Mencius 7A.43
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
公都子曰：「滕更之在門也，若在所禮。而不答，何也？」孟子曰：「挾貴而問，挾賢而問，挾長而問，挾有勳勞而問，挾故而問，皆所不答也。滕更有二焉。」
The disciple Gong Du said, 'When Geng of Tang made his appearance in your school, it seemed proper that a polite consideration should be paid to him, and yet you did not answer him. Why was that?'
Mencius replied, 'I do not answer him who questions me presuming on his nobility, nor him who presumes on his talents, nor him who presumes on his age, nor him who presumes on services performed to me, nor him who presumes on old acquaintance. Two of those things were chargeable on Geng of Tang.'
Character glossary
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 都dōuall, each, entirely, whole; metropolis;
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 滕téngan ancient state in Shandong province
- 更gèngmore, further; to shift, to alternate; t
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 在zàiat, in, on; to exist; used to indicate t
- 門méngate, door, entrance, opening
- 也yěalso, too
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 答dáanswer, reply; to return; to assent to
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 挾xiéto seize; to hold to one's bosom
- 貴guìexpensive, costly; valuable, precious
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 賢xiánvirtuous, worthy; good, able
- 長zhǎnglong, lasting; to excel in
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 勳xūndead, feat; merit, rank
- 勞láoto labor, to toil; to do manual work
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 皆jiēall, every, everybody
- 二èrtwo; twice
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
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.