Mencius 6A.2
Mencius (孟子), Book 6, Part I: Gaozi I 告子上
告子曰：「性猶湍水也，決諸東方則東流，決諸西方則西流。人性之無分於善不善也，猶水之無分於東西也。」孟子曰：「水信無分於東西。無分於上下乎？人性之善也，猶水之就下也。人無有不善，水無有不下。今夫水，搏而躍之，可使過顙；激而行之，可使在山。是豈水之性哉？其勢則然也。人之可使為不善，其性亦猶是也。」
The philosopher Gao said, 'Man's nature is like water whirling round in a corner. Open a passage for it to the east, and it will flow to the east; open a passage for it to the west, and it will flow to the west. Man's nature is indifferent to good and evil, just as the water is indifferent to the east and west.'
Mencius replied, 'Water indeed will flow indifferently to the east or west, but will it flow indifferently up or down? The tendency of man's nature to good is like the tendency of water to flow downwards. There are none but have this tendency to good, just as all water flows downwards. Now by striking water and causing it to leap up, you may make it go over your forehead, and, by damming and leading it you may force it up a hill - but are such movements according to the nature of water? It is the force applied which causes them. When men are made to do what is not good, their nature is dealt with in this way.'
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
- 湍tuāncurrent, rapids
- 水shuǐwater, liquid, lotion, juice
- 也yěalso, too
- 決juéto decide, to determine, to judge
- 諸zhūall, many, various; surname
- 東dōngeast, eastern, eastward
- 方fāngsquare, rectangle; side; region; flag
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 流liúto flow, to drift, to circulate; class
- 西xīwest, western, westward
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 分fēnto divide, to allocate; fraction; small
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 信xìnto trust, to believe; letter, sign
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 就jiùjust, simply; to go to; to approach, nea
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 搏bócombat; to fight; to strike
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 躍yuèto skip, to jump, to frolic
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 顙sǎngforehead; to kowtow
- 激jīto arouse, to incite; acute, sharp; fier
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 在zàiat, in, on; to exist; used to indicate t
- 山shānmountain, hill, peak
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 豈qǐwhat; how
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 勢shìpower, force; tendency, attitude
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Mencius 6A.8
- Mencius 6A.1
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi The Secret of Life
- Mencius 4A.9
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.