Mencius 6A.14
Mencius (孟子), Book 6, Part I: Gaozi I 告子上
孟子曰:「人之於身也,兼所愛。兼所愛,則兼所養也。無尺寸之膚不愛焉,則無尺寸之膚不養也。所以考其善不善者,豈有他哉?於己取之而已矣。體有貴賤,有小大。無以小害大,無以賤害貴。養其小者為小人,養其大者為大人。今有場師,舍其梧檟,養其樲棘,則為賤場師焉。養其一指而失其肩背,而不知也,則為狼疾人也。飲食之人,則人賤之矣,為其養小以失大也。飲食之人無有失也,則口腹豈適為尺寸之膚哉?」
Mencius said, 'There is no part of himself which a man does not love, and as he loves all, so he must nourish all. There is not an inch of skin which he does not love, and so there is not an inch of skin which he will not nourish. For examining whether his way of nourishing be good or not, what other rule is there but this, that he determine by reflecting on himself where it should be applied? Some parts of the body are noble, and some ignoble; some great, and some small. The great must not be injured for the small, nor the noble for the ignoble. He who nourishes the little belonging to him is a little man, and he who nourishes the great is a great man. Here is a plantation-keeper, who neglects his wu and jia, and cultivates his sour jujube-trees; he is a poor plantation-keeper. He who nourishes one of his fingers, neglecting his shoulders or his back, without knowing that he is doing so, is a man who resembles a hurried wolf. A man who only eats and drinks is counted mean by others; because he nourishes what is little to the neglect of what is great. If a man, fond of his eating and drinking, were not to neglect what is of more importance, how should his mouth and belly be considered as no more than an inch of skin?'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 也yěalso, too
- 兼jiānboth, and; at the same time; to unite, t
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 愛àito love, to like, to be fond of; love, a
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 養yǎngto raise, to rear, to bring up; to suppo
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 尺chǐruler, tape-measure; unit of length, abo
- 寸cùninch; small, tiny
- 膚fūskin; shallow, superficial
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 考kǎoto test, to investigate, to examine
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 豈qǐwhat; how
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 他tāother, another; he, she, it
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 己jǐself, oneself; personal, private; 6th he
- 取qǔto take, to receive, to obtain; to selec
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 體tǐbody; group, class; form, style, system
- 貴guìexpensive, costly; valuable, precious
- 賤jiàncheap, low, mean, worthless
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 害hàito injure, to harm; to destroy, to kill
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 場chǎngfield, open space; market, square; stage
- 師shīteacher, professional, master
- 舍shěhouse, dwelling; to reside, to dwell; to
- 梧wúChinese parasol tree, Sterculia platanif
- 檟jiǎsmall evergreen shrub
- 樲èrjujube
- 棘jíjujube tree; thorns, brambles
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 指zhǐfinger, toe; to point, to indicate
- 失shīto lose; to make a mistake, to neglect
- 肩jiānshoulders; to shoulder, to bear
- 背bèiback, backside; to betray, to violate
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 狼lángwolf
- 疾jísickness, illness, disease; to envy, to
- 飲yǐnto swallow, to drink; a kind of drink
- 食shífood; to eat
- 口kǒumouth; entrance, gate, opening
- 腹fùstomach, belly, abdomen; inside
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi The Empire
- Mencius 1B.10
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
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.