Mencius – Chapter 11.13

Mencius said, “Even if a paulownia or catalpa tree is only a grip or two in circumference, if people want it to grow, they all know how to nurture it. Yet, when it comes to their own bodies (lives and minds), they do not know how to nurture them. Do they love their own bodies less than they love paulownia or catalpa trees? How utterly thoughtless they are!”

Note

This passage, also from the Gaozi I chapter of the Mencius, is another profound sigh from Mencius regarding people’s neglect of inner cultivation, following his discussion on the “greater part (the mind)” and the “lesser part (the senses).” Drawing on historical context and traditional commentaries, we can understand its philosophy through the following dimensions:

• The Metaphor of “Paulownia and Catalpa Trees”: A Profound Satire Contrasting Objects and Humans
  Mencius cleverly uses common trees in daily life (paulownia and catalpa, which are excellent woods for making instruments and utensils in ancient times) as a point of reference. People know how to follow the nature of plants by watering, fertilizing, and hilling the soil to make them thrive; yet, they often let their own most precious lives and moral original minds go to waste. Through this stark contrast, Mencius sharply satirizes the absurdity of people valuing objects over their own true selves.
• The True Meaning of “Nurturing the Body”: From Physical Preservation to Spiritual Cultivation
  In Mencius’s context, “nurturing the body” absolutely does not merely mean satisfying the desires of the belly or maintaining physiological survival; rather, it refers to the cultivation and expansion of the “greater part” (the original mind of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom). People often only know how to nurture the “lesser part” (satisfying sensory desires) but do not know how to nurture the “greater part” (elevating their moral realm). Mencius points out that true “nurturing” is like cultivating fine trees: using the rain and dew of morality to moisten the seeds of goodness within, allowing them to grow into towering trees.
• “How Utterly Thoughtless”: Awakening the Moral Subject’s Self-Awareness
  Mencius concludes with “How utterly thoughtless they are!” This is not merely a rebuke, but an awakening. He believes that the reason people do not know how to “nurture themselves” is not due to low intelligence or unfavorable objective conditions, but purely due to subjective “thoughtlessness” and numbness. Through this, Mencius calls upon people to re-examine the value of life, shift their focus from external material things back to the cultivation of their inner nature, and establish a sense of subjective responsibility for self-improvement.

孟子曰：“拱把之桐梓，人苟欲生之，皆知所以养之者。至于身，而不知所以养之者，岂爱身不若桐梓哉？弗思甚也。”