Mencius said, “Shun was discovered among the fields; Fu Yue was selected from among the mud-wall builders; Jiao Ge was recommended from among the fish and salt merchants; Guan Yiwu was promoted from the custody of a prison warden; Sun Shu’ao was elevated from his seclusion by the sea; and Baili Xi was ransomed from the slave market.
Therefore, when Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon a person, it first tests his mind with suffering, exhausts his muscles and bones, starves his body, leaves him in utter poverty, and frustrates his every endeavor. All this is to shake his mind, toughen his nature, and supply his inherent deficiencies.
People invariably make mistakes before they can correct them; they must be troubled in mind and blocked in their deliberations before they can rise to action; their thoughts must be reflected in their countenance and uttered in their voice before they can be understood by others.
As for a state, if there are no ministers steadfast in the law or loyal counselors willing to offer remonstrance within its borders, and if there are no rival states or external threats beyond its frontiers, that state will invariably perish.
Only then do we realize the truth: life springs from sorrow and adversity, while death comes from ease and complacency.”
Note
This passage from the Gaozi II chapter of the Mencius is one of the most famous and profoundly impactful sections in the entire book. By recounting the rise of six historical figures, Mencius deduces universal laws regarding individual achievement and national survival. Drawing on historical context and traditional commentaries, we can understand its philosophy through the following dimensions:
- The Sublimation of Suffering: Adversity as the Crucible for Great Character
Shun, Fu Yue, Jiao Ge, Guan Zhong, Sun Shu’ao, and Baili Xi were all either of humble origins or had suffered severe setbacks. In Mencius’ view, suffering is not meaningless torment, but a deliberate tempering by “Heaven.” This process of “testing the mind, exhausting the body, and starving the flesh” breaks a person’s psychological comfort zone and unleashes immense inner potential (shaking the mind, toughening the nature, and supplying deficiencies). This reflects the extremely vigorous “world-engaged” spirit of Confucianism: rather than escaping reality, one should transform suffering into a stepping stone for great achievements. - Cognitive Awakening: Self-Evolution from “Making Mistakes” to “Rising to Action”
Mencius profoundly revealed the law of human cognition and growth: “People invariably make mistakes before they can correct them.” He believed that human awakening does not happen out of nowhere; it occurs only after experiencing extreme inner confusion (troubled in mind and blocked in deliberations) and receiving external feedback (reflected in countenance and uttered in voice), which leads to epiphany and action. This affirmation of “trial and error” and “reflection” demonstrates a remarkably modern psychological dimension in Mencius’ thought, emphasizing the decisive role of subjective initiative in adversity. - A Warning on Governance in Times of Peace: The Dialectics of “Life Springs from Sorrow, Death from Complacency”
Mencius perfectly applied the law of individual growth to the macro-level of statecraft. He proposed a profound political paradox: when facing internal and external crises, a state often remains vigilant, employs talented officials, and thus survives and thrives; however, once it remains in an environment of “ease and complacency” without loyal counselors or external threats, the ruling elite will lose their vigilance and head toward corruption and ruin. This assertion is not only a severe warning to the feudal lords of the Warring States period but has also become the underlying logic for the rise and fall of Chinese dynasties over the past two millennia, remaining an eternally relevant maxim to this day.
孟子曰：“舜发于畎亩之中，傅说举于版筑之间，胶鬲举于鱼盐之中，管夷吾举于士，孙叔敖举于海，百里奚举于市。故天将降大任于是人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能。人恒过，然后能改；困于心，衡于虑，而后作；征于色，发于声，而后喻。入则无法家拂士，出则无敌国外患者，国恒亡。然后知生于忧患而死于安乐也。”
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