Mencius 7B.33
Mencius (孟子), Book 7, Part II: Jin Xin II 盡心下
孟子曰：「堯舜，性者也；湯武，反之也。動容周旋中禮者，盛德之至也；哭死而哀，非為生者也；經德不回，非以干祿也；言語必信，非以正行也。君子行法，以俟命而已矣。」
Mencius said, 'Yao and Shun were what they were by nature; Tang and Wu were so by returning to natural virtue. When all the movements, in the countenance and every turn of the body, are exactly what is proper, that shows the extreme degree of the complete virtue. Weeping for the dead should be from real sorrow, and not because of the living. The regular path of virtue is to be pursued without any bend, and from no view to emolument. The words should all be necessarily sincere, not with any desire to do what is right. The superior man performs the law of right, and thereby waits simply for what has been appointed.'
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 堯yáoa legendary ancient emperor-sage
- 舜shùnlegendary ruler
- 性xìngsex, nature, character; suffix convertin
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 也yěalso, too
- 湯tāngsoup, gravy, broth; hot water
- 武wǔmilitary; martial, warlike
- 反fǎnreverse, opposite; contrary, anti-
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 動dòngto move, to happen; movement, action
- 容róngappearance, looks; form, figure; to cont
- 周zhōuZhou dynasty; circumference
- 旋xuánto revolve, to orbit, to return
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 盛shèngabundant, flourishing; to contain; to fi
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 哭kūto weep, to cry, to wail
- 死sǐdead; death; impassable, inflexible
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 哀āisad, mournful, pitiful; to pity; to grie
- 非fēinot, negative, non-; to oppose
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 生shēnglife, lifetime; birth; growth
- 經jīngthe classics; to experience, to undergo
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 回huíto return, to turn around; a time
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 干gànarid, dry; to oppose; to offend; to inva
- 祿lùblessing, happiness, prosperity
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 語yǔwords, language; saying, expression
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 信xìnto trust, to believe; letter, sign
- 正zhèngstraight, right, proper, correct, just,
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 法fǎlaw, rule, statute; method, way; French
- 俟qíwait for, wait until, as soon as
- 命mìnglife; destiny, fate, luck; an order, ins
- 已yǐalready; finished; to stop; then, afterw
- 矣yǐparticle of completed action
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Tao of God
- Mencius 7A.30
- Zhuangzi Contingencies
- Zhuangzi Kêng Sang Ch’u
- Zhuangzi Robber Chê
- The Doctrine of the Mean Passage 14
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.