Mencius 4A.13
Mencius (孟子), Book 4, Part I: Li Lou I 離婁上
孟子曰：「伯夷辟紂，居北海之濱，聞文王作，興曰：『盍歸乎來！吾聞西伯善養老者。』太公辟紂，居東海之濱，聞文王作，興曰：『盍歸乎來！吾聞西伯善養老者。』二老者，天下之大老也，而歸之，是天下之父歸之也。天下之父歸之，其子焉往？諸侯有行文王之政者，七年之內，必為政於天下矣。」
Mencius said, 'Bo Yi, that he might avoid Zhou, was dwelling on the coast of the northern sea. When he heard of the rise of king Wen, he roused himself, and said, "Why should I not go and follow him? I have heard that the chief of the West knows well how to nourish the old." Tai Gong, that he might avoid Zhou, was dwelling on the coast of the eastern sea. When he heard of the rise of king Wen, he roused himself, and said, "Why should I not go and follow him? I have heard that the chief of the West knows well how to nourish the old." Those two old men were the greatest old men of the kingdom. When they came to follow king Wen, it was the fathers of the kingdom coming to follow him. When the fathers of the kingdom joined him, how could the sons go to any other? Were any of the princes to practise the government of king Wen, within seven years he would be sure to be giving laws to the kingdom.'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 伯bóolder brother; father's elder brother; s
- 夷yíancient barbarian tribes
- 辟pìlaw, rule; to open up, to develop
- 紂zhòusaddle strap, harness; an emperor
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 北běinorth; northern; northward
- 海hǎisea, ocean; maritime
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 濱bīnbeach, coast, river bank
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 文wénculture, literature, writing
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 作zuòto make; to write, to compose; to act, t
- 興xìngto thrive, to prosper, to flourish
- 盍héwhat? why not?
- 歸guīto return, to go back; to return to, to
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 來láito arrive, to come, to return; in the fu
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 西xīwest, western, westward
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 養yǎngto raise, to rear, to bring up; to suppo
- 老lǎoold, aged; experienced
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 太tàivery, too much; big; extreme
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 東dōngeast, eastern, eastward
- 二èrtwo; twice
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 也yěalso, too
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 父fùfather, dad
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 往wǎngto go, to depart; past, former
- 諸zhūall, many, various; surname
- 侯hóumarquis, lord; target in archery
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 政zhènggovernment, politics
- 七qīseven
- 年niányear; anniversary; a person's age
- 內nèiinside
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 7A.22
- Mencius 7B.37
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Mencius 5B.1
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
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.