Ziyou admits Zizhang boasts rare admirable merits yet judges he has not attained full benevolence. It reveals Confucianism sets an extremely high bar for benevolence, a perfect inner moral state far beyond merely outstanding external conduct.
In ancient China, during the turbulent Warring States period (5th–3rd century BCE), a young boy named Meng Ke – later known to history as Mencius, the great Confucian philosopher – grew up under the devoted care of his widowed mother, Lady Zhang. With no father and little money, their life was humble. But what…