Mencius said, “From Yao and Shun to Tang, there were over five hundred years. People like Yu and Gao Yao saw and knew the Way firsthand; people like Tang knew it through hearsay. From Tang to King Wen, there were over five hundred years. People like Yi Yin and Lai Zhu saw and knew the Way firsthand; people like King Wen knew it through hearsay. From King Wen to Confucius, there were over five hundred years. People like Tai Gong Wang and San Yisheng saw and knew the Way firsthand; people like Confucius knew it through hearsay. From Confucius to the present time, there have been only a little over a hundred years. The distance from the era of the sages is not so great, and the proximity to the sages’ homeland is so close. Yet, if there is no one to inherit the Way, then indeed there will be no one to inherit it.”
Note
This passage from the Jin Xin II chapter of the Mencius serves as the concluding statement of the entire book. It is Mencius’ systematic summary of the Confucian “Orthodox Lineage” (Daotong) and his profound inquiry into his own historical mission in his twilight years. Drawing on historical context and Confucian classics, we can understand its underlying thought through the following dimensions:
- Outlining the Lineage of the Confucian Orthodox Transmission: “Knowing by Seeing” and “Knowing by Hearsay”
Mencius introduced the highly significant concept of the Confucian “Orthodox Lineage” (Daotong) in Chinese intellectual history. He pointed out that the Great Way of the sages (the Way of Yao, Shun, Yu, Tang, Wen, and Wu) was transmitted through the river of history in two ways: “knowing by seeing” (firsthand transmission through personal experience) and “knowing by hearsay” (transmission across time and space through listening and comprehension). Although Confucius was born in a chaotic era and did not personally see King Wen, he perfectly inherited the Way of the sages through “hearsay.” By doing so, Mencius established the legitimacy and continuity of the Confucian lineage, laying the foundation for Han Yu’s later formulation of the orthodox transmission theory in the Tang Dynasty. - The Historical Cycle of “Every Five Hundred Years, a True King Shall Arise”
Mencius repeatedly emphasized the timeframe of “over five hundred years,” which echoes his consistent historical view (e.g., “Every five hundred years, a true king shall arise, and in between there must be illustrious men”). He believed that the emergence of sages and the renaissance of culture follow a historical cycle. From Yao and Shun to Tang, from Tang to King Wen, and from King Wen to Confucius, all experienced a precipitation and transition of over five hundred years. This historical view is not only a summary of objective laws but also implies his anticipation of an impending great transformation in his own era. - A Strong Sense of Cultural Mission and the Solitude of “If There Is No One, Then There Is No One”: “However, if there is no one…”
This is the most soul-stirring sentence in the passage. A little over a century after Confucius, Mencius lived in the chaotic Warring States period. He lamented that the distance from the sages’ era and their homeland was so close; logically, sages or great sages should have emerged to inherit the orthodox lineage. Yet, looking around, he could not find such a person (“if there is no one to inherit the Way”). This seemingly helpless sigh was actually a historical cry issued by Mencius in extreme solitude. He was practically hinting: since Heaven does not bring forth anyone else, the historical responsibility of inheriting Confucius’ will and continuing the Confucian orthodox lineage can only fall upon my shoulders. This demonstrates Mencius’ great sense of duty as a founding master who “takes on benevolence as his own responsibility.”
孟子曰：“由尧舜至于汤，五百有余岁，若禹、皋陶，则见而知之；若汤，则闻而知之。由汤至于文王，五百有余岁，若伊尹、莱朱则见而知之；若文王，则闻而知之。由文王至于孔子，五百有余岁，若太公望、散宜生，则见而知之；若孔子，则闻而知之。由孔子而来至于今，百有余岁，去圣人之世，若此其未远也；近圣人之居，若此其甚也，然而无有乎尔，则亦无有乎尔。”
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