Mencius 7A.23
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「易其田疇，薄其稅斂，民可使富也。食之以時，用之以禮，財不可勝用也。民非水火不生活，昏暮叩人之門戶，求水火，無弗與者，至足矣。聖人治天下，使有菽粟如水火。菽粟如水火，而民焉有不仁者乎？」
Mencius said, 'Let it be seen to that their fields of grain and hemp are well cultivated, and make the taxes on them light - so the people may be made rich. Let it be seen to that the people use their resources of food seasonably, and expend their wealth only on the prescribed ceremonies - so their wealth will be more than can be consumed. The people cannot live without water and fire, yet if you knock at a man's door in the dusk of the evening, and ask for water and fire, there is no man who will not give them, such is the abundance of these things. A sage governs the kingdom so as to cause pulse and grain to be as abundant as water and fire. When pulse and grain are as abundant as water and fire, how shall the people be other than virtuous?'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 易yìto change; to exchange, to trade; simple
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 田tiánfield, farm, arable land; cultivated
- 疇chóufield, farmland; class, category
- 薄báothin, slight; meager, weak; poor, stingy
- 稅shuìtaxes
- 斂liǎnto collect, to extort
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 使shǐcause, mission, orders; envoy, messenger
- 富fùabundant, ample; rich, wealthy
- 也yěalso, too
- 食shífood; to eat
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 時shítime, season; period, era, age
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 財cáiriches, wealth, valuables
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 勝shèngvictory; to excel, to truimph
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
- 水shuǐwater, liquid, lotion, juice
- 火huǒfire, flame; to burn; anger, rage
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 活huóto exist, to live, to survive; living, w
- 昏hūndusk, nightfall, twilight, dark; to fain
- 暮mùdusk, evening, sunset; ending
- 叩kòuto ask; to bow, to kowtow; to knock
- 人rénman, person; people
- 門méngate, door, entrance, opening
- 戶hùdoor; family
- 求qiúto seek; to request, to demand; to besee
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 弗fúnot, negative
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 足zúfoot; to attain, to satisfy; enough
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 聖shèngholy, sacred; sage, saint
- 治zhìto administer, to govern, to regulate
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 菽shūlegumes
- 粟sùoats, millet, barley
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Zhuangzi Opening Trunks
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- 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.