Mencius was about to call upon the King of Qi. The king sent a messenger saying:
“I really should visit you myself, but I’ve caught a cold and can’t be exposed to wind. Tomorrow morning I’ll hold court – would it be possible for you to come and see me there?”
Mencius replied,
“Unfortunately, I’m ill too and can’t come to court.”
The next day, however, Mencius went out to the Dongguo family to attend the funeral.
His disciple Gongsun Chou asked,
“Yesterday you declined the king due to illness; today you’re attending a funeral – doesn’t that seem inappropriate?”
Mencius answered,
“I was sick yesterday; I’m better today. Why shouldn’t I go to a funeral?”
When the king heard Mencius was ill, he sent a royal physician to check on him.
Mencius’s cousin Meng Zhongzi explained:
“Yesterday, when the king’s summons arrived, he was unwell – ‘suffering from firewood-gathering worries’ (a humble euphemism for illness) – and couldn’t attend court. Today he’s slightly recovered and has hurried toward the palace, though I’m not sure if he’ll arrive in time.”
He even sent several people to intercept Mencius on the road, telling him:
“Please don’t go home – go straight to court!”
Caught in a bind, Mencius had no choice but to spend the night at his friend Jing Chou’s house.
Jing Chou said to him:
“Within the family, there is father and son; in public life, there is ruler and minister – these are the two great human relationships. Between father and son, affection rules; between ruler and minister, respect rules. I’ve seen how respectfully the king treats you, but I haven’t seen you showing much respect to the king.”
Mencius exclaimed,
“What are you saying! In Qi, no one speaks to the king about benevolence and righteousness – not because these virtues aren’t admirable, but because they secretly think, ‘He’s not worth discussing such things with.’ That attitude is the greatest disrespect of all!
I would never dare speak before the king unless it were the Dao of Yao and Shun. Precisely for this reason, no one in Qi respects the king more than I do!”
Jing Chou replied,
“That’s not what I meant. The Book of Rites says: ‘When your father calls, don’t just say “yes” – act immediately. When the ruler summons, don’t wait to harness your carriage.’ You were already planning to go to court; after receiving the king’s command, you didn’t go. Doesn’t that contradict proper ritual?”
Mencius answered:
“Do you really think ritual is mere mechanical obedience? Zengzi once said: ‘The wealth of Jin and Chu states may surpass mine, but they rely on wealth – I rely on benevolence; they rely on rank – I rely on righteousness. What do I lack?’
Was Zengzi wrong? There’s a principle here.
In the world, there are three universally honored forms of dignity: rank, age, and virtue.
– In court, rank takes precedence;
– In local communities, age is honored;
– But in guiding the world and governing the people, virtue is supreme.
How can someone boast of one form of dignity (like rank) while despising the other two?
Therefore, any ruler who truly wishes to achieve great things must have ministers he cannot summon at will.
If he seeks counsel, he should go to them. If he doesn’t honor virtue and delight in the Dao, he isn’t worthy of great collaboration.
Consider:
– Tang of Shang first studied under Yi Yin before appointing him as minister – and thus ruled the world effortlessly;
– Duke Huan of Qi treated Guan Zhong the same way – and became hegemon without great strain.
Today, all feudal lords are evenly matched in territory and moral standing – none can surpass the others. Why?
Because they prefer ministers who obey their teachings, not those who can teach them.
Tang did not venture to summon Yi yin, nor did Duke Huan venture to summon Guan Zhong.
Even someone like Guan Zhong shouldn’t be summoned casually – how much less someone like me, who refuses even to be another Guan Zhong?”
孟子將朝王，王使人來曰：「寡人如就見者也，有寒疾，不可以風。朝將視朝，不識可使寡人得見乎？」對曰：「不幸而有疾，不能造朝。」
明日，出吊於東郭氏，公孫丑曰：「昔者辭以病，今日吊，或者不可乎！」曰：「昔者疾，今日愈，如之何不吊？」
王使人問疾，醫來。孟仲子對曰：「昔者有王命，有采薪之憂，不能造朝。今病小愈，趨造於朝，我不識能至否乎？」使數人要於路，曰：「請必無歸，而造於朝！」
不得已而之景丑氏宿焉。景子曰：「內則父子，外則君臣，人之大倫也。父子主恩，君臣主敬。丑見王之敬子也，未見所以敬王也。」
曰：「惡！是何言也！齊人無以仁義與王言者，豈以仁義為不美也？其心曰『是何足與言仁義也』云爾，則不敬莫大乎是。我非堯舜之道，不敢以陳於王前，故齊人莫如我敬王也。」
景子曰：「否，非此之謂也。禮曰：『父召，無諾；君命召，不俟駕。』固將朝也，聞王命而遂不果，宜與夫禮若不相似然。」
曰：「豈謂是與？曾子曰：『晉楚之富，不可及也。彼以其富，我以吾仁；彼以其爵，我以吾義，吾何慊乎哉？』夫豈不義而曾子言之？是或一道也。天下有達尊三：爵一，齒一，德一。朝廷莫如爵，鄉黨莫如齒，輔世長民莫如德。惡得有其一，以慢其二哉？故將大有為之君，必有所不召之臣。欲有謀焉，則就之。其尊德樂道，不如是不足與有為也。故湯之於伊尹，學焉而後臣之，故不勞而王；桓公之於管仲，學焉而後臣之，故不勞而霸。今天下地醜德齊，莫能相尚。無他，好臣其所教，而不好臣其所受教。湯之於伊尹，桓公之於管仲，則不敢召。管仲且猶不可召，而況不為管仲者乎？」
Note
This passage from Mencius: Gongsun Chou II uses Mencius’s refusal to hastily attend the king to articulate a foundational Confucian doctrine: the moral autonomy of the scholar and the conditional nature of political loyalty.
Moral Independence of the Scholar
Mencius isn’t being arrogant – he asserts that true worth lies in virtue, not office. A sage-minister serves the Dao, not the throne. This echoes Confucius’ teaching:
“Serve the ruler according to the Dao; if you can’t, withdraw” (Analects 11.24).
The “Three Universal Honors”: Redefining Legitimacy
By placing virtue above rank in matters of governance, Mencius challenges hierarchical absolutism. The scholar’s authority derives not from position but from moral insight – a radical idea in an age of rising autocracy.
Critique of Warring States Realpolitik
Rulers treated intellectuals as tools for power (e.g., strategists like Su Qin, Zhang Yi). Mencius counters: great rulers seek teachers, not servants. His historical examples – King Tang of Shang with Yi Yin, Duke Huan of Qi with Guan Zhong – show that humility before wisdom yields true greatness.
The “Master-Minister” model vs. “Servant-Minister”
Mencius champions a relationship where the ruler learns from the minister before employing him – transforming politics into a moral partnership. This ideal shaped later Chinese governance, especially in the Song dynasty’s scholar-official culture.
Following the Dao, Not the Ruler
Mencius embodies the Confucian principle that moral truth transcends political power. His boldness stems from the belief that “when speaking to great men, look down on them – don’t be awed by their grandeur” (Mencius 13B.9). True service means holding power accountable to righteousness.
This episode is thus not merely personal conduct – it is a manifesto of intellectual independence, asserting that in the Confucian order, virtue commands, and power obeys.
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