Mencius 7A.18
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「人之有德慧術知者，恒存乎疢疾。獨孤臣孽子，其操心也危，其慮患也深，故達。」
Mencius said, 'Men who are possessed of intelligent virtue and prudence in affairs will generally be found to have been in sickness and troubles. They are the friendless minister and concubine's son, who keep their hearts under a sense of peril, and use deep precautions against calamity. On this account they become distinguished for their intelligence.'
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
- 人rénman, person; people
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 慧huìbright, intelligent; intelligence
- 術shùskill, art; method, technique; trick
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 恒héngconstant, persistent, regular
- 存cúnto exist; to survive, to maintain; to ke
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 疢chènaching of limbs, muscular pains
- 疾jísickness, illness, disease; to envy, to
- 獨dúalone, independent, only, single, solita
- 孤gūorphaned; alone, lonely, solidary
- 臣chénminister, statesman, official, vassal
- 孽nièbastard child; the consequence of a sin;
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 操cāoto conduct, to manage, to run
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 也yěalso, too
- 危wēidangerous, precarious; high
- 慮lǜanxious, concerned, worried
- 患huànsuffering; misfortune; trouble; to suffe
- 深shēndeep, profound; depth
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 達dáto reach, to arrive at; intelligent
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Mountain Trees
- Mencius 3B.10
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
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.