Mencius 7A.9
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part I: Jin Xin I 盡心上
孟子謂宋句踐曰：「子好遊乎？吾語子遊。人知之，亦囂囂；人不知，亦囂囂。」曰：「何如斯可以囂囂矣？」曰：「尊德樂義，則可以囂囂矣。故士窮不失義，達不離道。窮不失義，故士得己焉；達不離道，故民不失望焉。古之人，得志，澤加於民；不得志，脩身見於世。窮則獨善其身，達則兼善天下。」
Mencius said to Song Gou Jian, 'Are you fond, Sir, of travelling to the different courts? I will tell you about such travelling. If a prince acknowledge you and follow your counsels, be perfectly satisfied. If no one do so, be the same.'
Gou Jian said, 'What is to be done to secure this perfect satisfaction?'
Mencius replied, 'Honour virtue and delight in righteousness, and so you may always be perfectly satisfied. Therefore, a scholar, though poor, does not let go his righteousness; though prosperous, he does not leave his own path. Poor and not letting righteousness go - it is thus that the scholar holds possession of himself. Prosperous and not leaving the proper path - it is thus that the expectations of the people from him are not disappointed. When the men of antiquity realized their wishes, benefits were conferred by them on the people. If they did not realize their wishes, they cultivated their personal character, and became illustrious in the world. If poor, they attended to their own virtue in solitude; if advanced to dignity, they made the whole kingdom virtuous as well.'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 宋sòngthe Song dynasty; surname
- 句jùsentence, clause, phrase, paragraph; sta
- 踐jiànto trample, to tread on, to walk over
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 好hǎogood, excellent, fine; proper, suitable;
- 遊yóusto wander, to travel, to roam
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 吾wúI, my, our; to resist, to impede
- 語yǔwords, language; saying, expression
- 人rénman, person; people
- 知zhīto know, to perceive, to comprehend
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 囂xiāoto make noise; to treat with contempt
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 何héwhat, why, where, which, how
- 如rúas, as if, like, such as, supposing
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
- 尊zūnto honor, to respect, to venerate
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 樂lècheerful, happy, laughing; music
- 義yìright conduct, propriety; justice
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 士shìscholar, gentleman; soldier
- 窮qióngpoor, destitute; to exhaust
- 失shīto lose; to make a mistake, to neglect
- 達dáto reach, to arrive at; intelligent
- 離lírare beast; strange; elegant
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 己jǐself, oneself; personal, private; 6th he
- 焉yānwhy? where? how?; strange; thereupon, th
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 望wàngto expect, to hope, to look forward to
- 古gǔold, classic, ancient
- 志zhìdetermination, will; mark, sign; to reco
- 澤zémarsh, swamp; brilliance, grace
- 加jiāto add to, to increase, to augment
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 脩xiūdried meat
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 見jiànto see, to observe, to meet, to appear
- 世shìgeneration, era, age; world
- 獨dúalone, independent, only, single, solita
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 兼jiānboth, and; at the same time; to unite, t
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Zhuangzi Exercise of Faculties
- Mencius 2B.2
- Zhuangzi Transcendental Bliss
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
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.