Mencius said, “Everyone has things they cannot bear to do. If one can extend this feeling of not bearing to do them to the things they currently bear to do, that is benevolence (Ren). Everyone has things they refuse to do. If one can extend this refusal to the things they currently do, that is righteousness (Yi). If a person can expand their heart that does not wish to harm others, their benevolence will be inexhaustible. If a person can expand their heart that refuses to dig holes or climb over walls (to steal), their righteousness will be inexhaustible. If a person can expand the reality of not wanting to be demeaned (addressed familiarly as ‘Er’ or ‘Ru’), they will act righteously wherever they go.
If a scholar speaks when it is inappropriate to speak, they are using words to entice and fish for favor. If they remain silent when it is appropriate to speak, they are using silence to entice and fish for favor. Both of these behaviors belong to the same category as digging holes and climbing over walls.”
Note
This passage from the Jin Xin II chapter of the Mencius is a profound discourse on how “benevolence and righteousness” can be deduced from human nature, and how to maintain one’s principles in complex social interactions. Drawing on historical context and Confucian classics, we can understand its underlying thought through the following dimensions:
- The Psychological Foundation of Benevolence and Righteousness, and “Extending Oneself to Others”
Mencius believed that benevolence and righteousness are not lofty dogmas, but are rooted in the genuine emotions within everyone’s heart. “Not bearing to do” and “refusing to do” are the bottom lines of conscience that everyone possesses. Mencius’ moral cultivation lies in “extending” (promoting and expanding), which means projecting and expanding the empathy and refusal felt towards close ones or minor matters onto broader interpersonal relationships and more complex situations. This is in the same lineage as the Confucian concept of “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire” (the Way of Reciprocity), serving as the psychological cornerstone of the Confucian moral system. - The Absoluteness of the Moral Bottom Line and the Effort of “Expanding”
“Digging holes and climbing over walls” refers to stealing and other unrighteous acts. Mencius pointed out that even a thief has a bottom line of what they “refuse to do.” As long as a person can “expand” this original intention of not harming others and not stealing, benevolence and righteousness will flow endlessly. This emphasizes the internal driving force of moral cultivation: striving for goodness does not require seeking externally, but only requires discovering and amplifying the innate seeds of goodness within oneself. - A Severe Critique of “Village Worthies” and “Interpersonal Probing”
This is the most practically critical part of the chapter. “Tian” means to lick, entice, or probe. Mencius astutely pointed out that in interpersonal and political interactions, those who “speak when they shouldn’t” or “remain silent when they should” in order to pander to others or seek personal gain are essentially no different from “digging holes and climbing over walls” (stealing). The difference is that they are stealing “sincerity” and “righteousness” rather than material wealth. This reflects Mencius’ deep abhorrence for hypocrisy and affectation (what later generations called “village worthies”), emphasizing that a gentleman must be open and upright in words and deeds, and must never play with rhetoric for personal gain.
孟子曰：“人皆有所不忍，达之于其所忍，仁也；人皆有所不为，达之于其所为，义也。人能充无欲害人之心，而仁不可胜用也；人能充无穿逾之心，而义不可胜用也。人能充无受尔汝之实，无所往而不为义也。士未可以言而言，是以言餂之也；可以言而不言，是以不言餂之也，是皆穿逾之类也。”
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