Duke Wen of Teng asked Mencius how to govern a state.
Mencius replied:
“The people’s livelihood must never be delayed!
The Book of Songs (The Book of Poetry) says:
‘By day you gather reeds;
by night you twist them into ropes.
Hurry to repair your roof,
so you can sow the crops as the spring comes.’The people’s nature is this: those with secure property (constant property) have steady hearts (constant hearts); those without secure property lack steady hearts.
Without steady hearts, they fall into recklessness, crime, and excess – there is nothing they won’t do.
Only then are they punished. But this is setting a trap for the people! How can a benevolent ruler in power possibly entrap his own people?
Thus, a wise ruler is always respectful, frugal, courteous to subordinates, and imposes taxes on the people within limits.
As Yang Hu said:
‘To seek wealth is to abandon benevolence; to practice benevolence is to forego great wealth.’
Regarding land taxation:
The Xia dynasty granted 50 mu per household and used the “tribute”(gong) system;
the Shang gave 70 mu and used the “assistance” (zhu) system;
the Zhou gave 100 mu and used the “thorough” (che) system.
In essence, all levied about one-tenth.
“Thorough” means unified collection; “assistance” means shared labor.
Longzi said:
‘Of all land systems, “assistance” is best; “tribute” is worst.
Under “tribute,” officials fix a tax based on average yields over several years.
In bumper years, when grain overflows, they take less – even though they could take more without cruelty.
In famine years, when fields yield barely enough to fertilize, they still demand the full amount.
How can rulers who call themselves “parents of the people” force them to toil all year, yet leave them unable to feed their parents – forcing them into debt, so that elders and children starve in ditches?
Where is the parental care in that?’
Teng already practices hereditary stipends.
The Book of Songs says:
‘May rain fall first on our public fields, then reach our private plots.’
Only the “assistance” system has public fields – thus, even the Zhou system embodied the spirit of “assistance.”
Moreover, establish schools to educate the people. ‘Xiang’, ‘xu’, ‘xue’, ‘xiao’ were set up for education.
“Xiang” nurtures virtue; “Xiao” teaches; “Xu” trains in archery rites.
The Xia called the local school “Xiao,” the Shang “Xu,” the Zhou “Xiang”; but “Xue” (learning) was common to all three dynasties, all aimed at clarifying human relationships: ruler-subject, father-son, husband-wife, elder-younger, friend-friend.
When these are clear among leaders, the common people below will naturally love one another.
When a true King arises in the future, he will surely come to learn from you – making you teachers of future kings!
The Book of Songs says:
‘Though Zhou is an ancient state, its Mandate is ever renewed.’
This refers to King Wen. If you earnestly implement these policies, you too can renew your state.”
Duke Wen then sent his minister Bi Zhan to ask about the specifics of the well-field system.
Mencius said:
“Your ruler intends to practice benevolent governance and has specially chosen you – do your utmost!
Benevolent governance must begin with properly demarcating field boundaries. If boundaries are unclear, well-fields become unequal, and grain stipends unfair. Thus, tyrants and corrupt officials always neglect boundary surveys. Once boundaries are fixed, land distribution and salaries can be settled effortlessly.
Though Teng is small, distinguish between “gentlemen” (officials/scholars) and “rustics” (farmers). Without gentlemen, rustics cannot be governed; without rustics, gentlemen cannot be sustained.
I propose:
In rural areas, people should be made to pay one in nine according to the method of ‘zhu’;
In the cities, people should be made to pay one in ten according to the method of ‘gong’.
Officials below the rank of minister receive 50 mu of “gui fields” (for ancestral sacrifices);
Each additional adult male gets 25 mu;
Upon death or relocation, no one leaves the village; villagers share the same well-field.Mutual companionship in daily life, mutual aid in crisis, and mutual support in illness – this is how people live in harmony.
Specifically: one square li forms a “well,” totaling 900 mu. The center 100 mu is public land; the surrounding eight households each get 100 mu private land.
Only after finishing the public field may they tend their private plots – this defines the identity of “rustics.”
This is the general outline. The fine-tuning depends on you and your king.”
滕文公問為國。孟子曰：「民事不可緩也。《詩》云：『晝爾于茅，宵爾索綯；亟其乘屋，其始播百穀。』民之為道也，有恆產者有恆心，無恆產者無恆心。苟無恆心，放辟邪侈，無不為已。及陷乎罪，然後從而刑之，是罔民也。焉有仁人在位，罔民而可為也？是故賢君必恭儉禮下，取於民有制。陽虎曰：『為富不仁矣，為仁不富矣。』
「夏后氏五十而貢，殷人七十而助，周人百畝而徹，其實皆什一也。徹者，徹也；助者，藉也。龍子曰：『治地莫善於助，莫不善於貢。貢者校數歲之中以為常。樂歲，粒米狼戾，多取之而不為虐，則寡取之；凶年，糞其田而不足，則必取盈焉。為民父母，使民盻盻然，將終歲勤動，不得以養其父母，又稱貸而益之。使老稚轉乎溝壑，惡在其為民父母也？』夫世祿，滕固行之矣。《詩》云：『雨我公田，遂及我私。』惟助為有公田。由此觀之，雖周亦助也。
「設為庠序學校以教之：庠者，養也；校者，教也；序者，射也。夏曰校，殷曰序，周曰庠，學則三代共之，皆所以明人倫也。人倫明於上，小民親於下。有王者起，必來取法，是為王者師也。《詩》云『周雖舊邦，其命惟新』，文王之謂也。子力行之，亦以新子之國。」
使畢戰問井地。孟子曰：「子之君將行仁政，選擇而使子，子必勉之！夫仁政，必自經界始。經界不正，井地不鈞，穀祿不平。是故暴君汙吏必慢其經界。經界既正，分田制祿可坐而定也。夫滕壤地褊小，將為君子焉，將為野人焉。無君子莫治野人，無野人莫養君子。請野九一而助，國中什一使自賦。卿以下必有圭田，圭田五十畝。餘夫二十五畝。死徙無出鄉，鄉田同井。出入相友，守望相助，疾病相扶持，則百姓親睦。方里而井，井九百畝，其中為公田。八家皆私百畝，同養公田。公事畢，然後敢治私事，所以別野人也。此其大略也。若夫潤澤之，則在君與子矣。」
Note
This passage from Mencius: Teng Wen Gong I presents the most comprehensive blueprint of Mencian benevolent governance, integrating economics, politics, and education around the core principle: people-centered rule grounded in moral institutions.
“Secure property, Steady hearts”: The material basis of morality
Mencius argues that ethical behavior presupposes economic security. Without “constant property”, people inevitably turn to crime – not out of wickedness, but desperation. Punishing them then is not justice but cruelty.
Tax Reform: Fairness through shared risk
He champions the “assistance” (zhu) system over fixed “tribute” because it adjusts to harvest fluctuations, embodying Confucian distributive justice. His claim that even the Zhou “thorough” (che) system reflected “zhu” shows strategic use of tradition to justify reform.
Prioritizing righteousness over profit
“Those who seek to be rich can not be benevolent; those who seek to be benevolent can not be rich.”
Those who wholeheartedly pursue wealth accumulation and seek gains by any means are often prone to violate benevolence; whereas those who truly practice benevolence will not deliberately strive for wealth accumulation. Mencius’ assertion, in essence, stands firmly from the people-centered standpoint, criticizing the ruling class for their greed and exploitation of the people rather than opposing ordinary people’s legitimate pursuit of prosperity.
The Well-Field System: A moral community model
More than agrarian policy, the well-field design fosters mutual aid (“watch over each other, care for the sick”) and collective responsibility (“public before private”). Though idealized, it inspired later Chinese welfare institutions like community granaries.
Education as nation-building
Schools are not for literacy alone but for teaching the Five Cardinal Relationships. Social harmony flows from top-down moral clarity and bottom-up ethical cultivation – a vision of governance as cultural leadership.
Legitimizing reform through tradition
Quoting “Though Zhou is old, its Mandate is new,” Mencius reframes innovation as fidelity to the true spirit of antiquity. Small states like Teng can thus lead morally, even if militarily weak.
Historical Impact: Confucianism in practice
Duke Wen of Teng implemented many of these ideas – light taxes, ritual education, land equity – making Teng a rare Warring States exemplar of humane rule. This proved Confucianism was not utopian but politically actionable.
Altogether, this passage is the most detailed policy manual in early Confucianism, blending idealism with institutional realism.
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