Mencius said, “I like fish, and I also like bear’s paws. If I cannot have both, I will let go of the fish and choose the bear’s paws. I like life, and I also like righteousness. If I cannot have both, I will let go of life and choose righteousness.
Life is indeed something I desire, but there is something I desire more than life; therefore, I will not resort to any means to preserve it. Death is indeed something I detest, but there is something I detest more than death (namely, losing righteousness); therefore, there are calamities I will not avoid.
If what men desire were nothing greater than life, then any means to preserve life, why would they not use them? If what men detest were nothing worse than death, then any means to avoid calamity, why would they not employ them? Yet, there are means by which life could be preserved that men will not use, and means by which calamity could be avoided that men will not employ. From this, we see that there is indeed something desired more than life, and something detested more than death. This mind is not possessed solely by the worthy; all men have it. The worthy are simply able to preserve it and not lose it.
A basket of rice, a bowl of soup: get them and you live; without them, you die. Yet, if they are handed over with a shout, even a starving passerby will refuse them; if they are kicked over to someone, even a beggar will feel it is beneath them to accept.
However, when faced with a generous salary of ten thousand zhong, some accept it without discerning whether it accords with propriety and righteousness. What does this ten thousand zhong add to me? Is it for the beauty of grand mansions, the service of wives and concubines, or the gratitude of impoverished acquaintances? What they would have died to refuse in the past, they now accept for the beauty of mansions; what they would have died to refuse in the past, they now accept for the service of wives and concubines; what they would have died to refuse in the past, they now accept for the gratitude of the poor. Should such behavior not be stopped? This is called losing one’s original, innate mind.”
Note
This passage from the Gaozi I chapter of the Mencius is one of the most famous chapters in Confucian ethics, proposing the lofty moral proposition of “sacrificing life for righteousness.” Drawing on historical context and traditional commentaries, we can understand its philosophy through the following dimensions:
- The Ultimate Establishment of Value Hierarchy: “Sacrificing Life for Righteousness”
Using the vivid metaphor of “fish and bear’s paws,” Mencius introduces the value choices humans face in extreme conflicts. In Mencius’ view, while life is a basic human desire, righteousness possesses absolute value that transcends life. When survival and righteousness face an irreconcilable conflict, a true gentleman should unhesitatingly sacrifice his life to defend righteousness. This established the highest Confucian moral principle of “righteousness above life,” which became the spiritual pillar for countless virtuous individuals who bravely faced death in times of national peril throughout history. - The Universality and Loss of the “Original Mind”: “Possessed by All” and “Losing the Original Mind”
Mencius emphasizes that the moral conscience of “desiring something more than life and detesting something worse than death” is not the exclusive privilege of sages, but a universal human nature (“possessed by all”). To prove this, Mencius uses the example of “a basket of rice and a bowl of soup”: even a starving beggar facing death will refuse insulting charity (“handed over with a shout” or “kicked over”). This proves that even in the most desperate survival situations, humans retain a sense of dignity and adherence to righteousness. However, when faced with massive material temptations like “ten thousand zhong” (a huge official salary), people often abandon their principles. Mencius attributes this to “losing one’s original mind,” meaning the loss of the innate moral conscience. - The Realistic Target of Moral Critique: A Profound Exposure of the “Alienation of Material Desires”
In the latter half of the passage, Mencius launches a sharp critique of reality. He points out that for external material enjoyments and vanity—such as “grand mansions, the service of wives and concubines, and the gratitude of impoverished acquaintances”—people actually violate the principles they would have previously “died to uphold.” This profoundly reveals the corrosion and alienation of human nature by material desires. Mencius uses this to warn future generations that the greatest enemy of moral cultivation is often not the test of life and death, but the ubiquitous material temptations in daily life. Preserving the “original mind” means remaining constantly vigilant against oneself in a materialistic world, ensuring one is not enslaved by external profits.
孟子曰：“鱼，我所欲也；熊掌，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍鱼而取熊掌者也。生，亦我所欲也；义，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取义者也。生亦我所欲，所欲有甚于生者，故不为苟得也；死亦我所恶，所恶有甚于死者，故患有所不辟也。如使人之所欲莫甚于生，则凡可以得生者，何不用也？使人之所恶莫甚于死者，则凡可以辟患者，何不为也？由是则生而有不用也，由是则可以辟患而有不为也。是故所欲有甚于生者，所恶有甚于死者，非独贤者有是心也，人皆有之，贤者能勿丧耳。一箪食，一豆羹，得之则生，弗得则死。呼尔而与之，行道之人弗受；蹴尔而与之，乞人不屑也。万钟则不辨礼义而受之。万钟于我何加焉？为宫室之美、妻妾之奉、所识穷乏者得我与？乡为身死而不受，今为宫室之美为之；乡为身死而不受，今为妻妾之奉为之；乡为身死而不受，今为所识穷乏者得我而为之，是亦不可以已乎？此之谓失其本心。”
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