Mencius 7A.1
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「盡其心者，知其性也。知其性，則知天矣。存其心，養其性，所以事天也。殀壽不貳，修身以俟之，所以立命也。」
Mencius said, 'He who has exhausted all his mental constitution knows his nature. Knowing his nature, he knows Heaven. To preserve one's mental constitution, and nourish one's nature, is the way to serve Heaven. When neither a premature death nor long life causes a man any double-mindedness, but he waits in the cultivation of his personal character for whatever issue; this is the way in which he establishes his Heaven-ordained being.'
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
- 盡jǐnto exhaust, to use up, to deplete
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 性xìngsex, nature, character; suffix convertin
- 也yěalso, too
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 存cúnto exist; to survive, to maintain; to ke
- 養yǎngto raise, to rear, to bring up; to suppo
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 殀yāodie young, die prematurely
- 壽shòuold age, longevity; lifespan
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 貳èrtwo (bankers' anti-fraud numeral)
- 修xiūto study; to repair; to decorate; to cul
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 俟qíwait for, wait until, as soon as
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 立lìto stand; to establish, to set up
- 命mìnglife; destiny, fate, luck; an order, ins
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi The Secret of Life
- Zhuangzi Knowledge travels North
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.