Mencius 7B.16
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part II: Jin Xin II 盡心下
孟子曰：「仁也者，人也。合而言之，道也。」
Mencius said, 'Benevolence is the distinguishing characteristic of man. As embodied in man's conduct, it is called the path of duty.'
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
- 仁rénbenevolent, humane, kind
- 也yěalso, too
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 人rénman, person; people
- 合héto combine, to join, to unite; to gather
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi Tsê Yang
- Zhuangzi Man Among Men
- Zhuangzi The Old Fisherman
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 26
- Zhuangzi The Universe
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.