Mencius 4A.16
Mencius (孟子), Book 4, Part I: Li Lou I 離婁上
孟子曰：「恭者不侮人，儉者不奪人。侮奪人之君，惟恐不順焉，惡得為恭儉？恭儉豈可以聲音笑貌為哉？」
Mencius said, 'The respectful do not despise others. The economical do not plunder others. The prince who treats men with despite and plunders them, is only afraid that they may not prove obedient to him - how can he be regarded as respectful or economical? How can respectfulness and economy be made out of tones of the voice, and a smiling manner?'
James Legge (1861), The Works of Mencius, The Chinese Classics vol. 2 (1861; 2nd ed. 1895); romanization modernized on Wikisource — public domain.
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 恭gōngpolite, respectful, reverent
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 侮wǔinsult, ridicule, disgrace
- 人rénman, person; people
- 儉jiǎntemperate, frugal, economical
- 奪duóto rob, to snatch, to take by force
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 惟wéibut, however, nevertheless; only
- 恐kǒngfearful, apprehensive; to fear, to dread
- 順shùnto submit to, to obey, to go along with
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 豈qǐwhat; how
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 聲shēngsound, noise; voice, tone, music
- 音yīnsound, tone, pitch, pronunciation
- 笑xiàoto smile, to laugh; to giggle; to snicke
- 貌màocountenance, appearance
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
Passages with shared wording
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.