Mencius said:
“Is the arrow-maker really less humane than the armor-maker?”
“Not at all. It’s simply that the arrow-maker fears his arrows won’t wound, while the armor-maker fears his armor won’t protect.
The same applies to the shaman (doctor) and the coffin-maker: the shaman hopes people live; the coffin-maker profits from their death.
Therefore, one must be extremely careful in choosing one’s craft or profession.
Confucius once said:
‘The fine neighborhood is where benevolence prevails. One can not be considered wise if one does not choose such a neighborhood to live in.’
Benevolence is Heaven’s most honored nobility and safest dwelling of man.
When nothing prevents one from practicing benevolence, yet one refuses – this is unwise.
A person who is inhumane, unwise, lacking in ritual propriety, and devoid of righteousness becomes a mere instrument for others – a servant.
Yet if such a person feels ashamed of being used as a tool, it’s like an archery bow-maker ashamed of making bows, or an arrow-maker ashamed of making arrows – utterly absurd.
If a man is ashamed of his doings, his best course is simply to practice benevolence!
Practicing benevolence is like archery: the archer must first assumes a correct stance and then shoots.
If he misses the target, he does not blame those who outperform him; instead, he turns inward and simply seeks the cause of failure in himself.”
孟子曰：「矢人豈不仁於函人哉？矢人唯恐不傷人，函人唯恐傷人。巫匠亦然，故術不可不慎也。孔子曰：『里仁為美。擇不處仁，焉得智？』夫仁，天之尊爵也，人之安宅也。莫之禦而不仁，是不智也。不仁、不智、無禮、無義，人役也。人役而恥為役，由弓人而恥為弓，矢人而恥為矢也。如恥之，莫如為仁。仁者如射，射者正己而後發。發而不中，不怨勝己者，反求諸己而已矣。」
Note
This passage from Mencius: Gongsun Chou I uses occupational metaphors, quotes Confucius, and employs archery as an analogy to articulate the inwardness, agency, and practical path of benevolence.
Ethics of Vocation and Moral Environment
Mencius does not condemn the arrow-maker as evil but highlights how one’s profession shapes moral orientation. The same person might act very differently depending on their role. This reflects Confucian concern for moral environment – echoing Confucius’s “Dwell among the humane” and Xunzi’s view that character is shaped by surroundings. That is just the reason why Mencius’ mother moved three times when he was a child. In the Warring States context of specialized crafts and constant warfare, Mencius urges scholars to see career choice as a moral commitment, not just livelihood.
Benevolence as the Noblest Rank and Humanity the Safest Home
Calling Benevolence “Heaven’s honored nobility” elevates it above hereditary titles; calling it “humanity’s safe dwelling” frames it as the soul’s true home. This dual imagery presents benevolence not as external duty but as intrinsic need and ultimate good, aligning with Mencius’s inward-turning ethics.
Moral Autonomy and Human Dignity
To lack benevolence, wisdom, ritual propriety, and righteousness is to be spiritually enslaved – even if physically free. Feeling shame about servitude without cultivating virtue is self-contradictory, like craftsmen despising their own honest trades. This critiques Warring States scholars who sought office under tyrants while lamenting their low status, affirming that true dignity arises from moral self-mastery.
The Confucian path of self-cultivation
Archery requires “straightening oneself before shooting,” symbolizing that self-cultivation precedes influencing others. Missing the mark calls for self-reflection, not resentment – a principle later enshrined in the Great Learning and Doctrine of the Mean. This metaphor transforms abstract ethics into embodied practice, epitomizing the Confucian ideal of introspection.
In sum, Mencius weaves together vocational ethics, environmental influence, the ontology of benevolence, and methods of self-cultivation – offering both a response to social realities and a reaffirmation of the Confucian creed:
“To practice benevolence depends entirely on oneself.”
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