Mencius 6A.16
Mencius (孟子), Book 6, Part I: Gaozi I 告子上
孟子曰：「有天爵者，有人爵者。仁義忠信，樂善不倦，此天爵也；公卿大夫，此人爵也。古之人修其天爵，而人爵從之。今之人修其天爵，以要人爵；既得人爵，而棄其天爵，則惑之甚者也，終亦必亡而已矣。」
Mencius said, 'There is a nobility of Heaven, and there is a nobility of man. Benevolence, righteousness, self-consecration, and fidelity, with unwearied joy in these virtues; these constitute the nobility of Heaven. To be a gong, a qing, or a da fu; this constitutes the nobility of man. The men of antiquity cultivated their nobility of Heaven, and the nobility of man came to them in its train. The men of the present day cultivate their nobility of Heaven in order to seek for the nobility of man, and when they have obtained that, they throw away the other - their delusion is extreme. The issue is simply this, that they must lose that nobility of man as well.'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 爵juénoble; a feudal rank or title
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 人rénman, person; people
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 義yìright conduct, propriety; justice
- 忠zhōngloyalty, devotion, fidelity
- 信xìnto trust, to believe; letter, sign
- 樂lècheerful, happy, laughing; music
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 倦juàntired, weary
- 此cǐthis, these; in this case, then
- 也yěalso, too
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 卿qīngnoble; minister; thou (poetic)
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 古gǔold, classic, ancient
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 修xiūto study; to repair; to decorate; to cul
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 要yàoessential, necessary; to ask for; to coe
- 既jìalready, since, then; both; de facto
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 棄qìto abandon, to discard, to reject; to de
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 惑huòto confuse, to mislead; to doubt
- 甚shénconsiderably; very, extremely; a great e
- 終zhōngend; finally, in the end
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Mencius 6A.18
- Zhuangzi How to Govern
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
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.