Mencius 4B.21
Mencius (孟子), Book 4, Part II: Li Lou II 離婁下
孟子曰：「王者之迹熄而詩亡，詩亡然後春秋作。晉之乘，楚之檮杌，魯之春秋，一也。其事則齊桓、晉文，其文則史。孔子曰：『其義則丘竊取之矣。』」
Mencius said, 'The traces of sovereign rule were extinguished, and the royal odes ceased to be made. When those odes ceased to be made, then the Chun Qiu was produced. The Sheng of Jin, the Tao Wu of Chu, and the Chun Qiu of Lu were books of the same character. The subject of the Chun Qiu was the affairs of Huan of Qi and Wen of Jin, and its style was the historical. Confucius said, "Its righteous decisions I ventured to make."'
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
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 迹jītrace, sign, mark, footprint
- 熄xīto extinguish, to put out, to quench
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 詩shīpoetry; poem, verse, ode
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 後hòuafter; behind, rear; descendants
- 春chūnspringtime; joyful, lustful, wanton
- 秋qiūautumn, fall; year
- 作zuòto make; to write, to compose; to act, t
- 晉jìnto advance; to increase; to promote
- 乘chéngride, mount; to make use of; to ascend;
- 楚chǔclear, distinct; pain, suffering; surnam
- 檮táowood block; idiot, blockhead
- 杌wùtree stump; square stool; sterility
- 魯lǔfoolish, stupid, rash; vulgar
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 也yěalso, too
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 齊qíeven, uniform, of equal length
- 桓huánvariety of tree; surname
- 文wénculture, literature, writing
- 史shǐhistory, chronicle, annals
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 義yìright conduct, propriety; justice
- 丘qiūmound, hill; surname
- 竊qièto steal; thief; secret, stealthy
- 取qǔto take, to receive, to obtain; to selec
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 1A.7
- Analects 6.16
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Analects 14.16
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.