Mencius – Chapter 13.31

Gongsun Chou asked, “Yi Yin once said, ‘I will not be familiar with those who do not follow the Way.’ He exiled Tai Jia to Tong, and the people were greatly pleased. Later, when Tai Jia became virtuous, Yi Yin welcomed him back, and the people were again greatly pleased. When a worthy person serves as a minister, if their monarch is unworthy, is it indeed permissible to exile them?”

Mencius replied, “If one possesses the ambition and pure motives of Yi Yin, then it is permissible; if one does not possess the ambition of Yi Yin, then it is usurpation.”

Note

This passage from the Jin Xin I chapter of the Mencius is a profound discussion on “the way of a minister,” “political expedience,” and “political motivation.” Drawing on historical context and Confucian classics, we can understand its underlying thought through the following dimensions:

• The Tension of Historical Precedent: The Political Legitimacy of “Exiling Tai Jia to Tong”
  The historical event Gongsun Chou mentioned was a major political crisis in the early Shang Dynasty. Yi Yin, as the regent minister, took the extreme measure of “exiling” the dissolute Tai Jia. However, this action, which violated conventional monarch-minister ethics, received widespread support and resulted in the “people being greatly pleased.” Gongsun Chou’s confusion lies in the fact that under the Confucian tradition of respecting the monarch, how could such an act of treason – exiling the monarch – be considered righteous? This touches upon the conflict between “people as the foundation” and “monarchical power” in Confucian political philosophy.
• The Absolute Determinism of Motivation: “Permissible If One Possesses the Ambition of Yi Yin”
  Mencius’ reply is a famous quote through the ages, providing an extremely stringent criterion for judgment – the “ambition” or “motive.” In Mencius’ view, the legitimacy of an action does not depend on the action itself (exiling the monarch), but entirely on the motivation behind it. The reason Yi Yin could exile Tai Jia was that he harbored not a trace of selfish desires or lust for power; his actions were driven entirely by a public spirit for the people of the world and the state (“absolute selflessness”). This pure motivation endowed him with the political legitimacy to exercise “extraordinary measures” under extreme circumstances.
• The Bottom Line Against Political Overreach: “If One Lacks the Ambition of Yi Yin, It Is Usurpation”
  Mencius immediately follows with a warning against the opposite: without the selfless motivation of Yi Yin, the exact same action constitutes outright “usurpation.” During the Warring States period, incidents of ministers killing monarchs and subordinates overpowering superiors were frequent. Many ambitious politicians often used pretexts like “clearing the court of treacherous officials” or “the monarch’s unworthiness” to serve their own private interests. Mencius used this to draw an insurmountable political red line: a minister must never use “the monarch’s unworthiness” as an excuse to seize power. This thought not only reflects the Confucian insistence on “benevolent governance” but also demonstrates a profound vigilance against the abuse of political power.

公孙丑曰：“伊尹曰：‘予不狎于不顺。’放太甲于桐，民大悦。太甲贤。又反之，民大悦。贤者之为人臣也，其君不贤，则固可放与？”

孟子曰：“有伊尹之志，则可；无伊尹之志，则篡也。”