Mencius 6A.18
Mencius (孟子), Book 6, Part I: Gaozi I 告子上
孟子曰：「仁之勝不仁也，猶水勝火。今之為仁者，猶以一杯水，救一車薪之火也；不熄，則謂之水不勝火，此又與於不仁之甚者也。亦終必亡而已矣。」
Mencius said, 'Benevolence subdues its opposite just as water subdues fire. Those, however, who now-a-days practise benevolence do it as if with one cup of water they could save a whole waggon-load of fuel which was on fire, and when the flames were not extinguished, were to say that water cannot subdue fire. This conduct, moreover, greatly encourages those who are not benevolent. The final issue will simply be this: the loss of that small amount of benevolence.'
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
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 勝shèngvictory; to excel, to truimph
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 也yěalso, too
- 猶yóusimilar to, just like, as
- 水shuǐwater, liquid, lotion, juice
- 火huǒfire, flame; to burn; anger, rage
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 杯bēicup, glass; measure word for liquids
- 救jiùaid, help; to rescue, to save
- 車chēcart, vehicle; to move in a cart
- 薪xīnfuel, firewood; salary
- 熄xīto extinguish, to put out, to quench
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 此cǐthis, these; in this case, then
- 又yòuand, also, again, in addition
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 甚shénconsiderably; very, extremely; a great e
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 終zhōngend; finally, in the end
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Mencius 6A.16
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
- Zhuangzi Contingencies
- 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.