Following in the footsteps of Confucius, Mencius (Mengzi, 372–289 BCE) stands as the second great sage of Confucianism, whose teachings solidified and expanded the philosophical system laid by his predecessor. His work, Mencius, a collection of dialogues, debates, and moral arguments, is not merely a supplement to The Analects – it is a foundational…
Mencius said: “A truly noble person does not always insist on keeping every promise or carrying every action to completion – what matters is whether it aligns with righteousness.”
Mencius said: “A person must know what not to do, before they can truly accomplish anything meaningful.”
Mencius said: “Rituals that are not truly ritual, and righteousness that is not truly righteous – these are things a noble person will never do.”
Jing Chun said: “Aren’t Gongsun Yan and Zhang Yi truly great men? When they get angry, feudal lords tremble; when they stay at ease, wars across the world cease.”
Chen Zhen asked Mencius: “The other day in Qi, the king offered you one hundred yi of fine gold, and you refused it. But in Song, you accepted seventy yi, and in Xue, fifty yi. This seems contradictory: If refusing the gift in Qi was right, then accepting in Song and Xue must be…
Mencius said: “Is the arrow-maker really less humane than the armor-maker?”