Mencius 4A.28
Mencius (孟子), Book 4, Part I: Li Lou I 離婁上
孟子曰：「天下大悅而將歸己。視天下悅而歸己，猶草芥也。惟舜為然。不得乎親，不可以為人；不順乎親，不可以為子。舜盡事親之道而瞽瞍厎豫，瞽瞍厎豫而天下化，瞽瞍厎豫而天下之為父子者定，此之謂大孝。」
Mencius said, 'Suppose the case of the whole kingdom turning in great delight to an individual to submit to him. To regard the whole kingdom thus turning to him in great delight but as a bundle of grass - only Shun was capable of this. He considered that if one could not get the hearts of his parents he could not be considered a man, and that if he could not get to an entire accord with his parents, he could not be considered a son. By Shun's completely fulfilling everything by which a parent could be served, Gu Sou was brought to find delight in what was good. When Gu Sou was brought to find that delight, the whole kingdom was transformed. When Gu Sou was brought to find that delight, all fathers and sons in the kingdom were established in their respective duties. This is called great filial piety.'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 悅yuècontented, gratified, pleased
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 歸guīto return, to go back; to return to, to
- 己jǐself, oneself; personal, private; 6th he
- 視shìto look at, to inspect, to observe, to r
- 猶yóusimilar to, just like, as
- 草cǎograss, herbs; straw, thatch
- 芥jièmustard, broccoli
- 也yěalso, too
- 惟wéibut, however, nevertheless; only
- 舜shùnlegendary ruler
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 親qīnrelatives, parents; intimate; the hazeln
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 人rénman, person; people
- 順shùnto submit to, to obey, to go along with
- 盡jǐnto exhaust, to use up, to deplete
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 瞽gǔblind, stupid; a blind musician
- 瞍sǒublind
- 厎dǐsettle
- 豫yùrelaxed; hesitant
- 化huàto change, to convert, to reform; -ize
- 父fùfather, dad
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 定dìngto decide, to fix, to settle; to order;
- 此cǐthis, these; in this case, then
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 孝xiàofilial piety, obedience; mourning
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 3A.4
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Mencius 5A.4
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 22
- Mencius 5A.1
- 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.