Mencius said, “The sense of shame is of immense importance to a person. Those who resort to cunning schemes and manipulative tricks have no use for a sense of shame. If a person is not ashamed of being inferior to others, how can he ever equal or surpass them?”
Note
This passage, also from the Jin Xin I chapter of the Mencius, builds upon the previous discussion of the “sense of shame” by exploring its specific application in self-cultivation and social interactions. Drawing on traditional commentaries and the historical context of the Warring States period, we can understand its underlying thought through the following dimensions:
- The Opposition Between Morality and Utilitarianism: The Incompatibility of “Cunning Schemes” and “Shame”
Mencius astutely pointed out that a sense of shame and “cunning schemes” (manipulation, calculation, and utilitarian means) are fundamentally incompatible. In the chaotic era of the Warring States, strategists stopped at nothing to achieve their goals. With only profit in their minds and no moral bottom line, they had “no use for a sense of shame.” Through this, Mencius drew a clear line between Confucian gentlemen and utilitarians: a person with true moral aspirations will inevitably feel ashamed of acting unrighteously, while those without a bottom line have long abandoned their sense of shame. - The Driving Force for Progress: The Dialectics of “If Not Ashamed of Being Inferior, How Can One Equal Others?”
Mencius transformed the “sense of shame” into a positive psychological driving force. He believed that the internal motivation for continuous self-improvement and surpassing oneself often stems from “knowing shame.” If a person sees others excelling but remains numb and unashamed, they lose the motivation to strive upward and will naturally never catch up. This philosophy of “knowing shame and then finding the courage to advance” endows the sense of shame with profound practical significance, making it an indispensable catalyst for personal growth. - A Profound Critique of the Frivolous Climate of the Warring States: Reshaping a Healthy View of Competition
In that society, many people either resorted to unscrupulous schemes to get ahead or felt no remorse and harbored jealousy when they lost in competition. Here, Mencius proposed an extremely healthy view of competition and character: a true gentleman should be ashamed of being inferior to others and use that as motivation to work hard. At the same time, in the pursuit of surpassing others, one must never resort to unprincipled conspiracy. This serves not only as a wake-up call to the scholar-officials of his time but also holds strong practical significance for how modern society faces competition and setbacks.
孟子曰：“耻之于人大矣。为机变之巧者，无所用耻焉。不耻不若人，何若人有？”
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