Mencius 6A.1
Mencius (孟子), Book 6, Part I: Gaozi I 告子上
告子曰：「性，猶杞柳也；義，猶桮棬也。以人性為仁義，猶以杞柳為桮棬。」孟子曰：「子能順杞柳之性而以為桮棬乎？將戕賊杞柳而後以為桮棬也？如將戕賊杞柳而以為桮棬，則亦將戕賊人以為仁義與？率天下之人而禍仁義者，必子之言夫！」
The philosopher Gao said, 'Man's nature is like the qi-willow , and righteousness is like a cup or a bowl. The fashioning benevolence and righteousness out of man's nature is like the making cups and bowls from the qi-willow.'
Mencius replied, 'Can you, leaving untouched the nature of the willow, make with it cups and bowls? You must do violence and injury to the willow, before you can make cups and bowls with it. If you must do violence and injury to the willow in order to make cups and bowls with it, on your principles you must in the same way do violence and injury to humanity in order to fashion from it benevolence and righteousness! Your words, alas! would certainly lead all men on to reckon benevolence and righteousness to be calamities.'
Character glossary
- 告gàoto tell, to inform, to announce; to accu
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 性xìngsex, nature, character; suffix convertin
- 猶yóusimilar to, just like, as
- 杞qǐwillow, medlar tree; a small feudal stat
- 柳liǔwillow tree; pleasure; surname
- 也yěalso, too
- 義yìright conduct, propriety; justice
- 桮bēicup, glass, tumbler
- 棬quānbowl
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 人rénman, person; people
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 順shùnto submit to, to obey, to go along with
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 將jiāngthe future, what will be; ready, prepare
- 戕qiāngto kill, to slay; to wound, to injure
- 賊zéithief, traitor; cunning, sly
- 後hòuafter; behind, rear; descendants
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 率lǜto command, to lead; rate, ratio, propor
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 禍huòmisfortune, disaster, calamity
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 6A.2
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Mencius 6A.3
- Mencius 3B.4
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.