A man in the state of Song felt the shoots in his fields were not growing fast enough. So he pulled them all up, then went home quite exhausted.
”I’m tired out today,” he told his family. ”I’ve been helping the young shoots to grow.”
His son ran out to the fields to have a look, and found all their seedlings were dead.
Most people would like to help young shoots to grow; but some think all efforts useless and make no attempt, not even weeding the fields; others try to help the shoots grow by pulling them up. This, of course, is worse than useless.
Allegorical Meaning
This ancient fable from Mencius dissects the peril of artificial intervention through agricultural metaphor.
The Pathology of Imposed Speed
Attempting to accelerate nature destroys its essence.
Layered Philosophical Warnings
- Agricultural layer:
Roots severed from soil >> Life-force destroyed - Governance layer (Mencius’ true target):
Rulers imposing forced taxes/conscription >> Society “withers” - Self-cultivation layer:
Forcing moral progress >> Authentic virtue dies
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