Mencius said, “The reason why a person possesses virtue, wisdom, skills, and insight is often because they have constantly endured calamities and hardships. Only the alienated ministers and the sons by concubines keep their minds in a state of vigilance and harbor a deep sense of crisis; they ponder over potential disasters with great foresight. It is precisely because of this that they achieve true understanding and mastery.”
Note
This passage from the Jin Xin I chapter of the Mencius is an eternal maxim regarding “adversity and success.” Drawing on traditional commentaries and the historical context of the Warring States period, we can understand its underlying thought through the following dimensions:
- The Value of Suffering: “Calamities” as the Touchstone for Tempering the Mind
“Chen ji” (疢疾) originally means illness, but here it is extended to mean calamities and hardships. Mencius breaks the blind pursuit of comfort here, pointing out that life’s most precious treasures – “virtue, wisdom, skills, and insight” – are often not acquired in ease, but are forced out of us by suffering. In times of trouble, a person is compelled to face the cruelty of reality, thereby unlocking their inner potential and completing a metamorphosis of the mind. This perfectly echoes another famous saying by Mencius: “Life springs from sorrow and calamity; death comes from joy and contentment.” - The Awakening of the Marginalized: The Survival Philosophy of “Alienated Ministers and Sons by Concubines”
Mencius uses an extremely precise historical and sociological example: the “alienated minister and son by concubine.” In ancient society with its strict hierarchy, these individuals were on the fringes of power and could be abandoned or framed at any moment. Therefore, they “keep their minds in a state of vigilance and harbor a deep sense of crisis,” constantly maintaining a sense of walking on thin ice and exercising far-sighted vigilance. This extreme survival pressure forces them to perceive the dark complexities of human nature and the laws of worldly affairs, ultimately allowing them to “achieve true understanding and mastery” (seeing through to the essence of things). - The Sublimation of Suffering: From “Psychological Crisis” to “Spiritual Enlightenment”
The profundity of Mencius’ passage lies in the fact that he does not dwell on “complaining about suffering,” but rather points out the mechanism of its sublimation. Ordinary people encountering “calamities” might wallow in self-pity and collapse; however, resilient individuals will transform this “vigilance” and “foresight” into profound insight. This “mastery” (da) is not merely worldly success, but a spiritual clarity and open-mindedness. Mencius uses this to tell the world: do not fear being in adversity or on the margins. The experiences that cause you pain and anxiety are precisely the necessary path to acquiring great wisdom and achieving true maturity.
孟子曰：“人之有德慧术知者，恒存乎疢疾。独孤臣孽子，其操心也危，其虑患也深，故达。”
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