Mencius 7A.21
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「廣土眾民，君子欲之，所樂不存焉。中天下而立，定四海之民，君子樂之，所性不存焉。君子所性，雖大行不加焉，雖窮居不損焉，分定故也。君子所性，仁義禮智根於心。其生色也，睟然見於面，盎於背，施於四體，四體不言而喻。」
Mencius said, 'Wide territory and a numerous people are desired by the superior man, but what he delights in is not here. To stand in the centre of the kingdom, and tranquillize the people within the four seas - the superior man delights in this, but the highest enjoyment of his nature is not here. What belongs by his nature to the superior man cannot be increased by the largeness of his sphere of action, nor diminished by his dwelling in poverty and retirement - for this reason that it is determinately apportioned to him by Heaven. What belongs by his nature to the superior man are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and knowledge. These are rooted in his heart; their growth and manifestation are a mild harmony appearing in the countenance, a rich fullness in the back, and the character imparted to the four limbs. Those limbs understand to arrange themselves, without being told.'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 廣guǎngbroad, vast, wide; building, house
- 土tǔsoil, earth; items made of earth
- 眾zhòngmultitude, crowd; masses, public
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 欲yùdesire, want, longing, intent
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 樂lècheerful, happy, laughing; music
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 存cúnto exist; to survive, to maintain; to ke
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 立lìto stand; to establish, to set up
- 定dìngto decide, to fix, to settle; to order;
- 四sìfour
- 海hǎisea, ocean; maritime
- 性xìngsex, nature, character; suffix convertin
- 雖suīalthough, even though
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 加jiāto add to, to increase, to augment
- 窮qióngpoor, destitute; to exhaust
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 損sǔnto damage, to harm
- 分fēnto divide, to allocate; fraction; small
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 也yěalso, too
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 義yìright conduct, propriety; justice
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 智zhìwisdom, knowledge, intelligence
- 根gēnroot, basis, foundation
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 色sècolor, tint, hue, shade; beauty, form; s
- 睟suìclear-eyed
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 面miànface; surface, side; plane, dimension
- 盎àngpot, cup, bowl; abundant
- 背bèiback, backside; to betray, to violate
- 施shīto grant, to bestow; to act; surname
- 體tǐbody; group, class; form, style, system
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 喻yùmetaphor, analogy; example; such as, lik
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Zhuangzi On Letting Alone
- Mencius 6A.6
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi Autumn Floods
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
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.