When Mencius arrived in the State of Teng, he was lodged in the Shang Palace. There was an unfinished pair of straw sandals placed on a window ledge, but the innkeeper searched for them and could not find them.
Someone then asked Mencius, “Is it possible that your followers have hidden the sandals?” Mencius replied, “Do you think I established this school of learning so that people would come to steal sandals?”
The person then said, “Probably not. But you, Master, have set up lectures to teach students. You do not pursue those who leave, nor do you reject those who come. As long as they come with a heart for learning, you simply accept them (and inevitably, there may be individuals of poor character who slip in).”
Note
This passage from the Jin Xin II chapter of the Mencius vividly demonstrates Mencius’ educational breadth and personal character through a minor daily incident involving a “lost sandal.” Drawing on historical context and Confucian classics, we can understand its underlying thought through the following dimensions:
- The Inclusive Spirit of “Education Without Discrimination” and “Not Pursuing Those Who Leave, Nor Rejecting Those Who Come”
“Not pursuing those who leave, nor rejecting those who come” is one of the cores of Mencius’ educational thought. During the Warring States period, the trend of traveling to study was prevalent, and students came from complex backgrounds. Mencius advocated that education should keep its doors open; as long as someone has a heart for learning and doing good, they should be given the opportunity to be educated, without demanding a flawless past or background. This spirit of “education without discrimination” is in the same lineage as Confucius’ concept of “I have never denied instruction to anyone who came with a modest gift,” demonstrating the great inclusiveness of Confucian education. - Emphasis on “Motivation” and Tolerance for “Flaws”
Faced with the suspicion that his followers might have stolen the sandals, Mencius did not rush to defend himself or punish anyone, but responded from the perspective of the original intention of education. He believed that the fundamental purpose of education is to guide people toward goodness. Since students are accepted, one must allow for their shortcomings in the learning process, and even tolerate the presence of a few individuals of poor character. If one were to close the doors of education out of fear of individual moral flaws, it would betray the original intention of enlightening the world. This reflects the Confucian tolerant attitude that values “original intentions” and “motives.” - The Confident Dignity of a Gentleman and the Realm of “Not Being Enslaved by Material Things”
From this small incident, we can also glimpse Mencius’ open and upright character as a gentleman. Faced with baseless suspicion, he neither flew into a rage nor rushed to prove his innocence. Instead, he easily defused the awkwardness with a rhetorical question (“Do you think I established this school of learning so that people would come to steal sandals?”). This calmness stems from his absolute confidence in his educational career and reflects his lofty realm of “not being enslaved by material things” and remaining undisturbed by worldly trivialities and rumors.
孟子之滕，馆于上宫。有业屦于牖上，馆人求之弗得。
或问之曰：“若是乎从者之廋也？”曰：“子以是为窃屦来与？”
曰：“殆非也。夫子之设科也，往者不追，来者不拒。苟以是心至，斯受之而已矣。”
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