The state of Lu intended to appoint Shenzi (named Hua Li) as a general. Mencius said, “To use the people in war without first instructing them is called leading them to ruin. Those who lead the people to ruin would not be tolerated in the era of Yao and Shun. Even if you win a single battle against Qi and thereby gain the territory of Nanyang, it would still be unacceptable.”
Shenzi was suddenly angered and displeased, saying, “This is something that I, Hua Li, cannot understand.”
Mencius said, “Then let me explain it clearly to you. The Son of Heaven’s domain is a thousand li square; if it is less than a thousand li, it is insufficient to receive and entertain the feudal lords. A feudal lord’s domain is a hundred li square; if it is less than a hundred li, it is insufficient to preserve the ancestral temple’s records and rituals. When the Duke of Zhou was enfeoffed in Lu, his domain was a hundred li square; the land was not insufficient, but he restricted it to a hundred li out of frugality. When Tai Gong was enfeoffed in Qi, his domain was also a hundred li square; the land was not insufficient, but he too restricted it to a hundred li out of frugality. Now Lu has a domain of five hundred li square. Do you think that if a True King were to arise, Lu’s territory would be among those to be reduced, or among those to be increased? Merely taking land from one state to give to another is something a benevolent person would not do; how much less would they do it by killing people to acquire it? When a gentleman serves his ruler, his sole task is to guide his ruler onto the right path and direct his will toward benevolence.”
Note
This passage from the Gaozi II chapter of the Mencius vividly demonstrates Mencius’ profound reflection on the “justness of war” and the “fundamental purpose of politics” when faced with the temptation of military expansion. Drawing on historical context and traditional commentaries, we can understand its philosophy through the following dimensions:
- “Using the People Without Instruction is Leading Them to Ruin”: The Ethical Baseline of War
During the Warring States period, states often employed unscrupulous means to expand their military and drive people to the battlefield for the sake of wealth and power. Mencius introduced a proposition here that shines with profound humanism: uneducated warfare is essentially slaughter. In Mencius’ view, the people are the foundation of the state, and the ruler has a duty to instruct them in etiquette and righteousness before deploying them for national defense. If a ruler drives untrained people to the battlefield merely for personal ambition or territorial expansion, it is fundamentally an act of cruelty against the people (leading them to ruin). - Historical Tracing and the “Anti-War” Logic: Regulating the Present Through the Past
Facing Shenzi’s incomprehension, Mencius did not engage in empty moralizing; instead, he drew upon the history of the enfeoffment of the Duke of Zhou and Tai Gong at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. He pointed out that for ancient sage kings, a hundred-li domain was sufficient to preserve ancestral temples and practice rituals. By this time, Lu had expanded to “five hundred li square,” which severely exceeded the standards of propriety and morality. Mencius used this to pose a soul-searching question to Shenzi (and the ruler of Lu): If the world were to return to the Kingly Way, should land acquired through annexation by Lu be preserved or reduced? This rhetorical question, rooted in historical legitimacy, completely dismantled the logical foundation of expansionism. - “Guiding the Ruler Onto the Right Path”: The Political Mission of the Scholar-Official
At the end of the passage, Mencius highlighted the fundamental principle of Confucian intellectuals entering public service: “guiding the ruler onto the right path.” He believed that a minister’s role in serving a ruler is not to help conquer cities or expand territory, but to correct the ruler’s mindset using benevolence and righteousness. Even if Qi were defeated and Nanyang acquired, if the means involved “killing people to acquire it,” it would violate the original intention of benevolent governance. Here, Mencius demonstrated extraordinary political resolve: true patriotism is not about helping the state win land, but about helping the state uphold its moral bottom line.
鲁欲使慎子为将军。孟子曰：“不教民而用之，谓之殃民。殃民者，不容于尧舜之世。一战胜齐，遂有南阳，然且不可。”
慎子勃然不悦曰：“此则滑厘所不识也。”
曰：“吾明告子。天子之地方千里；不千里，不足以待诸侯。诸侯之地方百里；不百里，不足以守宗庙之典籍。周公之封于鲁，为方百里也；地非不足，而俭于百里。太公之封于齐也，亦为方百里也；地非不足也，而俭于百里。今鲁方百里者五，子以为有王者作，则鲁在所损乎？在所益乎？徒取诸彼以与此，然且仁者不为，况于杀人以求之乎？君子之事君也，务引其君以当道，志于仁而已。”
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