Mencius 1B.3
Mencius (孟子), Book 1, Part II: Liang Hui Wang II 梁惠王下
齊宣王問曰：「交鄰國有道乎？」孟子對曰：「有。惟仁者為能以大事小，是故湯事葛，文王事昆夷；惟智者為能以小事大，故大王事獯鬻，句踐事吳。以大事小者，樂天者也；以小事大者，畏天者也。樂天者保天下，畏天者保其國。《詩》云：『畏天之威，于時保之。』」王曰：「大哉言矣！寡人有疾，寡人好勇。」對曰：「王請無好小勇。夫撫劍疾視曰，『彼惡敢當我哉』！此匹夫之勇，敵一人者也。王請大之！《詩》云：『王赫斯怒，爰整其旅，以遏徂莒，以篤周祜，以對于天下。』此文王之勇也。文王一怒而安天下之民。《書》曰：『天降下民，作之君，作之師。惟曰其助上帝，寵之四方。有罪無罪，惟我在，天下曷敢有越厥志？』一人衡行於天下，武王恥之。此武王之勇也。而武王亦一怒而安天下之民。今王亦一怒而安天下之民，民惟恐王之不好勇也。」
The king Xuan of Qi asked, saying, 'Is there any way to regulate one's maintenance of intercourse with neighbouring kingdoms?'
Mencius replied, 'There is. But it requires a perfectly virtuous prince to be able, with a great country, to serve a small one - as, for instance, Tang served Ge, and king Wen served the Kun barbarians. And it requires a wise prince to be able, with a small country, to serve a large one - as the king Tai served the Xun Yu, and Gou Jian served Wu. He who with a areat State serves a small one, delights in Heaven. He who with a small State serves a large one, stands in awe of Heaven. He who delights in Heaven, will affect with his love and protection the whole kingdom. He who stands in awe of Heaven, will affect with his love and protection his own kingdom. It is said in the Book of Poetry, "I fear the Majesty of Heaven, and will thus preserve its favouring decree."'
The king said,'A great saying! But I have an infirmity - I love valour.'
I beg your Majesty,' was the reply, 'not to love small valour. If a man brandishes his sword, looks fiercely, and says, "How dare he withstand me?" - this is the valour of a common man, who can be the opponent only of a single individual. I beg your Majesty to greaten it. It is said in the Book of Poetry, "The king blazed with anger, And he marshalled his hosts, To stop the march to Chu, To consolidate the prosperity of Zhou, To meet the expectations of the nation." This was the valour of king Wen. King Wen, in one burst of his anger, gave repose to all the people of the kingdom. In the Book of History it is said, "Heaven having produced the inferior people, made for them rulers and teachers, with the purpose that they should be assisting to God, and therefore distinguished them throughout the four quarters of the land. Whoever are offenders, and whoever are innocent, here am I to deal with them. How dare any under heaven give indulgence to their refractory wills?" There was one man pursuing a violent and disorderly course in the kingdom, and king Wu was ashamed of it. This was the valour of king Wu. He also, by one display of his anger, gave repose to all the people of the kingdom. Let now your Majesty also, in one burst of anger, give repose to all the people of the kingdom. The people are only afraid that your Majesty does not love valour.'
Character glossary
- 齊qíeven, uniform, of equal length
- 宣xuānto proclaim, to declare, to announce; su
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 交jiāoto connect; to deliver, to exchange; to
- 鄰línneighbor; neighborhood
- 國guócountry, nation, state; national
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 對duìcorrect, right; facing, opposed
- 惟wéibut, however, nevertheless; only
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 湯tāngsoup, gravy, broth; hot water
- 葛géan edible bean; vine; surname
- 文wénculture, literature, writing
- 昆kūnelder brother; descendants
- 夷yíancient barbarian tribes
- 智zhìwisdom, knowledge, intelligence
- 獯xūnbarbarians; a tribe of Scythian nomads
- 鬻yùto vend, sell
- 句jùsentence, clause, phrase, paragraph; sta
- 踐jiànto trample, to tread on, to walk over
- 吳wúone of several warring states; surname
- 樂lècheerful, happy, laughing; music
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 也yěalso, too
- 畏wèifear, dread, awe, reverence
- 保bǎoto safeguard, to protect, to defend, to
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 詩shīpoetry; poem, verse, ode
- 云yúncloud; to say, to speak
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 威wēimight, power, prestige; to dominate
- 于yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 時shítime, season; period, era, age
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 寡guǎwidowed; friendless, alone
- 人rénman, person; people
- 疾jísickness, illness, disease; to envy, to
- 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
- 勇yǒngbrave, courageous, fierce
- 請qǐngto ask, to request; to invite; please
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 1A.7
- Mencius 1B.5
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.