King Xuan of Qi asked Mencius about the ministers. Mencius said, “What kind of ministers is Your Majesty asking about?”
The King asked, “Are there different kinds of ministers?”
Mencius replied, “There are. There are noble ministers who are royal kinsmen, and there are ministers of other surnames.”
The King said, “May I ask about the noble ministers who are royal kinsmen?”
Mencius replied, “If the ruler commits a grave fault, they should remonstrate with him. If they remonstrate repeatedly and he still does not listen, they should depose him and replace him with another.”
King Xuan’s face suddenly changed color in alarm. Mencius said, “Your Majesty should not be surprised. Your Majesty asked me, and I dare not answer you with anything but the truth.”
After the King’s expression settled, he asked about the ministers of other surnames. Mencius replied, “If the ruler commits a fault, they should remonstrate with him. If they remonstrate repeatedly and he still does not listen, they should resign and leave.”
Note
This passage from the Wan Zhang II chapter of the Mencius is one of the most shocking and politically sensitive sections in Mencius’ philosophy. Drawing on historical context and traditional commentaries, we can understand its philosophy through the following dimensions:
1. Division of Power Based on Bloodline and Morality
Mencius divides ministers into “royal kinsmen” and “ministers of other surnames” based on patriarchal blood ties. In a patriarchal society, the state was considered the private property of the ruling family. Royal kinsmen, sharing a bloodline with the state, had a vested interest in its survival. Therefore, when a ruler committed grave errors and refused to change, they had the power and responsibility to “depose and replace” him. Ministers of other surnames, unbound by blood ties, entered public service purely to promote the “Way.” When the Way could not be implemented, their choice was to “leave,” preserving their personal moral integrity.
2. The Legitimacy of “Deposing the Ruler”
“If the ruler commits a grave fault… they should depose him and replace him with another.” This is the core of the passage and the highest practical manifestation of Mencius’ “the people are the most important, the ruler is the least” ideology. In Mencius’ view, a ruler’s power is not absolutely sacred; its legitimacy comes from the ability to protect and love the people. If a ruler becomes a tyrant, subjects have the right to strip him of his power. Mencius spoke these words fearlessly before King Xuan, demonstrating the unyielding moral courage of Confucian scholars in using the “orthodoxy of the Way” to confront the “orthodoxy of political power.”
3. The Confucian Way of Advancing and Retreating
Faced with King Xuan’s sudden alarm, Mencius calmly replied, “I dare not answer you with anything but the truth,” embodying the independent personality of Confucian intellectuals who “follow the Way, not the ruler.” Meanwhile, Mencius’ stipulation that ministers of other surnames should “leave” established the Confucian political bottom line: “Serve when the world is governed by the Way; hide when it is not.” This flexible yet principled attitude not only avoided futile sacrifices but also maintained the moral integrity of scholars, leaving a spiritual sanctuary for later Chinese literati under autocratic imperial power.
齊宣王問卿。孟子曰：「王何卿之問也？」 王曰：「卿不同乎？」 曰：「不同。有貴戚之卿，有異姓之卿。」 王曰：「請問貴戚之卿。」 曰：「君有大過則諫，反覆之而不聽，則易位。」 王勃然變乎色。曰：「王勿異也。王問臣，臣不敢不以正對。」 王色定，然後請問異姓之卿。曰：「君有過則諫，反覆之而不聽，則去。」
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