Mencius criticizes fame-driven hypocrites. Such people may surrender a large kingdom for good repute, yet reveal greed and discontent over trivial food gains, showing hollow virtue fails small, unobserved tests.
The reason rivers and seas can become kings of the hundred valleysis that they excel at being lower than them—thus they can become kings of the hundred valleys. Therefore, whenever the sage wishes to lead the people,he places himself lower than them in speech;whenever he wishes to stand ahead of the people,he puts himself…