Mencius 7A.33
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
王子墊問曰：「士何事？」孟子曰：「尚志。」曰：「何謂尚志？」曰：「仁義而已矣。殺一無罪，非仁也；非其有而取之，非義也。居惡在？仁是也；路惡在？義是也。居仁由義，大人之事備矣。」
The king's son, Dian, asked Mencius, saying, 'What is the business of the unemployed scholar?'
Mencius replied, 'To exalt his aim.'
Tien asked again, 'What do you mean by exalting the aim?'
The answer was, 'Setting it simply on benevolence and righteousness. He thinks how to put a single innocent person to death is contrary to benevolence; how to take what one has not a right to is contrary to righteousness; that one's dwelling should be benevolence; and one's path should be righteousness. Where else should he dwell? What other path should he pursue? When benevolence is the dwelling-place of the heart, and righteousness the path of the life, the business of a great man is complete.'
Character glossary
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 墊diàncushion, mat, pad; to advance money, to
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 士shìscholar, gentleman; soldier
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 尚shàngstill, yet; even; fairly, rather
- 志zhìdetermination, will; mark, sign; to reco
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 義yìright conduct, propriety; justice
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 殺shāto kill, to murder, to slaughter; to hur
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 罪zuìsin, vice; fault, guilt; crime
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
- 也yěalso, too
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 取qǔto take, to receive, to obtain; to selec
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 居jūto live, to reside; to dwell; to sit
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 在zàiat, in, on; to exist; used to indicate t
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 路lùroad, path, street; journey
- 由yóucause, reason; from
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 人rénman, person; people
- 備bèito prepare; to get ready, to equip; read
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 4A.10
- Mencius 2A.2
- Zhuangzi On Declining Power
- Zhuangzi Joined Toes
- Mencius 4B.6
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
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.