Cao Jiao asked, “It is said that everyone can become a Yao or a Shun (sage kings). Is this true?”
Mencius replied, “Yes.”
Cao Jiao asked again, “I have heard that King Wen was ten feet tall, and Tang was nine feet tall. Now I am nine feet and four inches tall, yet I do nothing but eat grain. How can I become a sage?”
Mencius said, “What does height have to do with it? One simply needs to put it into practice. Suppose there is a person here whose strength cannot even lift a baby chick; he would be considered a weak man. But if he now says he can lift three thousand jin, he would be considered a strong man. If he can lift the weight borne by the ancient strongman Wu Huo, then he is simply another Wu Huo. Why should people worry about not being able to do it? They simply fail to do it. Walking slowly and staying behind one’s elders is called filial respect (ti); walking fast and getting ahead of one’s elders is called a lack of filial respect. Now, is walking slowly something people cannot do? They simply choose not to do it. The Way of Yao and Shun is nothing more than filial piety and fraternal respect. If you wear the clothes of Yao, speak the words of Yao, and do the deeds of Yao, you are simply Yao. If you wear the clothes of Jie (a tyrant), speak the words of Jie, and do the deeds of Jie, you are simply Jie.”
Cao Jiao said, “Having been granted an audience with the ruler of Zou, I can borrow lodging. I wish to stay and study under your instruction.”
Mencius said, “The Way is like a main road; how could it be difficult to understand? People’s only fault is failing to seek it. Go back and seek it yourself; there are teachers everywhere.”
Note
This passage from the Gaozi II chapter of the Mencius is a classic discourse on the “possibility of becoming a sage” and the “subjectivity of moral practice.” Drawing on historical context and traditional commentaries, we can understand its philosophy through the following dimensions:
- Breaking the “Theory of Innate Sagehood”: Absolute Equality in Morality
Cao Jiao questioned whether he could become a sage based on the physical heights of ancient kings, representing the erroneous secular notion that mystifies and naturalizes sagehood. Mencius firmly denied any necessary link between physiological conditions and moral realms. In Mencius’ view, “everyone can become a Yao or a Shun” does not mean everyone can attain secular power and status, but rather that everyone is absolutely equal in their innate moral potential (the seeds of goodness). The threshold for sagehood lies not in external physical form, but in internal awakening and practice. - “Simply Put It Into Practice”: The Practical Nature of Moral Cultivation
Addressing Cao Jiao’s confusion about “doing nothing but eating grain,” Mencius gave an extremely plain answer: “Do it.” Using the highly relatable metaphors of “lifting weights” and “walking slowly behind elders,” Mencius illustrated that moral cultivation is not some lofty, mysterious magic, but is manifested in the bits and pieces of daily life and interpersonal interactions. The reason people fail to become sages is not because they “cannot,” but because they “will not.” This greatly highlights the decisive role of subjective initiative in moral cultivation. - “The Way is Like a Main Road” and “Teachers Everywhere”: The Universality and Everyday Nature of Morality
Faced with Cao Jiao’s request to stay and “study under his instruction,” Mencius politely declined, pointing out that “the Way is like a main road; how could it be difficult to understand?” Mencius believed that true moral truth is bright, upright, and universally applicable to daily life; it does not require deliberately seeking out famous masters or pursuing esoteric teachings. As long as you earnestly experience and practice filial piety and fraternal respect in your daily life, everything can be your teacher. This broke the monopoly on academic and moral knowledge, completely opening the path to sagehood to every ordinary person.
曹交问曰：“人皆可以为尧舜，有诸？”孟子曰：“然。”“交闻文王十尺，汤九尺，今交九尺四寸以长，食粟而已，如何则可？”
曰：“奚有于是？亦为之而已矣。有人于此，力不能胜一匹雏，则为无力人矣；今曰举百钧，则为有力人矣。然则举乌获之任，是亦为乌获而已矣。夫人岂以不胜为患哉？弗为耳。徐行后长者谓之弟，疾行先长者谓之不弟。夫徐行者，岂人所不能哉？所不为也。尧舜之道，孝弟而已矣。子服尧之服，诵尧之言，行尧之行，是尧而已矣；子服桀之服，诵桀之言，行桀之行，是桀而已矣。”
曰：“交得见于邹君，可以假馆，愿留而受业于门。”
曰：“夫道，若大路然，岂难知哉？人病不求耳。子归而求之，有余师。”
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