Mencius differentiates heavenly moral ranks and secular official ranks. The ancients cultivated inner virtues naturally gaining status, while modern people practice morality only for office then abandon virtue, which will bring total loss in the end.
Mencius states benevolence is humanity’s innate heart and righteousness our proper path. People rush to retrieve lost livestock yet ignore their lost moral mind. True learning solely aims to reclaim this strayed original heart.
Mencius uses fish and bear paws to illustrate choosing righteousness over life. All people possess this innate moral dignity, seen in starving folks rejecting insulting food. Many lose their original conscience by accepting lavish wealth against moral principles.