Disciple He Ji grieves over widespread slander. Mencius consoles him that such gossip harms nothing, citing two Book of Songs verses: even Confucius and King Wen endured petty men’s resentment yet retained their noble reputations.
Mencius states gentlemen practice the Dao when the world is upright, and sacrifice themselves to defend it amid chaos. He firmly rejects compromising moral truth to cater to worldly interests, stressing the Dao’s supreme dignity.
Prince Dian asks scholars’ core pursuit. Mencius answers elevating aspirations, rooted in benevolence and righteousness. Never kill innocents or seize others’ goods; dwell in benevolence and walk righteously to fulfill a noble person’s mission.
Zizhang lays four core standards for a true scholar: sacrifice life amid danger, weigh gains against righteousness, hold reverence in sacrifices, and feel sincere grief at funerals. These form the minimal moral baseline for Confucian intellectuals.
In the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Qingzhou and Yanzhou areas of Shandong Province were infested with swarms of locusts. The locusts gradually moved to Yixian County. The county magistrate was very worried about the matter.
A scholar named Li Boyan, from Xishui, Shandong, was a straightforward, upright and brave man. Suddenly he collapsed with some kind of acute illness.
Strange Tales from Liaozhai: The Wine Companion (Drinking Pal) recounts the bond between impoverished scholar Che and a fox spirit, celebrating friendship, trust, and wisdom across supernatural boundaries.