Meng Jizi asked Gongduzi, “Why do you say that ‘righteousness’ (yi) is internal?”
Gongduzi replied, “Because the act of showing respect originates from within myself, I say it is internal.”
Meng Jizi asked, “If a fellow villager is one year older than your elder brother, whom would you respect?”
Gongduzi said, “I would respect my elder brother.”
Meng Jizi asked, “Then, when pouring wine, whom would you serve first?”
Gongduzi said, “I would serve the fellow villager first.”
Meng Jizi argued, “Your respect is directed at your elder brother, but you pour wine first for the fellow villager. This proves that respect is determined by external status, not by what is within.”
Gongduzi could not answer and reported this to Mencius.
Mencius said, “You can ask him: ‘Do you respect your uncle, or do you respect your younger brother?’ He will surely say, ‘I respect my uncle.’ Then ask: ‘If your younger brother acts as the ceremonial representative of the deceased (the ‘Shi’), whom do you respect then?’ He will surely say, ‘I respect my younger brother.’ You then ask: ‘Where is your respect for your uncle now?’ He will surely answer: ‘Because of the position he occupies.’ You should then say: ‘Exactly, it is because of the position. The constant respect is for the elder brother; the temporary respect is for the fellow villager.’”
Upon hearing this, Meng Jizi said, “Respecting the uncle is respect, and respecting the younger brother is also respect. Thus, it is indeed determined by external factors, not by what is within.”
Gongduzi countered, “In winter, we drink hot soup; in summer, we drink cold water. Does this mean that eating and drinking are also determined by external factors?”
Note
This passage from the Gaozi I chapter of the Mencius presents a brilliant logical debate between the Mencian school and external scholars regarding whether “righteousness” is internal or external. Drawing on historical context and traditional commentaries, we can understand its philosophy through the following dimensions:
- The Core of “Internal Righteousness”: The Inner Moral Agency
Gongduzi begins by stating that the act of showing respect originates from within. In the Confucian view, while “righteousness” manifests as external etiquette, its root lies in the inner moral consciousness of the individual. Regardless of how the external object changes, the driving force and emotional source of “respect” always come from one’s own heart. This establishes the subjectivity of moral behavior. - The Dialectics of “Principle” and “Expediency”: Constant Respect vs. Situational Respect
Meng Jizi uses the contradiction between “respecting the elder brother” and “pouring wine for the villager first” to attack the concept of internal righteousness, employing a mechanical logic that only focuses on superficial behavior. Mencius cleverly introduces the concept of the “Shi” (a living person acting as the ceremonial representative of the deceased in ancestral worship) as an analogy: respecting the uncle normally is the “constant principle” (jing), while respecting the younger brother when he acts as the Shi is “expediency” (quan). Mencius uses this to explain that changes in external etiquette are due to shifts in specific contexts and roles, which precisely proves that the inner heart is making the most appropriate judgment based on the principle of “righteousness.” Changes in external form do not negate internal righteousness; rather, they prove the flexibility of inner moral judgment. - Refuting “External Determinism”: The Ultimate Counter with “Hot Soup in Winter, Cold Water in Summer”
Faced with Meng Jizi’s stubborn insistence that righteousness is external, Gongduzi delivers a brilliant counter-argument using the metaphor of drinking hot soup in winter and cold water in summer. Although the choice between hot and cold is influenced by the external season, the fundamental need to quench thirst and the instinct to choose a comfortable temperature are absolutely internal. Similarly, while external etiquette may adjust according to the object and situation, the fundamental driving force and moral judgment to “act righteously” must be deeply rooted within the human heart. This rebuttal completely dismantles the logical foundation of the “external righteousness” theory.
孟季子问公都子曰：“何以谓义内也？”
曰：“行吾敬，故谓之内也。”
“乡人长于伯兄一岁，则谁敬？”曰：“敬兄。”
“酌则谁先？”曰：“先酌乡人。”
“所敬在此，所长在彼，果在外，非由内也。”公都子不能答，以告孟子。
孟子曰：“敬叔父乎？敬弟乎？彼将曰‘敬叔父’。曰：‘弟为尸，则谁敬？’彼将曰‘敬弟。’子曰：‘恶在其敬叔父也？’彼将曰：‘在位故也。’子亦曰：‘在位故也。庸敬在兄，斯须之敬在乡人。’”季子闻之曰：“敬叔父则敬，敬弟则敬，果在外，非由内也。”公都子曰：“冬日则饮汤，夏日则饮水，然则饮食亦在外也？”
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