Mencius condemns King Hui of Liang as cruel. Benevolent rulers spread love outward, yet this king sacrificed common folk for land wars, then forced his beloved kin to die in battles, letting cruelty toward strangers ruin his own loved ones.
Basic Information Chinese Idiom: 缘木求鱼Pinyin: yuán mù qiú yúLiteral Meaning: Climb a tree to catch fish.Figurative Meaning: Try to achieve a goal by using wrong methods or taking the wrong direction, which is doomed to fail. Cultural Background This idiom comes from Mencius, one of the core classics of Confucianism. It adopts a vivid…
Zhuangzi (c. 369–286 BCE) was a major philosopher of the Warring States period. His given name was Zhou, and he was a native of Meng in the state of Song—traditionally identified either as northeast of modern Shangqiu, Henan, or near Dingyuan, Anhui.
King Hui of Liang said to Mencius, “In the world there was not a stronger state than mine, as you, venerable sir, know, but during my reign, we have been defeated by the State of Qi on the east with my eldest son’s life sacrificed there; on the west we have lost seven hundred…
King Hui of Liang said, “When it comes to governing my state, I have done my utmost. If there is famine in Henei (north of the Yellow River), I move the people there to Hedong (the territory east of the Yellow River) and convey grain from Hedong to Henei. When famine strikes Hedong, I…
Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang, who stood by a pond, gazing at the swans, geese, elks and deer, and said, “Do virtuous men also take delight in such scenes?”
Mencius went to see King Hui of Liang, who said, “Venerable sir, you have traveled a thousand miles to see me – surely you must have some way to benefit my state?”