Mencius depicts Sage Shun’s balanced mind. He felt fully at peace enduring plain food in poverty, yet stayed unperturbed amid royal splendor after ascending the throne, undisturbed by either humble or glorious external fortunes.
Mencius names three supreme joys for gentlemen, excluding worldly kingship: intact family, a clear conscience with no shame before heaven and men, and nurturing talented pupils to carry forward moral truths.
Zai Wo suggests cutting parental mourning to one year over ritual decay worries. Confucius argues three years repay parents’ early care, criticizing Zai Wo’s lack of heartfelt filial benevolence, holding true rituals spring from sincere inner grief rather than superficial forms.
The Master said, “The noble person is calm and composed but not arrogant; the petty person is arrogant but not calm.”
Sima Niu asked about the noble person (junzi). The Master said, “The noble person has no anxiety and no fear.”He asked further, “Is being free from anxiety and fear alone enough to be called a noble person?”The Master replied, “When one examines oneself inwardly and finds no guilt, what is there to worry or…
Confucius said, “The wise are not perplexed; the humane are not anxious; the courageous are not afraid.”