| | 公孫丑下: |
孟子將朝王，王使人來曰：「寡人如就見者也，有寒疾，不可以風。朝將視朝，不識可使寡人得見乎？」對曰：「不幸而有疾，不能造朝。」 |
| Gong Sun Chou II: |
As Mencius was about to go to court to see the king, the king sent a person to him with this message: 'I was wishing to come and see you. But I have got a cold, and may not expose myself to the wind. In the morning I will hold my court. I do not know whether you will give me the opportunity of seeing you then.' Mencius replied, 'Unfortunately, I am unwell, and not able to go to the court.' |
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明日，出吊於東郭氏，公孫丑曰：「昔者辭以病，今日吊，或者不可乎！」曰：「昔者疾，今日愈，如之何不吊？」 |
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Next day, he went out to pay a visit of condolence to some one of the Dong Guo family, when Gong Sun Chou said to him, 'Yesterday, you declined going to the court on the ground of being unwell, and to-day you are going to pay a visit of condolence. May this not be regarded as improper?' 'Yesterday,' said Mencius, 'I was unwell; to-day, I am better - why should I not pay this visit?' |
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王使人問疾，醫來。孟仲子對曰：「昔者有王命，有采薪之憂，不能造朝。今病小愈，趨造於朝，我不識能至否乎？」使數人要於路，曰：「請必無歸，而造於朝！」 |
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In the mean time, the king sent a messenger to inquire about his sickness, and also a physician. Meng Zhong replied to them, 'Yesterday, when the king's order came, he was feeling a little unwell, and could not go to the court. To-day he was a little better, and hastened to go to court. I do not know whether he can have reached it by this time or not.' Having said this, he sent several men to look for Mencius on the way, and say to him, 'I beg that, before you return home, you will go to the court.' |
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不得已而之景丑氏宿焉。景子曰：「內則父子，外則君臣，人之大倫也。父子主恩，君臣主敬。丑見王之敬子也，未見所以敬王也。」 |
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On this, Mencius felt himself compelled to go to Jing Chou's, and there stop the night. Mr. Jing said to him, 'In the family, there is the relation of father and son; abroad, there is the relation of prince and minister. These are the two great relations among men. Between father and son the ruling principle is kindness. Between prince and minister the ruling principle is respect. I have seen the respect of the king to you, Sir, but I have not seen in what way you show respect to him.' |
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曰：「惡！是何言也！齊人無以仁義與王言者，豈以仁義為不美也？其心曰『是何足與言仁義也』云爾，則不敬莫大乎是。我非堯舜之道，不敢以陳於王前，故齊人莫如我敬王也。」 |
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Mencius replied, 'Oh! what words are these? Among the people of Qi there is no one who speaks to the king about benevolence and righteousness. Are they thus silent because they do not think that benevolence and righteousness are admirable? No, but in their hearts they say, "This man is not fit to be spoken with about benevolence and righteousness." Thus they manifest a disrespect than which there can be none greater. I do not dare to set forth before the king any but the ways of Yao and Shun. There is therefore no man of Qi who respects the king so much as I do.' |
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景子曰：「否，非此之謂也。禮曰：『父召，無諾；君命召，不俟駕。』固將朝也，聞王命而遂不果，宜與夫禮若不相似然。」 |
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Mr. Jing said, 'Not so. That was not what I meant. In the Book of Rites it is said, "When a father calls, the answer must be without a moment's hesitation. When the prince's order calls, the carriage must not be waited for." You were certainly going to the court, but when you heard the king's order, then you did not carry your purpose out. This does seem as if it were not in accordance with that rule of propriety.' |
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曰：「豈謂是與？曾子曰：『晉楚之富，不可及也。彼以其富，我以吾仁；彼以其爵，我以吾義，吾何慊乎哉？』夫豈不義而曾子言之？是或一道也。天下有達尊三：爵一，齒一，德一。朝廷莫如爵，鄉黨莫如齒，輔世長民莫如德。惡得有其一，以慢其二哉？故將大有為之君，必有所不召之臣。欲有謀焉，則就之。其尊德樂道，不如是不足與有為也。故湯之於伊尹，學焉而後臣之，故不勞而王；桓公之於管仲，學焉而後臣之，故不勞而霸。今天下地醜德齊，莫能相尚。無他，好臣其所教，而不好臣其所受教。湯之於伊尹，桓公之於管仲，則不敢召。管仲且猶不可召，而況不為管仲者乎？」 |
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Mencius answered him, 'How can you give that meaning to my conduct? The philosopher Zeng said, "The wealth of Jin and Chu cannot be equalled. Let their rulers have their wealth - I have my benevolence. Let them have their nobility - I have my righteousness. Wherein should I be dissatisfied as inferior to them?" Now shall we say that these sentiments are not right? Seeing that the philosopher Zeng spoke them, there is in them, I apprehend, a real principle. In the kingdom there are three things universally acknowledged to be honourable. Nobility is one of them; age is one of them; virtue is one of them. In courts, nobility holds the first place of the three; in villages, age holds the first place; and for helping one's generation and presiding over the people, the other two are not equal to virtue. How can the possession of only one of these be presumed on to despise one who possesses the other two? Therefore a prince who is to accomplish great deeds will certainly have ministers whom he does not call to go to him. When he wishes to consult with them, he goes to them. The prince who does not honour the virtuous, and delight in their ways of doing, to this extent, is not worth having to do with. Accordingly, there was the behaviour of Tang to Yi Yin: he first learned of him, and then employed him as his minister; and so without difficulty he became sovereign. There was the behaviour of the duke Huan to Guan Zhong: he first learned of him, and then employed him as his minister; and so without difficulty he became chief of all the princes. Now throughout the kingdom, the territories of the princes are of equal extent, and in their achievements they are on a level. Not one of them is able to exceed the others. This is from no other reason, but that they love to make ministers of those whom they teach, and do not love to make ministers of those by whom they might be taught. So did Tang behave to Yi Yin, and the duke Huan to Guan Zhong, that they would not venture to call them to go to them. If Guan Zhong might not be called to him by his prince, how much less may he be called, who would not play the part of Guan Zhong!' |
| | 萬章下: |
萬章曰：「敢問不見諸侯，何義也？」 |
| Wan Zhang II: |
Wan Zhang said, 'I venture to ask what principle of righteousness is involved in a scholar's not going to see the princes?' |
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孟子曰：「在國曰市井之臣，在野曰草莽之臣，皆謂庶人。庶人不傳質為臣，不敢見於諸侯，禮也。」 |
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Mencius replied, 'A scholar residing in the city is called "a minister of the market-place and well," and one residing in the country is called "a minister of the grass and plants." In both cases he is a common man, and it is the rule of propriety that common men, who have not presented the introductory present and become ministers, should not presume to have interviews with the prince.' |
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萬章曰：「庶人，召之役，則往役；君欲見之，召之，則不往見之，何也？」 |
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Wan Zhang said, 'If a common man is called to perform any service, he goes and performs it; how is it that a scholar, when the prince, wishing to see him, calls him to his presence, refuses to go?' |
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曰：「往役，義也；往見，不義也。且君之欲見之也，何為也哉？」 |
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Mencius replied, 'It is right to go and perform the service; it would not be right to go and see the prince. And,' added Mencius, 'on what account is it that the prince wishes to see the scholar?' |
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曰：「為其多聞也，為其賢也。」 |
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'Because of his extensive information, or because of his talents and virtue,' was the reply. |
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曰：「為其多聞也，則天子不召師，而況諸侯乎？為其賢也，則吾未聞欲見賢而召之也。繆公亟見於子思，曰：『古千乘之國以友士，何如？』子思不悅，曰：『古之人有言：曰事之云乎，豈曰友之云乎？』子思之不悅也，豈不曰：『以位，則子，君也；我，臣也。何敢與君友也？以德，則子事我者也。奚可以與我友？』千乘之君求與之友，而不可得也，而況可召與？齊景公田，招虞人以旌，不至，將殺之。志士不忘在溝壑，勇士不忘喪其元。孔子奚取焉？取非其招不往也。」 |
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'If because of his extensive information,' said Mencius, 'such a person is a teacher, and the sovereign would not call him - how much less may any of the princes do so? If because of his talents and virtue, then I have not heard of any one wishing to see a person with those qualities, and calling him to his presence. During the frequent interviews of the duke Mu with Zi Si, he one day said to him, "Anciently, princes of a thousand chariots have yet been on terms of friendship with scholars - what do you think of such an intercourse?" Zi Si was displeased, and said, "The ancients have said, 'The scholar should be served:' how should they have merely said that he should be made a friend of?" When Zi Si was thus displeased, did he not say within himself, "With regard to our stations, you are sovereign, and I am subject. How can I presume to be on terms of friendship with my sovereign! With regard to our virtue, you ought to make me your master. How can you be on terms of friendship with me?" Thus, when a ruler of a thousand chariots sought to be on terms of friendship with a scholar, he could not obtain his wish - how much less could he call him to his presence! The duke Ching of Qi, once, when he was hunting, called his forester to him by a flag. The forester would not come, and the duke was going to kill him. With reference to this incident, Confucius said, "The determined officer never forgets that his end may be in a ditch or a stream; the brave officer never forgets that he may lose his head." What was it in the forester that Confucius thus approved? He approved his not going to the duke, when summoned by the article which was not appropriate to him.' |
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曰：「敢問招虞人何以？」 |
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Zhang said, 'May I ask with what a forester should be summoned?' |
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曰：「以皮冠。庶人以旃，士以旂，大夫以旌。以大夫之招招虞人，虞人死不敢往。以士之招招庶人，庶人豈敢往哉。況乎以不賢人之招招賢人乎？欲見賢人而不以其道，猶欲其入而閉之門也。夫義，路也；禮，門也。惟君子能由是路，出入是門也。《》云：『』」 |
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Mencius replied, 'With a skin cap. A common man should be summoned with a plain banner; a scholar who has taken office, with one having dragons embroidered on it; and a Great officer, with one having feathers suspended from the top of the staff. When the forester was summoned with the article appropriate to the summoning of a Great officer, he would have died rather than presume to go. If a common man were summoned with the article appropriate to the summoning of a scholar, how could he presume to go? How much more may we expect this refusal to go, when a man of talents and virtue is summoned in a way which is inappropriate to his character! When a prince wishes to see a man of talents and virtue, and does not take the proper course to get his wish, it is as if he wished him to enter his palace, and shut the door against him. Now, righteousness is the way, and propriety is the door, but it is only the superior man who can follow this way, and go out and in by this door. It is said in the Book of Poetry, "The way to Zhou is level like a whetstone, And straight as an arrow. The officers tread it, And the lower people see it."' |
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萬章曰：「孔子，君命召，不俟駕而行。然則孔子非與？」 |
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Wan Zhang said, 'When Confucius received the prince's message calling him, he went without waiting for his carriage. Doing so, did Confucius do wrong?' |
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曰：「孔子當仕有官職，而以其官召之也。」 |
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Mencius replied, 'Confucius was in office, and had to observe its appropriate duties. And moreover, he was summoned on the business of his office.' |
