Mencius 7A.16
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「舜之居深山之中，與木石居，與鹿豕遊，其所以異於深山之野人者幾希。及其聞一善言，見一善行，若決江河，沛然莫之能禦也。」
Mencius said, 'When Shun was living amid the deep retired mountains, dwelling with the trees and rocks, and wandering among the deer and swine, the difference between him and the rude inhabitants of those remote hills appeared very small. But when he heard a single good word, or saw a single good action, he was like a stream or a river bursting its banks, and flowing out in an irresistible flood.'
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
- 舜shùnlegendary ruler
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 深shēndeep, profound; depth
- 山shānmountain, hill, peak
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 木mùtree; wood, lumber; wooden
- 石shístone, rock, mineral
- 鹿lùdeer; surname
- 豕shǐpig, boar
- 遊yóusto wander, to travel, to roam
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 異yìdifferent, strange, unusual; foreign; su
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 野yěfield, open country; wilderness
- 人rénman, person; people
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 幾jǐsmall table; how many; a few, some
- 希xīrare; to hope for, to strive for; to exp
- 及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 決juéto decide, to determine, to judge
- 江jiānglarge river; the Yangtze; surname
- 河hériver, stream; the Yellow river
- 沛pèiabundant, copious, full
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 莫mòcannot; do not; is not; negative
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 禦yùchariot; to drive, to ride; to manage
- 也yěalso, too
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Empire
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Zhuangzi The Identity of Contraries
- Mencius 1A.7
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
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.