Mencius said:
“Zilu was delighted whenever someone pointed out his faults. Yu the Great would bow in gratitude whenever he heard wise and virtuous words.”
“But Shun, the Great Sage, went even further – he took joy in sharing goodness with others.
He willingly set aside his own views to follow what was right in others, and gladly learned from them to cultivate virtue.
From his early days as a farmer, peasant, potter, and fisherman, all the way to becoming emperor, there was not a single virtue or piece of wisdom in Shun that he did not learn from other people.
To draw upon others’ goodness to perfect one’s own – that is precisely what it means to ‘join others in doing good’.
Therefore, for a noble person, there is no greater virtue than the Shared Virtue, joining others in doing good.”
孟子曰：「子路，人告之以有過則喜。禹聞善言則拜。大舜有大焉，善與人同。舍己從人，樂取於人以為善。自耕、稼、陶、漁以至為帝，無非取於人者。取諸人以為善，是與人為善者也。故君子莫大乎與人為善。」
Note
This passage from Mencius: Gongsun Chou I uses Zilu, Yu, and especially Shun to illustrate Confucian ideals of humility, learning, and collaborative moral cultivation – culminating in the profound concept of “joining others in doing good.”
Receiving Criticism and Wisdom with Humility
Zilu’s joy at hearing his faults reflects the courage to self-correct; Yu’s bowing to good advice shows reverence for truth. Both represent personal moral discipline – but remain reactive.
Shun’s Greatness: Learning from all walks of life
Shun, one of China’s legendary sage-kings, rose from humble origins (farmer, potter, fisherman) to become ruler through merit. Mencius stresses that Shun’s greatness lay not in innate talent but in his lifelong openness to learning from ordinary people – breaking down hierarchies between ruler and commoner.
“Joining others in doing good”: A shared moral project
Contrary to the modern misunderstanding that “Shared Virtue” simply means “being kind,” Mencius defines it as mutual moral co-creation: by absorbing others’ virtues, one not only improves oneself but also affirms and elevates others, creating a virtuous cycle. This embodies the Confucian ideal of “perfecting oneself while perfecting others.”
Shared Virtue: A moral alternative to realpolitik
In an age of cunning diplomats, such as Su Qin, Zhang Yi and power-hungry strategists, like Shang Yang, Mencius offered a vision of leadership rooted in humility, collaboration, and collective ethical growth – where true authority comes from moral resonance, not domination.
This idea deeply influenced later Confucians like Cheng Hao (“Goodness shared with others unites the will of the world”) and Wang Yangming (“benevolence as unity with all things”). Today, it resonates as an ancient call for collaborative learning, ethical solidarity, and community-based virtue.
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