CHAPTER IV
1. There came from Ch＇û to T＇ăng one Hsü Hsing,who gave out that he acted according to the words of Shăn-năng. Coming right to his gate, he addressed the duke Wăn, saying, ＇A man of a distant region, I have heard that you, Prince, are practising a benevolent government, and I wish to receive a site for a house,and to become one of your people.＇ The duke Wan gave him a dwelling-place. His disciples, amounting to several tens, all wore clothes of haircloth, and made sandals of hemp and wove mats for a living.
2. At the same time, Ch＇ăn Hsiang, a disciple of Ch＇ăn Liang, and his younger brother, Hsin, with their plough-handles and shares on their backs,
CHAPTER 4. MENCIUS＇S REPUTATION OF THE DOCTRINE THAT THE RULER OUGHT TO LABOUR AT HUSBANDRY WITH HIS OWN HANDS. HE VINDICATES THE PROPRIETY OF THE DIVERION OF LABOUR,AND OF A LETTERED CLASS CONDUCTING GOVERNMENT.
The first three paragraphs, it is said, relate how Hsing, the heresiarch, and Hsiang, his follower,wished secretly to destroy the arrangements advised by Mencius for the division of the land. The next eight paragraphs expose the great error of Hsing,that the ruler must labour at the toils of husbandry as well as the people. From the twelfth paragraph to the sixteenth, Hsiang is rebuked for forsaking his master, and taking up with Hsing＇s heresy. In the last two paragraphs, Mencius proceeds, from the evasive replies of Hsiang, to give thecoup de grâcs to the new pernicious teachings.
1. 为 is explained, by Châo Ch＇î, by 治为, and 言as=道, so that 为……言者= ＇one who cultivated the doctrines＇. Most others take 为=假托, ＇making a false pretence of＇. Shăn-năng, ＇Wonderful husbandman＇, is the style of the second of the five famous 帝, or early＇sovereigns＇, of Chinese history. He is also called Yen(炎) Tî, ＇the Blaxing Sovereign＇. He is placed between Fû-hsi and Hwang Tî, though separated from the latter by an intervention of seven reigns, extending with his own over 515 years. If any faith could be reposed in this chronology, it would place him B.C.3212. In the appendix to the Yî-ching, he is celebrated as the Father of Husbandry. Other traditions make him the Father of Medicine also. 之滕,—之 is the verb,=往.蹱, in the dictionary, after Châo Ch＇î is explained by 至, ＇came to＇. ChûHsî says that 蹱门=足至门. 尘 and氓, see Bk. II. Pt. I. v. 5, but the meaning of 尘 here is different, denoting the ground assigned for the dwelling of a husbandman. 衣 (4th tone) 褐,—it would appear from par.4 that this ＇haircloth＇ was a very inartificial structure, not woven at least with much art.履,—＇sandals of hemp＇, opposed to 扉, which were made of grass, and 履, which were made of leather. 捆is explained by 扣椓, ＇to beat and hammer＇. 席 properly denotes single mats made of rushes (莞蒲). This manufacture of sandals and mats is supposed in the备旨 to have been only a temporary employment of Hsing＇s followers till lands should be assigned them.
came from Sung to T＇ăng, saying, ＇We have heard that you, Prince, are putting into practice the government of the ancient sages, showing that you are likewise a sage. We wish to become the subjects of a sage.＇
3. When Ch＇ăn Hsiang saw Hsü Hsing, he was greatly pleased with him, and, abandoning entirely whatever he had learned, became his disciple. Having an interview with Mencius, he related to him withapprobation the words of Hsü Hsing to the following effect:—＇The prince of T＇ăng is indeed a worthy prince. He has not yet heard, however, the real doctrines of antiquity. Now, wise and able princes should cultivate the ground equally and along with their people, and eat the fruit of their labour. They should prepare their own meals, morning and evening,while at the same time they carry on their government. But now, the prince of T＇ăng has his granaries,treasuries, and arsenals, which is an oppressing of the people to nourish himself. How can he be deemed a real worthy prince?＇
4. Mencius said,＇I suppose that Hsü Hsing sows grain and eats the produce.
2. Of the individuals mentioned here, we know nothing more than can be gathered from this chapter.The 耜, or share, as originally made by Shăn-năng,was of wood. In Mencius＇s time, it had come to be made of iron; see par.4. 之滕,—之 as above.
3. 道许行之言,—道 is the verb,=称述. 贤者,—as in Bk. I. Pt I. ii. I. 饔飱 denote the morning and evening meals, but must be taken here as verbs, signifying the preparation of those meals. If 仓 and 廪 are to be distinguished, the latter is a granary for rice, the former for other grain. 养, in 4th tone. The object of Hsü Hsing in these remarks would be to invalidate Mencius＇s doctrine given in the last chapter, par.14,that the ruler must be supported by the countrymen.
4. Observe the force of 必……乎, as in the translation.
Is it not so?＇ ＇It is so,＇ was the answer. ＇I suppose also he weaves cloth, and wears his own manufacture. Is it not so?＇ ＇No. Hsü wears clothes of haircloth.＇ ＇Does he wear a cap?＇ ＇He wears a cap.＇ ＇What kind of cap?＇＇A plain cap.＇ ＇Is it woven by himself?＇ ＇No. He gets it in exchange for grain.＇ ＇Why does Hsü not weave it himself?＇ ＇That would injure his husbandry.＇ ＇Does Hsü cook his food in boilers and earthenware pans,and does he plough with an iron share?＇ ＇Yes.＇ ＇Does he make those articles himself?＇ ＇No. He gets them in exchange for grain.＇
5. Mencius then said,＇The getting those various articles in exchange for grain, is not oppressive to the potter and the founder, and the potter and the founder in their turn, in exchanging their various articles for grain, are not oppressive to the husbandman. How should such a thing be supposed?
粟, ＇millet＇, but here=grain generally. 衣, 4th tone. 冠素, ＇His cap is plain＇, i.e. undyed and unadorned. The distinction given by Chû Hsî between 釜 and 甑 is,that the former was used for boiling, and the latter for steaming. Their composition indicates that they were made of iron and clay respectively. The 釜 was distinguished from other iron boilers by having no feet.
5. 以……者= ＇he who gets＇, or, as in the translation,＇the getting＇. 械,—properly ＇stocks＇, but also used synonymously with 器. I have added a sentence to bring out the force of 岂 in 岂为厉云云. Chû Hsî puts a point at 冶, and taking 舍 (in 3rd tone) in the sense of止, ＇only＇, construes it with what follows. This is better than to join it, in the sense of house or shop, with 陶冶. Hsiang is here forced to make an admission, fatal to his new master＇s doctrine, that every man should do everything for himself. The only difficulty is with the且, which here= ＇but＇.
And moreover, why does not Hsü act the potter and founder, supplying himself with the articles which he uses solely from his own establishment? Why does he go confusedly dealing and exchanging with the handicraftsmen? Why does he not spare himself so much trouble?＇Ch＇an Hsiang replied, ＇The business of the handicraftsman can by no means be carried on along with the business of husbandry.＇
6. Mencius resumed, ＇Then, is it the government of the kingdom which alone can be carried on along with the practice of husbandry? Great men have their proper business, and little men have their proper business.Moreover, in the case of any single individual,whatever articles he can require are ready to his hand,being produced by the varioushandicraftsmen:—if he must first make them for his own use, this way of doing would keep all the people running about upon the roads. Hence, there is the saying, "Some labour with their minds, and some labour with their strength.Those who labour with their minds govern others;those who labour with their strength are governed by others.
The two preceding sentences are Mencius＇s affirmations, and he proceeds—＇But Hsü Hsing denies this. Why then does he not himself play the potter and founder, &c?＇
6. In 一人之身, 而百工之所为备 the construction is not easy. The correct meaning seems to be that given in the translation. Some take 备 in the sense of ＇are all required＇, which would make the construction simpler:—＇for a single person even, all the productions of the handicraftsmen are necessary＇. So, in the paraphrase of the 日讲:—＇Reckoning in the case of a single individual, his clothes, his food, and his dwelling-place, the productions of the various workers must all be completed in sufficiency,
Those who are governed by others support them; those who govern others are supported by them." This is a principle universally recognised.
7. ＇In the time of Yâo, when the world had not yet been perfectly reduced to order, the vast waters,flowing out of their channels, made a universal inundation. Vegetation was luxuriant, and birds and beasts swarmed. The various kinds of grain could not be grown. The birds and beasts pressed upon men.The paths marked by the feet of beasts and prints of birds crossed one another throughout the Middle Kingdom. To Yâo alone this caused anxious sorrow.He raised Shun to office, and measures to regulate the disorder were set forth. Shun committed to Yî the direction of the fire to be employed, and Yî set fire to, and consumed, the forests and vegetation on the mountains and in the marshes, so that the birds and beasts fied away to hide themselves. Yü separated the nine streams, cleared the courses of the Tsî and T＇â,and led them all to the sea.
and then he has abundantly everything for profitable employment, and can without anxiety support his children and parents.＇ This gives a good enough meaning in the connextion, but the signification attached to 备 is hardly otherwise authorised. 而路, ＇2nd road them＇,=奔走道路. 食, 4th tone, tsze.
7. 天下犹未平 carries us back to the time antecedent to Yâo, and 天下 is to be taken in the sense of ＇world＇,or ＇earth＇. There is the idea of a wild, confused, chaotic state, on which the successive sages had been at work,without any great amount of success. Then in the next paragraph we have Hâu-chî doing over again the work of Shăn-năng and teaching men husbandry.It is difficult to go beyond Yâo for the founding of the Chinese kingdom. The various questions which would arise here, however, will be found discussed in the first part of the Shû-ching. It is only necessary to observe in reference to the calamity here spoken of,that it is not presented as the consequence of a deluge,or sudden accumulation of water, but from the natural river channels being all broken up and disordered.
He opened a vent also for the Zû and Han, and regulated the course of the Hwâi and Sze, so that they all flowed into the Chiang. When this was done,it became possible for the people of the Middle Kingdom to cultivate the ground and get food for themselves. During that time, Yü was eight years away from his home, and though he thrice passed the door of it, he did not enter. Although he had wished to cultivate the ground, could he have done so?＇
8. ＇The Minister of Agriculture taught the people to sow and reap, cultivating the five kinds of grain. When the five kinds of grain were brought to maturity, the people all obtained a subsistence. But men possess a moral nature; and if they are well fed, warmly clad,and comfortably lodged, without being taught at the same time, they become almost like the beasts.This was a subject of anxious solicitude to the sage Shun, and he appointed Hsieh to be the Minister of Instruction, to teach the relations of humanity:— how,between father and son, there should be affection; between sovereign and minister, righteousness;
横, in 4th tone, ＇disobedient＇, ＇unreasonable＇. 五谷,＇the five kinds of grains＇, are 稻, 黍, 稷, 麦, and 菽,＇paddy, millet, pannicled millet, wheat, and pulse＇, but each of these terms must be taken as comprehending several varieties under it. 中国, in opposition to 天下,is the portion of country which was first settled, and regarded as a centre to all surrounding territories. 尧独忧之,—the 独 seems to refer to Yâo＇s position as sovereign, in which it belonged to him to feel this anxiety. For the labours of Shun, Yî, and Yü, see the Shû-ching, Parts I, II, III. 济, in 3rd tone. 漯,—read T＇â.The nine streams all belonged to the Ho, or Yellow river. By them Y＇â led off a portion of its vast surging waters. The Chiang is the Yang-tsze. Chû Hsî observes that of the rivers mentioned as being led into the Chiang only the Han flows into that stream, while the Hwâi receives the Zû and the Sze, and makes a direct course to the sea. He supposes an error on the part of the recorder of Mencius＇s words.
8. Hâu-chî, now received as a proper name, is properly the official title of Shun＇s Minister of Agriculture, Ch＇î (弃). 契 (read Hsieh) was the name of his Minister of Instruction.
between husband and wife, attention to their separate functions; between old and young, a proper order;and between friends, fidelity. The high meritorious sovereign said to him, "Encourage them; lead them on;rectify them; straighten them; help them; give them wings:— thus causing them to become possessors of themselves. Then follow this up by stimulating them,and conferring benefits on them." When the sages were exercising their solicitude for the people in this way, had they leisure to cultivate the ground?
9. ＇What Yâo felt giving him anxiety was the not getting Shun. What Shun felt giving him anxiety was the not getting Yü and Kâo Yâo. But he whose anxiety is about his hundred mâu not being properly cultivated, is a mere husbandman.
For these men and their works, see the Shu-ching,Part II. 艺,—used synonymously with 蓺,=种, ＇to plant＇, or ＇sow＇. 人之有道也:—foreigners generally try to construe this expression as they do the 民之为道也 in the preceding chapter, par.2, not having regard to the difference of 民 and 人, of 为 and 有, and thefive repetitions of 有 farther on in the paragraph. The interpretation which I have adopted is that of ChûHsî, and every critic of note whom I have consulted.圣人 is supposed to be plural,—＇the sages＇. This,however, cannot be, as the 使 immediately following must be understood with reference to Shun only.What has made 圣人 be taken as plural, is that the instructions addressed to Hsieh are said to be from 放(3rd tone) 动, which are two of the epithets applied to Yâo in the opening sentence of the Shû-ching, who is therefore supposed to be the speaker. Yet it was Shun who appointed Hsieh, and gave him his instructions,and may not Mencius intend him by ＇The highly meritorious＇? The address itself is not found in the Shû-ching. 劳 and 来 are both in 4th tone. In 夫妇有别, 别= ＇separate functions＇, according to which the husband is said to preside over all that is external, and the wife over all that is external, and the wife over that is internal, while to the former it belongs to lead, and to the latter to follow.
9. An illustration of the 有大人之事, 有小人之事, in par.6. 易,—read i, in 4th tone, in the sense of 治 (in 2nd tone). The Kâo of Kâo Yâo is generally written as in the text, but the proper form of it is 皋. It is difficult to determine whether to unite the two characters as a double surname, or to keep them apart as surname 2nd name.
10. ＇The imparting by a man to others of his wealth,is called "kindness." The teaching others what is good, is called "the exercise of fidelity." The finding a man who shall benefit the kingdom, is called"benevolence." Hence to give the throne to another man would be easy; to find a man who shall benefit the kingdom is difficult.
11. ＇Confucius said, "Great indeed was Yâo as a sovereign. It is only Heaven that is great, and only Yâo corresponded to it. How vast was his virtue! The people could find no name for it. Princely indeed was Shun! How majestic was he, having possession of the kingdom, and yet seeming as if it were nothing to him!" In their governing the kingdom, were there no subjects on which Yâo and Shun employed their minds? There were subjects, only they did not employ their minds on the cultivation of the ground.
12. ＇I have heard of men using the doctrines of our great land to change barbarians, but I have never yet heard of any being changed by barbarians.
10. 为, in the 4th tone, ＇on behalf of＇,=who shall benefit. 易,—read as in the text, and meaning ＇easy＇.The difficulty spoken of arises from this, that to find the man in question requires the finder to go out of himself, and is beyond what is in his own power. The reader must bear in mind that 仁 is the name for the highest virtue, the combination of all possible virtues. Compare Analects, VI. xxviii.
11. See Analects, VIII. xviii and xix. which two chapters Mencius blends together with omissions and alterations. Observe the force of 亦 in the last clause.It= ＇there were subjects on which they employed their minds, but still, &c＇.
12. 夏 and 夷,—used as in Analects, III. v. 先,—the verb, in 4th tone.
Ch＇an Liang was a native of Ch＇û. Pleased with the doctrines of Châu-kung and Chung-nî, he came northwards to the Middle Kingdom and studied them.Among the scholars of the northern regions, there was perhaps no one who excelled him. He was what you call a scholar of high and distinguished qualities. You and your brother followed him some tens of years, and when your master died, you forthwith turned away from him.
13. ＇Formerly, when Confucius died, after three vears had elapsed, his disciples collected their baggage, and prepared to return to their several homes.But on entering to take their leave of Tsze-kung, as they looked towards one another, they wailed, till they all lost their voices. After this they returned to their homes, but Tsze-kung went back, and built a house for himself on the altar-ground, where he lived alone other three years, before he returned home. On another occasion, Tsze-hsiâ, Tsze-chang, and Tsze-yû, thinking that Yû Zo resembled the sage, wished to render to him the same observances which they had rendered to Confucius.
子之兄弟,—not ＇your brothers＇, but as in the translation; compare par. 2. 倍=背:—observe how Ch＇û is here excluded from ＇the Middle Kingdom＇ of Mencius＇s time.
13. On the death of Confucius, his disciples remained by his grave for three years, mourning for him as for a father, but without wearing the mourning dress. 治任,—both 2nd tone, ＇look after their burdens＇.Tsze-kung had acted to all his co-disciples as master of the ceremonies. Hence they took a formal leave of him. 场 is a flat place, an area scooped out upon the surface, and used primarily to sacrifice upon.Here it denotes such an area formed upon the sage＇s grave. There is a small wooden hut still shown in the Confucian cemetery, and said to be the apartment built by Tsze-kung for himself! I saw it in 1873. On Yû Zo＇s resemblance to Confucius, see the Book of Rites, Bk. They tried to force the disciple Tsăng to join with them, but he said, "This may not be done. What has been washed in the waters of the Chiang and Han, and bleached in the autumn sun:—how glistening is it!Nothing can be added to it."
14. ＇Now here is this shrike-tongued barbarian of the south, whose doctrines are not those of the ancient kings. You turn away from your master and become his disciple. Your conduct is different indeed from that of the philosopher Tsang.
15. ＇I have heard of birds leaving dark valleys to remove to lofty trees, but I have not heard of their descending from lofty trees to enter into dark valleys.
16. ＇In the Praise-songs of Lû it is said,
"He smote the barbarians of the west and the north,
He punished Ching and Shû."
Thus Châu-kung would be sure to smite them, and you become their disciple again; it appears that your change is not good.＇
17. Ch＇an Hsiang said, ＇If Hsü＇s doctrines were followed,
II. Sect. I. iii. 4. 疆,—in 3rd tone. 暴 is in the 4th tone. 皜,—readhâo, in 2nd tone, or kâo. 尚=加. Compare 无以尚之, Analects, IV. vi. I.
14. 鴃,—＇the shrike, or butcher bird＇, a strong epithet of contempt or dislike, as applied to Hsü Hsing. 倍,—as above.
15. 下,—used as a verb, in 4th tone.
16. See the Book of Poetry, IV. ii. Ode IV. st. 6. The two clauses quoted refer to the achievements of the duke Hsî.
then there would not be two prices in the market, nor any deceit in the kingdom. If a boy of five cubits were sent to the market, no one would impose on him; linen and silk of the same length would be of the same price.So it would be with bundles of hemp and silk, being of the same weight; with the different kinds of grain,being the same in quantity; and with shoes which were of the same size.＇
18. Mencius replied, ＇It is the nature of things to be of unequal quality. Some are twice, some five times, some ten times, some a hundred times, some a thousand times, some ten thousand times as valuable as others. If you reduce them all to the same standard,that must throw the kingdom into confusion. If large shoes and small shoes were of the same price, who would make them? For people to follow the doctrines of Hsü, would be for them to lead one another on to practise deceit. How can they avail for the government of a State?＇
Mencius uses them as if they expressed the approbation of his ancestor Châu-kung.
17. 贾,—read chiâ, 4th tone,=价. 五尺之童,—see Analects, VIII. vi. 麻缕丝絮 must be joined together,I think, in pairs, in opposition to the 布帛 above, the manufactured articles. 缕 is explained, in the 说文,by 线, ＇threads＇, and may be used of silk or flax. 絮 is explained, also in the 说文, by 敝绵, ＇spoiled, or bad,floss＇. Its general application is to floss of an inferior quality.
18. 倍,—different from that in pars.12, 15, meaning＇as much again＇. 相=相去, ＇are separated from each other＇, or ＇are to each other as＇.
