Mencius 6B.11
Mencius (孟子), Book 6, Part II: Gaozi II 告子下
白圭曰：「丹之治水也愈於禹。」孟子曰：「子過矣。禹之治水，水之道也。是故禹以四海為壑，今吾子以鄰國為壑。水逆行，謂之洚水。洚水者，洪水也，仁人之所惡也。吾子過矣。」
Bai Gui said, 'My management of the waters is superior to that of Yu.'
Mencius replied, 'You are wrong, Sir. Yu's regulation of the waters was according to the laws of water. He therefore made the four seas their receptacle, while you make the neighbouring States their receptacle. Water flowing out of its channels is called an inundation. Inundating waters are a vast waste of water, and what a benevolent man detests. You are wrong, my good Sir.'
James Legge (1861), The Works of Mencius, The Chinese Classics vol. 2 (1861; 2nd ed. 1895); romanization modernized on Wikisource — public domain.
Character glossary
- 白báiwhite; clear, pure, unblemished; bright
- 圭guījade tablet
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 丹dāncinnabar, red, vermilion; pellet, powder
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 治zhìto administer, to govern, to regulate
- 水shuǐwater, liquid, lotion, juice
- 也yěalso, too
- 愈yùto recover, to heal; more and more
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 禹yǔlegendary Hsia dynasty founder
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 四sìfour
- 海hǎisea, ocean; maritime
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 壑hègully, pool; a ditch carved by a torrent
- 今jīnmodern, current; today, now
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 鄰línneighbor; neighborhood
- 國guócountry, nation, state; national
- 逆nìto disobey, to rebel; traitor, rebel
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 洚jiàngflood
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 洪hóngdeluge, flood; immense, vast
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 人rénman, person; people
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 3B.9
- Mencius 6B.10
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Mencius 4B.26
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Mencius 5A.6
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.