Mencius 7A.13
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「霸者之民，驩虞如也；王者之民，皞皞如也。殺之而不怨，利之而不庸，民日遷善而不知為之者。夫君子所過者化，所存者神，上下與天地同流，豈曰小補之哉？」
Mencius said, 'Under a chief, leading all the princes, the people look brisk and cheerful. Under a true sovereign, they have an air of deep contentment. Though he slay them, they do not murmur. When he benefits them, they do not think of his merit. From day to day they make progress towards what is good, without knowing who makes them do so. Wherever the superior man passes through, transformation follows; wherever he abides, his influence is of a spiritual nature. It flows abroad, above and beneath, like that of Heaven and Earth. How can it be said that he mends society but in a small way!'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 霸bàtyrant; to usurp, to rule by might
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 驩huānhappy, pleased, glad; joy; to enjoy
- 虞yúanxious, concerned, worried
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 也yěalso, too
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 皞hàobright, brilliant
- 殺shāto kill, to murder, to slaughter; to hur
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 怨yuànto blame, to complain, to hate; enmity,
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 庸yōngusual, common, ordinary, mediocre
- 日rìsun; day; daytime
- 遷qiānto shift, to move; to transfer, to chang
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 化huàto change, to convert, to reform; -ize
- 存cúnto exist; to survive, to maintain; to ke
- 神shéngod, spirit; divine, mysterious, superna
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 地deearth, ground, soil; land, region; struc
- 同tóngsame, similar; together with, alike
- 流liúto flow, to drift, to circulate; class
- 豈qǐwhat; how
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 補bǔto fix, to mend, to patch, to restore
- 哉zāifinal exclamatory particle
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 4A.1
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
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.