Mencius 7A.28
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子曰：「柳下惠不以三公易其介。」
Mencius said, 'Hui of Liu Xia would not for the three highest offices of State have changed his firm purpose of life.'
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
- 柳liǔwillow tree; pleasure; surname
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 惠huìfavor, benefit, blessing, kindness
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 三sānthree
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 易yìto change; to exchange, to trade; simple
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 介jièagent, go-between, intermediary; to intr
Passages with shared wording
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.