Mencius 7A.35
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
桃應問曰：「舜為天子，皋陶為士，瞽瞍殺人，則如之何？」孟子曰：「執之而已矣。」「然則舜不禁與？」曰：「夫舜惡得而禁之？夫有所受之也。」「然則舜如之何？」曰：「舜視棄天下，猶棄敝蹝也。竊負而逃，遵海濱而處，終身訢然，樂而忘天下。」
Tao Ying asked, saying, 'Shun being sovereign, and Gao Yao chief minister of justice, if Gu Sou had murdered a man, what would have been done in the case?'
Mencius said, 'Gao Yao would simply have apprehended him.'
'But would not Shun have forbidden such a thing?'
'Indeed, how could Shun have forbidden it? Gao Yao had received the law from a proper source.'
'In that case what would Shun have done?'
'Shun would have regarded abandoning the kingdom as throwing away a worn-out sandal. He would privately have taken his father on his back, and retired into concealment, living some where along the sea-coast. There he would have been all his life, cheerful and happy, forgetting the kingdom.'
Character glossary
- 桃táopeach; marriage; surname
- 應yīngshould, must; to respond, to handle; to
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 舜shùnlegendary ruler
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 皋gāothe high land along a river
- 陶táopottery, ceramics
- 士shìscholar, gentleman; soldier
- 瞽gǔblind, stupid; a blind musician
- 瞍sǒublind
- 殺shāto kill, to murder, to slaughter; to hur
- 人rénman, person; people
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 執zhíto execute; to grasp, to hold; to keep;
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 禁jìnto restrict, to prohibit, to forbid; to
- 與yǔand; with; to; for; to give, to grant
- 夫fūman, husband; worker; those
- 惡èbad, evil, wicked; to hate, to loathe; f
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 受shòuto receive, to get, to accept; to bear
- 也yěalso, too
- 視shìto look at, to inspect, to observe, to r
- 棄qìto abandon, to discard, to reject; to de
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 猶yóusimilar to, just like, as
- 敝bìto break, to destroy; ruined, tattered
- 蹝xǐsandal
- 竊qièto steal; thief; secret, stealthy
- 負fùload, burden; to carry, to bear
- 逃táoto abscond, to dodge, to escape, to flee
- 遵zūnto follow, to comply with; to honor
- 海hǎisea, ocean; maritime
- 濱bīnbeach, coast, river bank
- 處chùto reside at, to live in; place, locale;
- 終zhōngend; finally, in the end
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 訢xīndelighted, pleased; happy
- 樂lècheerful, happy, laughing; music
- 忘wàngto forget, to miss, to neglect, to overl
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.