Introduction of Mencius

Mencius (372 BC-289 BC), whose real name is Ke, is Zi (to be tested, Zi or Zi Ju). During the Warring States Period, Lu was a descendant of Lu Guoqing's father. China was a famous thinker and educator in ancient times and a representative of Confucianism in the Warring States Period. He is the author of Mencius. Mencius inherited and carried forward Confucius' thoughts and became a generation of Confucian masters second only to Confucius. He is called "the sage of Asia" and is also called "Confucius and Mencius" with Confucius.

Chinese name: Monk

Mencius

Alias: Mencius, Yu Zi, Ziche, Viscount, Yasheng.

Nationality: Lu

Ethnic group: Huaxia ethnic group

Place of birth: Zou (now Zou County, Shandong Province)

Date of birth: 372 BC

Date of death: 289 BC

Occupation: scholar, thinker

Main achievements: Mencius is known as "the sage of Asia"

It will be called "Yasheng" in the future.

His thoughts and Confucius' thoughts are collectively called the Tao of Confucius and Mencius.

Masterpiece: Mencius

Time: Warring States Period

catalogue

brief introduction

Mencius chronology

Mencius ' quotations

Honor achievement

Mencius family

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brief introduction

Mencius was born in Zouguo (now Zoucheng City, Shandong Province). Also known as sub-car, self-styled (to be determined). Mencius and Confucius collectively called the Tao of Confucius and Mencius "the Tao of Confucius and Mencius". Confucius is the most holy, Mencius is the second saint. China was a famous thinker, educator, politician, political commentator and essayist in ancient times, a representative of Confucianism in the Warring States Period, and the fourth generation disciple of Confucius. Inherit and carry forward Confucius' thoughts and refute Yang Zhu and Mo Zhai. Mencius (Figure 20) has a father's name and a mother's surname. There were no font sizes recorded in ancient books before the Han Dynasty, but many different font sizes appeared after the Wei and Jin Dynasties, such as Ziche, Viscount and Yu Zi, which may be attached by future generations, but they are not necessarily credible. There are different opinions about the year of birth and death because there is no record in historical biography. Among them, the statement that Meng's Genealogy was born on Thursday (372 BC) and died in 26 years (289 BC) was adopted by most scholars. I arrived in Shandong at the age of fifteen or sixteen. There is a saying that I am a disciple of Confucius' grandson Zisi. However, according to historical research, it is found that Zisi died decades before Mencius was born, so it is more credible to say that he was a disciple educated by Zisi as recorded in Historical Records. After Mencius was originally a "Three Huan in the State of Lu", his distant ancestor was a noble stone in the State of Lu. Later, his family declined and he moved from Lu to Zou. Mencius lost his father at the age of three, and Meng Mu raised him with great pains. Meng Mu is very strict, and his stories such as "Meng Mu's Three Movements" and "Meng Mu's Broken Weaving" have become timeless stories.

Mencius

, is a model of later generations. Mencius is a collection of Mencius' speeches by Mencius and his disciples, which records the Confucian classics of Mencius' language, political opinions (benevolent politics, Wang Ba's debate, people-oriented, respecting the right and wrong of the monarch, and valuing the people over the monarch) and political actions. Mencius once imitated Confucius and led his disciples to lobby countries. But it was not accepted by all countries at that time. He retired and wrote books with his disciples. Seven pieces of Mencius handed down from ancient times: the first and second pieces of Liang Huiwang; "Gongsun Ugly" up and down; "Teng Wengong" up and down; "Li Lou" up and down; "Zhang Wan" up and down; "Gao Zi" goes up and down; Heart and soul. His theoretical starting point is the theory of good nature, which puts forward "benevolent governance" and "kingly governance" and advocates rule by virtue. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu called Mencius, The Analects of Confucius, Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean "the Four Books". Mencius is the largest and heaviest of the four books, with more than 35 thousand words. Since then, the "Four Books" have become a compulsory part of the imperial examination. Mencius' article is eloquent, magnificent, good at argumentation, rigorous in logic and sharp in wit, which represents the peak of traditional prose writing. Mencius put forward the theory of good nature. [ 1]

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Mencius chronology

Mencius statue

King Lie of Zhou died in AD 4 (372 BC).

Mencius was probably born at this time.

Zhou Xianwang 12 Wei Huiwang 13 Han Zhaohou Jiazi in the 6th year (357 BC).

Mencius was about fifteen years old and was a disciple of Zisi.

Zhou Xianwang 17 Qin Xiaogong 10 years ago (352 BC).

Mencius is about twenty years old and wants to divorce his wife.

Zhou Xianwang was ugly for 37 years (332 BC).

Mencius is in Zou, answering Zou Mugong's question.

In the thirty-eighth year of Zhou Xianwang, Gengyin year (33 BC1year).

Mencius lived in Pinglu.

Xin Mao was born in Zhou Xianwang in the thirty-ninth year (330 BC).

Mencius came to China and visited Renji.

Mencius was in Zou, answering with Wu Luzi and Cao.

Forty years in Zhou Xianwang and twenty-eight years in Renchen, Qi Weiwang (329 BC).

Mencius was about forty-three years old and came here for the first time.

Zi Chu, King of Qixiang, came to see Mencius.

4 1 year 30 years Song 1 year (328 BC).

Mencius' hometown

Mencius and Gao Zi debate.

Mencius advised the King of Qi to remonstrate with him.

Mencius and Zhang Kuang made friends.

Mencius left Qi State for Song State.

In the forty-second year of Zhou Xianwang, Song spent the second year (327 BC).

Mencius to Song Dynasty

In forty-three, Song died in the late Yuan Dynasty (326 BC).

Mencius met Prince Tengguo in the Song Dynasty.

Mencius on the Lobbying Road and Gou Jian in Song Dynasty

44 years after Yuan Dynasty, 4 years after Song Dynasty, Qin Dynasty 13 years (325 BC).

Mencius left Song State and returned to Zou.

In forty-five years, Liang died in Ding You (324 BC) in 1 1 year.

Mencius was in Zou and sent a friend to ask about the funeral.

Zou Zhiteng's Mencius is benevolent.

The hometown of Mencius in Zoucheng, Shandong Province

Zhou Xianwang forty-six years, Wei Huiwang 12, Qi Weiwang thirty-four years, Wude (323 BC).

Mencius debated with farmer Chen Xiang.

1 year 15 years, 37 years, 320 BC.

Liang's "rich wealth and low gifts" calls for talented people.

Mencius was about fifty-two years old when he met Liang.

Mencius and Zhou Xiao's Theory of Being an Official

Shen Zhou 2 years yuan 16 1 year Renyin (3 19 BC).

Mencius and Gongsun Chou on A Short Mourning

Shen Zhou Liang Wang 3 years Wei Xiangwang 1 year Qi Xuanwang 2 years Guimao (3 18 BC).

Mencius was about fifty-four years old and saw King Liang Xiang.

Mencius met the King of Qi in Fan.

Mencius came to Qi and answered questions.

Mencius' theory of "forty without being tempted"

Shen Zhou Liang Wang 5 years Wang Yanwei 5 years Israel (3 16 BC)

Mencius went out to hang Teng Wengong.

Shen Zhou's 6th year14th land15th year (315th BC).

Lu wants to see Mencius.

Mengzi tomb

Mencius returned to Qi to discuss with Yu Chong about burying his mother.

Qi Xuanwang asked Mencius to be strict.

Zhou Nanwang 3 years Qi Xuanwang 8 years Chu Huaiwang 17 years Ji You (3 12 years BC) Yan people rebelled against Qi, and Qi Xuanwang said, "I am ashamed of Mencius".

Mencius' theory of "I regard you as a coach"

Mencius and Chunyu Kun argued endlessly.

Mencius was about sixty years old and resigned from Qi.

Mencius met the Song Dynasty and the autumn.

Zhou Nanwang twenty-five years, xinmao years (290 BC).

Mencius was compiled at this time.

Zhou Nanwang Renshen reigned for twenty-six years (289 BC).

Meng Ziyue died at this time.

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Mencius ' quotations

Volume 1: Hui Liang Wang Shang, Volume 2: Hui Liang Wang Xia, Volume 3: Gong Sun Ugly Merchants, Volume 4: Gong Sun Ugly Merchants, Volume 5: Teng Wengong Merchants, Volume 6: Summer in Teng Wengong, Volume 7: Li Lou Merchants, Volume 8: Leaving Louxia, Volume 9: Zhang Wanxia, Volume 10: Zhang Wanxia.

(1) If you don't follow the rules, you can't be Fiona Fang.

Meng Mu's broken machine rescue subgraph

[2] Without compasses and rulers, it is impossible to draw squares and circles correctly.

(2) Yes, and then know the weight; Degree, then know the length.

Only when translation has weight can we know the weight; Measure it and you'll know the length.

(3) People can do something without doing it, and then they can do something.

People can only make a difference if they don't do it.

(4) Although there are things that are easy to live in the world, if it is violent for one day and cold for ten days, no one can live.

Even if there is a plant that grows most easily, if it is dried for one day and frozen for ten days, nothing can grow again.

(5) sharp is slow.

People who advance too hard will retreat too fast.

(6) the official of the heart, what you think, what you get. Not without thinking.

The organ function of the heart lies in thinking, which can be obtained only by thinking, but can not be obtained without thinking.

(7) Born in sorrow, died in happiness.

Born of worry, died of indulging in happiness.

(8) Only the benevolent should occupy high positions. Being unkind and in a high position is to spread its evil to the public.

Only virtuous and kind people should be in the leading position. If an immoral person with low morality is in a dominant position, he will spread his sins to the masses.

(9) The son of heaven is ruthless and does not care about the four seas; The princes are heartless and do not protect the country; Doctor Qing is ruthless and does not protect the ancestral temple; Shu Ren is heartless. He didn't protect his four bodies.

The son of heaven can't be kind, and he can't keep his world; Governors can't be benevolent and can't protect the country; Qing and doctor can't be benevolent, so they can't keep his ancestral temple; Ordinary people can't be "benevolent", so they can't protect themselves.

(10) The monarch is kind and invincible.

The king of a country loves benevolence, and the world is invincible.

(1 1) Save punishment, collect taxes thinly and cultivate deeply.

Reduce punishment and taxes, let people work hard and get rid of dirty grass early.

(12) The benevolent is invincible.

The benevolent is invincible in the world.

(13) A five-acre house can be made of mulberry trees, and fifty people can wear clothes and silk. Chickens, dolphins and dogs are all domestic animals, so there is no time to waste. Seventy people can eat meat. One hundred acres of land, if you don't hurry, a family of eight can be hungry. I sincerely hope that the godson of the cult will be filial, and the winners will not be on the road.

Each family gives him five acres of land, surrounded by mulberry trees, and people over 50 can have silk cotton-padded jackets to wear. Domestic animals such as chickens, dogs and pigs will have meat to eat as long as their breeding period is not disturbed. If a family gives him 100 mu of land and does not disturb its seasonal growth law, then a family of eight people can have enough to eat. Run schools at all levels well and enlighten them repeatedly with the principle of filial piety and love for brothers. Then, the old man with gray hair will be helped by others, and he will not walk on the road with his head up and things on his back.

(14) Easy land, thin tax, people can get rich.

Doing a good job in agriculture and reducing taxes can make people rich.

(15) Ren Jun showed no mercy; Junyi, all righteousness; Jun Zheng, Mo Zheng.

The monarch is kind, and no one is unkind; Monarchism, no one is unjust; The monarch is right and no one is wrong.

(16) People are happy when they are happy; People have their worries, and people have their worries.

A monarch who takes the pleasure of the people as his own pleasure, the people will also take the pleasure of the monarch as their own pleasure; A monarch who takes the worries of the people as his own worries, the people will also take the worries of the monarch as their own worries.

(17) Benevolence is glory, but unkindness is humiliation.

When princes and ministers practice benevolent government, there will be glory; If you behave inhumanely, you will be humiliated.

(18) Those who have a constant birth have perseverance, and those who have no constant birth have no perseverance. Without perseverance, you will do whatever you want.

People with certain industrial income have certain moral concepts and codes of conduct, while people without certain industrial income will not have certain moral concepts and codes of conduct. If there is no certain moral concept and code of conduct, you will run amok, violate the law and discipline, and do anything.

(19) scramble for land to kill people; Fighting for the city, killing people and taking the city, this so-called cannibalism, is unforgivable.

Fighting for land and killing people everywhere; Fight for the city, and the city kills people. This is a belt.

Mencius

The territory eats human flesh, and the death penalty is not enough to atone for their sins.

(20) If you are a minister like a brother, then I regard you as my heart; You treat your minister like a dog and a horse. Then I put you Chinese; If you treat me like dirt, then I treat you like an enemy.

The monarch regards his deputies as his brothers and sisters, and his deputies will also regard the monarch as their confidant; The monarch regards his lieutenants as cattle and horses, and his lieutenants will also regard the monarch as ordinary people they meet on the road; The monarch regards his subordinates as dirt or weeds, and his subordinates will also regard the monarch as an enemy.

(2 1) Fish, what I want, bear's paw also wants; You can't have your cake and eat it. You can't have your cake and eat it. Life is what I want, and righteousness is what I want; You can't have both, and you have to sacrifice your life for righteousness.

I want fish and bear's paw. If these two things can't be obtained at the same time, I will choose bear's paw instead of fish. Life is what I want, and so is righteousness (truth, faith, justice, thoughts and actions beneficial to the public). If these two things can't be obtained at the same time, I will give up my life and choose righteousness.

(22) I am old, and people are old; Young people, young people, young people.

Respect my elders, thus extending to respect others' elders; Take care of your younger generation, thus extending to the younger generation who care about others.

(23) Mencius said: water does not divide things, and water is neck and neck. The goodness of human nature is even better than water. There is nothing wrong with people, and there is nothing wrong with water. Today, my husband's water, beating and jumping, can make it too long; If you are excited, you can make it in the mountains. Is this the nature of water? Its potential is also natural! People can be bad, but their nature is still good.

Mencius said, "Plain does not distinguish between things. Is it neck and neck? The goodness of human nature is like water flowing downwards. No one is unfriendly, just like water flowing downwards. Now on the other side of the water, beat it hard to make it jump, which can be higher than a person's forehead; Intercept and make it rotate, and you can stop on the mountain. Why is this so watery? This is really caused by external forces! Man can make him do bad things. This kind of behavior against his kind nature is essentially the same as letting water flow downwards against it. "

(24) the weather is not as good as the geographical position, and the geographical position is not as good as people.

The weather, seasons and so on that are conducive to combat are not comparable to the favorable geographical situation, and the favorable geographical situation is not comparable to the will of the people.

Killing an innocent person is neither benevolence nor righteousness.

It is unkind to kill an innocent person; It's unfair to get it when you don't have it.

(26) A benevolent thief is called a "thief" and a righteous thief is called a "remnant". The remnant thief is called "Lady". Never heard of killing, never heard of killing the king.

Those who destroy kindness are called "thieves" and those who destroy morality are called "disabled people". Such a person, we call him "the only husband". I only heard that Zhou Wuwang killed her husband Yin Zhou. I have never heard that he killed the king as a minister.

(27) The sage reigns and the Almighty reigns.

Make virtuous people occupy considerable official positions, and talented people occupy certain positions.

(28) Respect the sages, and Jie Jun reigns.

Respect moral people, use capable people, and excellent people have official positions.

(29) the people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light.

Mencius statue

[3] The people are the most important, followed by the Tugu God who represents the country, and the monarch is the lightest.

(30) A city of three miles, a country of seven miles, attacked from all sides and was invincible. If you attack it around, you will have the right time. However, if you don't win, the weather is not as good as the right place.

Surround the inner city of three miles and attack it from the outer city of seven miles. There will be fighters when the weather is right, but if you can't win, it's better to be in the right place.

(3 1) The city is not high, the pond is not deep, the army is not strong and profitable, and there is not much rice. It is not as good as people and peace.

The city walls are not low, the moat is not deep, the weapons and armor are not sharp, and there is not much food. Abandoning the city and fleeing is that the favorable terrain is not as good as the unity of the people.

(32) Therefore, the people in the territory do not take the border, the country does not take the risk of mountains and rivers, and the world does not take advantage of war. Those who gain the Tao help more, while those who lose the Tao help less. When there is little help, relatives will be there; Help more, and the world will be at peace. Take advantage of the world and attack your relatives. A gentleman wins without fighting.

Therefore, people can't be bound by dividing boundaries, the country can't be consolidated by mountains and rivers, and the world can't be achieved by sharp weapons. A benevolent monarch will get more help, and a monarch who does not will get less help. When there are few people to help, even relatives will betray; When the number of people who help is extremely high, people all over the world will obey. Fight against those who will betray their loved ones with the power of obedience from all over the world, so there is no doubt that they will win without fighting.

Mencius said: "Heaven will be a great task to the people of Sri Lanka, and they must first suffer from their minds, work hard on their bones and muscles, starve their bodies and skin, and mess with their actions. Therefore, patience has benefited them a lot. "

Explanation:

God is about to put a great responsibility on such a person. First of all, we should make his heart ache, make his bones and muscles tired, make him hungry, make his skin thin, make him down and out, and make what he does turn upside down and never be happy. Through these, we can alert his heart, strengthen his character and increase his talents that he does not have.

Being in adversity is not only "stretching its bones and starving its skin", but also experiencing different experiences in the body from those in the "greenhouse"; What's more, he is "bitter in heart", and his spiritual temper is different from that of "good times": "penniless" makes him have nothing to rely on; "Doing things in disorder" makes them feel at a loss and at a loss; All these processes will reach a result, which is also the fundamental way to get out of adversity: "So be patient" and "you can't get it", and your temperament, wisdom and ability will be tempered and improved in this process.

This process may be only a moment, or it may be difficult and long. During this period, I often feel at a loss, lose courage and confidence, and lose the direction of progress. At this time, it is easy to keep a calm mind; At this time, it is very valuable and necessary to keep a calm mind.

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Honor achievement

Yashengdian

Mencius is one of the most important representatives of Confucianism, but his position before the Song Dynasty was not very high. Since Han Yu wrote The Original Road in the mid-Tang Dynasty and listed Mencius as the only figure in pre-Qin Confucianism who inherited Confucian orthodoxy, there has been an "upgrading movement" of Mencius, and the status of Mencius and his works has gradually risen. In the Han Dynasty, Mencius was regarded as the "biography" of the auxiliary wing "classic book", which was juxtaposed with Confucius' Analects of Confucius. In the Five Dynasties, Meng Changjun, the master of the post-Shu Dynasty, ordered people to engrave eleven classics such as Yi, Shu, Shi, Li, Zhou Li, Historical Records, Biography of Ram, Biography of Gu Liang, Zuozhuan, The Analects of Confucius and Mencius. Song Shenzong Xining four years (107 1), Mencius was included in the imperial examination for the first time. In the sixth year of Yuanfeng (1083), Mencius was officially named "Zou Guogong" for the first time, and he was allowed to enjoy the Confucius Temple the following year. Later, Mencius was promoted to a Confucian classic. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu combined Mencius with The Analects of Confucius, Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean into four books. Da Xue and The Doctrine of the Mean are considered to be the works of Zeng Shen and Sun Zisi, disciples of Confucius. In this way, Mencius was on an equal footing with Confucius and his works. From the Yuan Dynasty to the first year of Shun Dynasty (1330), Mencius was named "Asian Saint" and later called "Asian Saint", ranking second only to Confucius. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was formally stipulated that the topic of imperial examination eight-part essay must be selected from the four books and "speak for saints". As a result, Mencius became a must-read for scholars in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Pursuit of seal and loss

The imperial seal of the dynasty

Song Yuanfeng six years (1083), Zou Guogong, Song Shenzong.

From the Yuan Dynasty to the first year of Shun (1330), take Kuoya.

People-oriented thought

"The people are precious, the country is second, and the monarch is light." It means the people first, the country second, and the monarch last. Mencius believed that the monarch should take care of the people first, and politicians should protect the rights of the people. Mencius agreed that the monarch has no way and the people have the right to overthrow the regime. For this reason, Hanshu and Yiwenzhi only regard Mencius as a sub-book, without giving it its due status. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms of Houshu, Meng Changjun, the master of Houshu, ordered people to carve stones in eleven classics such as Mencius, which may be the beginning of Mencius' being included in the classics. By the time of filial piety in the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu called Mencius, the Analects of Confucius, the University and the Doctrine of the Mean as the "Four Books" and became one of the "Thirteen Classics", and Mencius' position was pushed to the peak. Legend has it that Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was dissatisfied with Mencius' people-oriented thought and ordered people to abridge the relevant contents in Mencius.

Benevolent policy theory

Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' thought of ruling by virtue, and developed it into the theory of benevolent governance, which became the core of his political thought. He applied the principles of "pro" and "long" to politics, eased class contradictions and safeguarded the long-term interests of the feudal ruling class.

A bust of Mencius

[4] On the one hand, Mencius strictly distinguished the class status of the ruler and the ruled, and thought that "the industrious rule the people and the industrious rule the people", and imitated the Zhou system to draw up a hierarchy from Tian Zi to Shu Ren; On the other hand, the relationship between the ruler and the ruled is compared to the relationship between parents and children, and it is advocated that the ruler should care about the sufferings of the people like parents, and the people should be close to and serve the ruler like parents.

Mencius believes that this is the most ideal politics, and the rulers can win the heartfelt support of the people if they implement benevolent policies; On the other hand, if people's lives are ignored, they will lose people's hearts, become solitary thieves and be overthrown by the people. The specific content of benevolent government is very extensive, including economy, politics, education and ways to unify the world, among which there is a clue of people-oriented thought. This thought developed from the idea of valuing the people over the gods in the Spring and Autumn Period.

Based on the experience of the Warring States period, Mencius summed up the laws governing the rise and fall of chaos in various countries and put forward a famous proposition rich in the essence of democracy: "The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light." People think that how to treat people is extremely important to the rise and fall of a country. Mencius attached great importance to the opposition between people's hearts, and repeatedly expounded through a large number of historical examples that this is a key issue related to winning or losing in the world. Mencius said: "Benevolence must go through first". The so-called "well boundary" means dividing and sorting out the field boundary and implementing the well field system. The well-field system conceived by Mencius is a feudal natural economy, which is based on small farmers of one household and takes the form of exploiting labor force for rent. Every farmer has a five-acre house and a hundred-acre field and is self-sufficient. Mencius believes that "people are the way, those who have constant production have perseverance, and those who have no constant production have no perseverance." Only when people have "permanent property" and settle down on the land can they not violate the criminal law and do evil. Mencius believes that when people's material life is guaranteed, rulers can re-establish schools, educate them on the principle of filial piety and guide them to be kind, which can create a good moral trend of "kissing" and "growing up", that is, "everyone kisses and grows up, and the world is peaceful." Mencius believed that the benevolent government of the ruler could win the heartfelt support of the people all over the world, thus being invincible. Mencius' benevolent policy should be based on the ruler's "unbearable heart". Mencius said: "The former king had an unbearable heart and Sri Lanka had an unbearable policy." "Unable to bear the heart of others" is a kind of pity and kindness. But this kind of sympathy and kindness is different from Mozi's "universal love", but comes from the feelings of blood. Mencius advocated that "Kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss is the political embodiment of this unbearable heart.

Mencius closely combined ethics with politics, emphasizing that moral cultivation is the basis of doing politics well. He said: "The foundation of the world is in the country, the foundation of the country is at home, and the foundation of the home is in the body." Later, the idea of "nourishing qi and calming the world" put forward by University was developed according to this idea of Mencius.

Moral ethics

Mencius summarized moral norms into four categories, namely, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom. At the same time, the human relations are summarized into five kinds, namely, "father and son are close, monarch and minister are righteous, husband and wife are different, old and young are orderly, and friends are trustworthy". Mencius believed that benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom were the most important. Benevolence is based on filial piety and filial piety, and it is the basic moral standard to deal with the blood relationship between father and son. He believes that if every member of society uses benevolence and righteousness to deal with all kinds of interpersonal relationships, the stability of feudal order and the unity of the world will be reliably guaranteed.

In order to explain the origin of these moral norms, Mencius put forward the idea of good nature. He believes that although there are differences in division of labor and class among members of society, their human nature is the same. He said, "So, people of the same kind are all similar, so why doubt others?" A saint is like me. Here, Mencius put the ruler and the ruled in an equal position and discussed their universal humanity. This discussion adapted to the historical trend of slave liberation and social change at that time, marked the deepening of human understanding and greatly promoted the development of ethical thought.

I hope to be adopted by you!