Mencius 6A.13
Mencius (孟子), Book 6, Part I: Gaozi I 告子上
孟子曰：「拱把之桐梓，人苟欲生之，皆知所以養之者。至於身，而不知所以養之者，豈愛身不若桐梓哉？弗思甚也。」
Mencius said, 'Anybody who wishes to cultivate the tong or the zi, which may be grasped with both hands, perhaps with one, knows by what means to nourish them. In the case of their own persons, men do not know by what means to nourish them. Is it to be supposed that their regard of their own persons is inferior to their regard for a tong or zi? Their want of reflection is extreme.'
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
- 拱gǒngto salute, to bow; arched; arch
- 把bǎto grasp, to hold; to guard, to take; ha
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 桐tóngChinese wood-oil tree, Vernicia fordii
- 梓zǐCatalpa ovata
- 人rénman, person; people
- 苟gǒucareless, frivolous, illicit; but, if on
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 皆jiēall, every, everybody
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 養yǎngto raise, to rear, to bring up; to suppo
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 豈qǐwhat; how
- 愛àito love, to like, to be fond of; love, a
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 弗fúnot, negative
- 思sīto think, to ponder, to consider; final
- 甚shénconsiderably; very, extremely; a great e
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Mencius 6B.2
- Zhuangzi The Evidence of Virtue Complete
- Mencius 6A.17
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi Opening Trunks
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.