Mencius 7B.19
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part II: Jin Xin II 盡心下
貉稽曰：「稽大不理於口。」孟子曰：「無傷也。士憎茲多口。《詩》云：『憂心悄悄，慍于群小。』孔子也。『肆不殄厥慍，亦不隕厥問。』文王也。」
Mo Qi said, 'Greatly am I from anything to depend upon from the mouths of men.'
Mencius observed, 'There is no harm in that. Scholars are more exposed than others to suffer from the mouths of men. It is said, in the Book of Poetry, "My heart is disquieted and grieved, I am hated by the crowd of mean creatures." This might have been said by Confucius. And again, "Though he did not remove their wrath, He did not let fall his own fame." This might be said of king Wen.'
James Legge (1861), The Works of Mencius, The Chinese Classics vol. 2 (1861; 2nd ed. 1895); romanization modernized on Wikisource — public domain.
Character glossary
- 貉háoraccoon dog
- 稽jīto examine, to investigate
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 理lǐscience, reason, logic; to manage
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 口kǒumouth; entrance, gate, opening
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 傷shāngto injure, to harm; wound, injury; to fa
- 也yěalso, too
- 士shìscholar, gentleman; soldier
- 憎zēngto abhor, to detest, to hate
- 茲zīnow, here; this; time, year
- 多duōmuch, many, multi-; more than, over
- 詩shīpoetry; poem, verse, ode
- 云yúncloud; to say, to speak
- 憂yōusad, grieving; melancholy, grief
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 悄qiāoquiet, silent, still; anxious
- 慍yùnangry, indignant; resentful, sulking
- 于yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 群qúngroup, crowd; multitude, mob
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 肆sìto indulge; excess; four (bankers' anti-
- 殄tiǎnto end; to exterminate
- 厥juépersonal pronoun; he, she, it
- 亦yìalso, too; likewise
- 隕yǔnto slip, to fall; to drop; to die
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 文wénculture, literature, writing
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
Passages with shared wording
- Mencius 1A.7
- Zhuangzi The Universe
- Analects 17.16
- Zhuangzi Exercise of Faculties
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Zhuangzi The Empire
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.