Pang Meng studied archery under Yi and mastered all of Yi’s techniques. He then thought, “In the whole world, only Yi surpasses me. If I don’t eliminate him, I’ll never be supreme.” So he killed Yi.
Mencius commented:
“Yi was also at fault in this matter.”
Gongming Yi objected:
“Surely Yi was blameless?”
Mencius replied:
“How can you say he had no fault? That’s far too lenient!”
To illustrate, Mencius told another story:
The state of Zheng sent Zi Zhuo Ru Zi (Zizhuo Ruzi) to invade Wei state. Wei dispatched Yu Gong Zhi Si to pursue him. On the way, Zi Zhuo suddenly fell ill and couldn’t draw his bow. Despairing, he said,
“I’m doomed!”
He asked his charioteer,
“Who is chasing me?”
“The one pursuing you is Yu Gong Zhi Si,” came the reply.
Zi Zhuo immediately sighed with relief:
“Then I shall live!”
His charioteer was puzzled:
“Yu Gong Zhi Si is Wei’s best archer – why do you say you’ll survive?”
Zi Zhuo explained:
“Yu Gong Zhi Si learned archery from Yin Gong Zhi Ta, and Yin Gong Zhi Ta was my student. Yin Gong Zhi Ta is an upright man; surely the friends – and students – he chooses are also upright.”
Indeed, when Yu Gong Zhi Si caught up, he asked,
“Master, why aren’t you holding your bow?”
“I’ve been struck by illness and cannot draw it,” replied Zi Zhuo.
Yu Gong Zhi Si said,
“I learned archery from Yin Gong Zhi Ta, who learned from you. I cannot bear to use the art you transmitted to harm you. Yet today’s mission is from my ruler – I dare not neglect my duty.”
So he pulled out four arrows, knocked off their metal tips against the wheel, shot them into the air, and returned.
逄蒙學射於羿，盡羿之道，思天下惟羿為愈己，於是殺羿。孟子曰：「是亦羿有罪焉。」公明儀曰：「宜若無罪焉。」曰：「薄乎云爾，惡得無罪？鄭人使子濯孺子侵衛，衛使庾公之斯追之。子濯孺子曰：『今日我疾作，不可以執弓，吾死矣夫！』問其僕曰：『追我者誰也？』其僕曰：『庾公之斯也。』曰：『吾生矣。』其僕曰：『庾公之斯，衛之善射者也，夫子曰「吾生」，何謂也？』曰：『庾公之斯學射於尹公之他，尹公之他學射於我。夫尹公之他，端人也，其取友必端矣。』庾公之斯至，曰：『夫子何為不執弓？』曰：『今日我疾作，不可以執弓。』曰：『小人學射於尹公之他，尹公之他學射於夫子。我不忍以夫子之道反害夫子。雖然，今日之事，君事也，我不敢廢。』抽矢扣輪，去其金，發乘矢而後反。」
Note
This passage from Mencius: Li Lou II contrasts two teacher-student relationships to explore a profound ethical question: What is the full responsibility of a teacher?
Teaching skill without virtue
Yi, the legendary archer, imparted supreme technique but failed to cultivate Pang Meng’s character. Mencius argues that true teaching includes moral formation, not just technical training. By equipping a morally flawed person with power, Yi indirectly enabled his own destruction. As Confucius warned: “If the gentleman is not grave, he will not inspire awe; his learning will not be solid” Analects 1.8). Yi’s sin was not in dying, but in incomplete mentorship.
Virtue-guided transmission
Yin Gong Zhi Ta was “an upright man”, so his student Yu Gong Zhi Si inherited both skill and ethics. Faced with conflicting duties – to his ruler and to his moral lineage – Yu found a middle path:
- He honored his teacher’s lineage by refusing to harm Zi Zhuo;
- He fulfilled his official duty by engaging in pursuit;
- He removed arrowheads and shot harmlessly – balancing loyalty, righteousness, and ritual propriety.
This embodies the Confucian principle of “principle and discretion”: uphold core values while adapting to context.
Moral networks matter
Zi Zhuo trusted Yu Gong Zhi Si solely because his teacher was upright – a belief that virtue is discernible and transmissible through personal networks.
Confucius taught:
“Do not make friends with anyone less worthy than yourself” (Analects 1.8).
In Confucianism, mentorship builds moral communities, not just skill chains.
Redefining “Teacherhood”
In the Warring States era, many “masters” taught only practical arts (military strategy, rhetoric). Mencius insists: a true teacher is a “teacher of humanity”, not merely a “teacher of texts”. Later, Han Yu wrote in “On Teachers”:
“A teacher transmits the Dao, imparts knowledge, and resolves doubts” (with “transmitting the Dao” foremost.)
This became a classic warning in Chinese education: choose disciples as carefully as friends. For example, Zhuge Liang once advised his nephew to associate only with the virtuous.
In essence: To give someone a weapon, first straighten their heart; to pass on a tradition, honor the name of teacher.
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