Mencius said, “In ancient times, border checkpoints were established to defend against bandits and violence; today, checkpoints are established to inflict violence upon the people.”
Note
This passage from the Jin Xin II chapter of the Mencius is a severe critique of the rulers of the Warring States period for abusing public power and competing for profits with the people. Drawing on historical context and Confucian classics, we can understand its underlying thought through the following dimensions:
- The Alienation of Institutional Purpose vs. Reality: The Stark Contrast Between “Defending Against Violence” and “Inflicting Violence”
Mencius astutely pointed out the distortion of state institutions in practice. In ancient times (before and during the Western Zhou Dynasty), the fundamental purpose of establishing checkpoints was national security: to defend against bandits and foreign enemies, thereby protecting the lives and property of the people (“defending against violence”). However, during the Warring States period, the nature of checkpoints underwent a complete alienation, becoming tools for rulers to amass wealth. Officials extorted and overtaxed passing merchants and commoners at these checkpoints. Institutions originally meant to protect the people became the very source of “tyranny” that harmed them (“inflicting violence”). - Profound Critique of “Competing for Profits with the People”
During the Warring States period, in order to maintain massive military expenditures, feudal lords set up checkpoints to levy heavy taxes. Mencius consistently advocated for “light taxes” and the principle of “inspecting at checkpoints and markets without levying taxes” (checking for fraud without collecting duties). He hit the nail on the head here, pointing out that when public power no longer takes protecting the people as its duty, but instead treats them as objects to be squeezed for wealth, such rule loses its legitimacy. Mencius’ critique directly targeted the greedy essence of the rulers of his time, who cared only for profit and ignored the suffering of the people. - The Unyielding Adherence to the Confucian “People-Oriented” Bottom Line
This passage profoundly embodies Mencius’ political ethics of “the people being the most important element.” In Mencius’ view, the sole legitimacy of any state institution or system lies in “benefiting” and “protecting” the people. If public power degenerates into a tool for oppression and exploitation, it fundamentally betrays “benevolent governance.” By using the past to satirize the present, Mencius was not only condemning the tyrannical policies of his time but also establishing an inviolable political bottom line for posterity: the existence of power is meant to defend against violence, not to create it.
孟子曰：“古之为关也，将以御暴。今之为关也，将以为暴。”
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