| | 公孙丑下: |
孟子将朝王，王使人来曰：“寡人如就见者也，有寒疾，不可以风。朝将视朝，不识可使寡人得见乎？”对曰：“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，出吊于东郭氏，公孙丑曰：“昔者辞以病，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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王使人问疾，医来。孟仲子对曰：“昔者有王命，有采薪之忧，不能造朝。今病小愈，趋造于朝，我不识能至否乎？”使数人要于路，曰：“请必无归，而造于朝！” |
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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：“内则父子，外则君臣，人之大伦也。父子主恩，君臣主敬。丑见王之敬子也，未见所以敬王也。” |
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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：“恶！是何言也！齐人无以仁义与王言者，岂以仁义为不美也？其心曰‘是何足与言仁义也’云尔，则不敬莫大乎是。我非尧舜之道，不敢以陈于王前，故齐人莫如我敬王也。” |
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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，非此之谓也。礼曰：‘父召，无诺；君命召，不俟驾。’固将朝也，闻王命而遂不果，宜与夫礼若不相似然。” |
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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：“岂谓是与？曾子曰：‘晋楚之富，不可及也。彼以其富，我以吾仁；彼以其爵，我以吾义，吾何慊乎哉？’夫岂不义而曾子言之？是或一道也。天下有达尊三：爵一，齿一，德一。朝廷莫如爵，乡党莫如齿，辅世长民莫如德。恶得有其一，以慢其二哉？故将大有为之君，必有所不召之臣。欲有谋焉，则就之。其尊德乐道，不如是不足与有为也。故汤之于伊尹，学焉而后臣之，故不劳而王；桓公之于管仲，学焉而后臣之，故不劳而霸。今天下地丑德齐，莫能相尚。无他，好臣其所教，而不好臣其所受教。汤之于伊尹，桓公之于管仲，则不敢召。管仲且犹不可召，而况不为管仲者乎？” |
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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!' |
