,-see the shû Ao was prime minister to Chwang of Ch', Shu-ching, Pt. IV. Bk.VII, where it is related the last of the five chiefs of the princes. So that the sovereign Kão Tsung having 'dreamt much is beyond dispute, but the circumstances

that God gave him a good assistant, caused a of his elevation, and the family to which he picture of the man he had seen in his dream

to be made, and 'search made for him through belonged, are uncertain. See the

the kingdom, when he was found dwelling in

餘說 in 0. 版築, (planke and build.

the wilderness of Fa-yen (傅巖之野)g:Many of the houses in China are built of

In the 'Historical Records,' it is said the sur-earth and mortar beaten together within a

name was given in the dream as f, and the moveable frame, in which the walls are formed.

者家發心能以

國拂於衡人動 於恆

亡。出,而 慮過 然則後

志任

筋人於

生拂骨也

動心忍性會益其所不

乏其身行拂亂其所為所

所需

餓必

里奚舉於市故天將降大

其先天

體苦

不所空

2. Thus, when Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty. It confounds his undertakings. By all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies.

3. Men for the most part err, and are afterwards able to reform. They are distressed in mind and perplexed in their thoughts, and then they arise to vigorous reformation. When things have been evidenced in men's looks, and set forth in their words, then they understand them.

4. If a prince have not about his court families attached to the laws and worthy counsellors, and if abroad there are not hostile States or other external calamities, his kingdom will generally come

to ruin.

5. From these things we see how life springs from sorrow and calamity, and death from ease and pleasure.'

of him. 2.

when things are clearly before them, they can

舉士一士 is the officer who was in charge | difficulties 衡-used for橫徵於 ·餓其體膚, hungers his 色云云, the meaning is, that, though members and skin.’空乏其身,empties most men are not quick of apprehension, yet his person’行佛,云云,‘as to his lay hold of them. 4. The same thing is true doinge, confounds what he is doing.' 行 is of a State. 法家, (law families,' ie. old 行事 and 爲 as心所謀為 familiar and dear. 拂is used for 弼 Such 會,一used for 增: 3 The same thing holds families and officers will stimulate the prince's

taken as

families to whom the laws of the State are

true of ordinary men. They are improved by mind by their lessons and remonstrances, and

矣。誨

教

者是亦教

之教誨也

矣予不屑

教亦多術

固孟子

安樂也。

患而死於

已教也

子也死 日

CHAP. XVI. Mencius said, 'There are many arts in teaching.

I refuse, as inconsistent with my character, to teach a man, but

I am only thereby still teaching him.'

foreign danger will rouse him to carefulness 子不屑之教誨-予不屑教

and exertion.

16. How A REFUBAL TO TRACH WAY BE TEACHING.

誨之 The 者 carries us on to the next

Thein is not without its force, clause for an explanation of what has been

but we can hardly express it in a translation. said.

章句上

孟子

CHAPTER I. 1. Mencius said, 'He who has exhausted all his

mental constitution knows his nature. Knowing his nature, he

knows Heaven.

TITLE OF THIS BOOK.-Like the previous Books, affected, and he was prompted to give expresthis is named from the commencing words- sion to his thoughts. The first chapter may whole.'

盡心(The exhausting of all the mental be regarded, however, as a compendium of the

constitution.' It contains many more chapters

1. BY THE STUDY OF OURSELVES WE COME TO THE

than any of them, being, for the most part, brief KNOWLEDGE OF HEAVEN, AND HEAVER IS SERVED BY enigmatical sentences, conveying Mencius's

I.

views of human nature. It is more abstruse OUR OBEYING OUR NATURE, 盡其心 识

also, and the student will have much difficulty I conceive, to make one's self acquainted with in satisfying himself that he has really hit the all his mind, to arrest his consciousness, and exact meaning of the philosopher. The author ascertain what he is. This of course gives a

of the 四書味根錄 says: This Book man the knowledge of his nature, and as he is

was made by Mencius in his old age. Its style iu terse, and its. meaning deep, and we cannot discover an order of subjects in its chapters. He had completed the previous six Books, and this grew up under his pencil, as his mind was

the creature of Heaven, its attributes must be corresponding. It is much to be wished that instead of the term Heaven, vague and indefinite, Mencius had simply said 'God.' I can get no other meaning from this paragraph. Cha Hsi, however, and all his school say that there

順受其正

莫非命也

WOMEN O

立命也

俟之所以

་

2. To preserve one's mental constitution, and nourish one's nature, is the way to serve Heaven.

3. When neither a premature death nor long life causes a man any double-mindedness, but he waits in the cultivation of his personal character for whatever issue;-this is the way in which he establishes his Heaven-ordained being.'

CHAP. II. 1. Mencius said, 'There is an appointment for everything. A man should receive submissively what may be correctly

ascribed thereto.

man also loves life. The way of Heaven is
virtuous.
without partiality, and only approves of the
Thus the acting of the perfect man
agrees with Heaven, and hence it is said,-
this is the way by which he serves Heaven.
On the third paragraph he says:-"The perfect
man in his conduct is guided by one law.
before him have been short-lived, and some
Although he sees that some who have gone
long-lived, he never has two minds, or changes
his way.

is no work or labour in #; that it is the of the Confucian chapter in the 'Superior Learning,' according to their view of it; that all the labour is in, which is the of that chapter. If this be correct, we should translate:-'He who completely develops his mental constitution, has known (come to know) his nature,' but I cannot Let life be short as that of Yen a. The " 'preservation is the holding fast what we have from Heaven, refers either case equally to the appointment of Yüan, or long as that of the duke of Shão, he and the 'nourishing' is the acting in harmony Heaven, and cultivates and rectifies his own therewith, so that the 'serving Heaven' is just being and doing what It has intimated in our establishes the root of Heaven's appointments person to wait for that. It is in this way he

construe the words so.

constitution to be Its will concerning us. 3.).

These ex

is our nature, according to the opening words planations do not throw light upon the text,

of the Chung Yung,—but they show how that may be treated inde

is to be taken as an active verb.

to what is to be done.

pendently of the school of Chú Hsi. And the

equal unsatisfactoriness of his interpretation may well lead the student-the foreign student especially-to put forth his strength on the study of the text more than on the commen

taries.

不疑 'causes no doubts,' i. e. no doubts as - referring to-It may be well to give the views 2. MAN'S DUTY AS AFFECTED BY THE DECREES OR of Chao Ch'i on this chapter. On the first APPOintments of HeavVEN. WHAT MAY BE CORparagraph he says:-To the nature there RECTLY ABCRIBED THERETO AND WHAT NOT. Cha belong the principles of benevolence, righteous-Hsi says this is a continuation of the last ness, propriety, and knowledge. The mind is chapter, developing the meaning of the last designed to regulate them(); chapters, but is here taken more widely, paragraph. There is a connexion between the and having the distinction of being correct, a as extending not only to man's nature, but all man can put forth all his mind to think of

I.

doing good, and then he may be said to know the events that befall him. 1. E'the his nature. When he knows his nature, he correct appointment,' i. e. that which is directly knows that the way of Heaven considers what the will of Heaven. No consequence flowing is good to be excellent.' On the second para-from evil or careless conduct is to be under graph he says:-'When one is able to preserve stood as being so. Chú Hsi’s definition in

his mind, and to nourish his correct nature, he 莫之致而至者乃為正命 may be called a man of perfect virtue (that which comes without being brought on

The way of Heaven loves life, and the perfect is the correct appointment.'-Chão Ch't say#

VOL. II.

& g

國孟子曰萬物皆備於

於道,也則
也則

*得得求失孟也。命

也之在之子

求有我是

在命者求求
也。有 有則

者求求益得

也

有得舍

也。下

桎盡命

梏其者

死道不

者而立

非死乎

正者巖

二節

2. Therefore, he who has the true idea of what is Heaven's

appointment will not stand beneath a precipitous wall.

3. Death sustained in the discharge of one's duties may correctly

be ascribed to the appointment of Heaven.

4. 'Death under handcuffs and fetters cannot correctly be so ascribed.'

CHAP. III. 1. Mencius said, 'When we get by our seeking and lose by our neglecting;-in that case seeking is of use to getting, and the things sought for are those which are in ourselves.

2. When the seeking is according to the proper course, and the getting is only as appointed;-in that case the seeking is of no use to getting, and the things sought are without ourselves.'

CHAP. IV. I. Mencius said, 'All things are already complete in us.

there are three ways of speaking about the ap- be those of an evil doer. are fetters for pointments or decrees of Heaven. Doing good the hands, and those for the feet. and getting good is called 受命(receiving|

8. VIRTUE IS SURE TO BE GAINED BY SEEKING IT,

what is appointed.' Doing good and getting BUT RICHES AND OTHER EXTERNAL THINGS. NOT. evil is called 'encountering what is This general sentiment is correct, but the exact appointed.' Doing evil and getting evil is called truth is sacrificed to the point of the antithesis, when it is said in the second case that seeking

隨命, (following after what is appointed. is of no use to getting. The thinge‘in ourselves.

It is only the first of these cases that is spoken are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and of in the text. It must be borne in mind, knowledge, the endowments proper of our however, that by here Chão understands nature. The things without ourselves are | riches and dignities. The ‘proper course ' to death, and that only, and we should acquiesce seek these is that ascribed to Confucius, adin this, if there did not seem to be a con- vancing according to propriety, and retiring nexion between this chapter and the preceding. according to righteousness,' but yet they are 4. MAN IS FITTED FOR, AND HAPPY IN, DOING

2.

知命者,the who knows, or has the not at our command and control.

true notion of, &c. 'precipitous' and GOOD, AND MAY PERFECT HIMSELF THEREIN. 1. This

likely to fall. 4 The fetters are understood to paragraph is mystical. The all things are taken