Mencius 4A.17
Mencius (孟子), Book 4, Part I: Li Lou I 離婁上
淳于髡曰：「男女授受不親，禮與？」孟子曰：「禮也。」曰：「嫂溺則援之以手乎？」曰：「嫂溺不援，是豺狼也。男女授受不親，禮也；嫂溺援之以手者，權也。」曰：「今天下溺矣，夫子之不援，何也？」曰：「天下溺，援之以道；嫂溺，援之以手。子欲手援天下乎？」
Chun Yu Kun said, 'Is it the rule that males and females shall not allow their hands to touch in giving or receiving anything?'
Mencius replied, 'It is the rule.'
Kun asked, 'If a man's sister-in-law be drowning, shall he rescue her with his hand?'
Mencius said, 'He who would not so rescue the drowning woman is a wolf. For males and females not to allow their hands to touch in giving and receiving is the general rule; when a sister-in-law is drowning, to rescue her with the hand is a peculiar exigency.'
Kun said, 'The whole kingdom is drowning. How strange it is that you will not rescue it!'
Mencius answered, 'A drowning kingdom must be rescued with right principles, as a drowning sister-in-law has to be rescued with the hand. Do you wish me to rescue the kingdom with my hand?'
Character glossary
- 淳chúnsimple, honest, genuine
- 于yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 髡kūnto shear a tree; an ancient punishment
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 男nánman, boy; male; baron; surname
- 女nǚwoman, girl; female
- 授shòuto award, to confer, to instruct, to tea
- 受shòuto receive, to get, to accept; to bear
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 親qīnrelatives, parents; intimate; the hazeln
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 也yěalso, too
- 嫂sǎosister-in-law, elder brother's wife
- 溺nìto spoil, to pamper, to indulge; to drow
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 援yuánto assist; to lead; to quote, to cite
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 手shǒuhand
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 豺cháiwolf; cruel, mean, wicked
- 狼lángwolf
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 權quánauthority, power, right
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
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.