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Mencius said: “Ran Qiu served as steward to the powerful Ji family in Lu.Not only did he fail to help them improve their virtue, but he actually doubled their grain taxes.”
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Mencius said: “When the world is governed by the Dao, those of lesser virtue serve those of greater virtue, and the less worthy among the virtuous serve the more worthy.But when the world is without the Dao, the small are enslaved by the great, and the weak are dominated by the strong.”
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Mencius said: “The Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties gained the empire through benevolence, and they lost it when benevolence was abandoned.The rise, fall, survival, or collapse of any state follows the same principle.”
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Mencius said: “Even with Li Lou’s sharp eyes and Gongshu Ban’s (Lu Ban’s) superb craftsmanship, without compass and square, one cannot draw perfect circles or squares. Even with Shi Kuang’s acute hearing, without the six pitch standards, one cannot tune the five notes correctly.”
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Wan Zhang asked Mencius: “Song is a small state. If it now implements kingly governance (benevolent governance), and Qi and Chu resent it and attack – what should it do?”