About the Author
Meng Zi (372 BC-289 BC) was known as Ke (轲), with the character Zi Ji (子舆)(待考考), or Zi Che (子車) or Zi Ju (子居). During the Warring States period, he was a native of Zou (present-day Zoucheng, Shandong), and a descendant of Qingfu of Lu. He was a famous thinker and educator in ancient China, and a representative figure of Confucianism in the Warring States period. He was a re-trained disciple of Confucius' grandson, Kong Kai (孔伋). With his disciples Gongsun Chou and Wan Zhang, he compiled the book Mencius. Mencius inherited and developed the ideas of Confucius, and became a Confucian master of his generation, second only to Confucius, with the title of "Sage of Asia", and together with Confucius, he was called "Confucius and Mencius". It records the political, educational, philosophical, ethical and other ideological views and political activities of the thinkers, educators, politicians, Meng Ke and his disciples Wan Zhang during the Warring States period. 261 chapters and more than 35,000 words exist. It is also one of the "Four Books" (the Four Books refer to the Analects, Mencius, the University, and the Meanwhile), which are the classic books of Confucianism in China.
Political advocacy: "benevolent government", "the people are precious and the ruler is light", advocating peace and opposing war. Practicing benevolent rule to unify the world
Mengzi is one of the Confucian classics, one of the Four Books. It is one of the four books of Confucianism. There are seven articles, two hundred and sixty-one chapters, and about 35,000 words in it. It was written by Mencius and several of his disciples***, and is a record of Mencius' lectures and speeches. The content includes Mengzi's words and deeds, political doctrines, as well as arguments about philosophy, ethics, educational thought and other issues. The article is thorough, magnificent, fluent, and full of emotional color. Mencius, who studied under Zi Si (a student of Zi Si), inherited and developed the ideas of Confucius, and became a Confucian master of his generation, second only to Confucius, known as "Kong and Meng" together with Confucius. Mencius followed the example of Confucius and led his disciples to travel to various countries. However, he was not accepted by the countries at that time, and retired to write with his disciples. The starting point of his doctrine is the theory of the goodness of nature, proposing "benevolent government" and "the way of the king", and advocating the rule of virtue. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi combined Mencius with the Analects, the University, and the Meanwhile, and called them the "Four Books". From then on until the end of the Qing Dynasty, "four books" has been the compulsory examination content. Meng Zi's article reasoning smooth, play exhaustive momentum and long argumentation.
Meng Zi's distant ancestor was a member of the Meng Sun clan, a nobleman of the state of Lu, who moved from Lu to Zou after his family's decline. It is said that Mencius lost his father when he was three years old, and his mother worked hard to bring him up, and she was very strict in her control, and her stories of "Three Moves of the Mother of Mencius" and "Breaking the Machine to Teach the Son" have become beautiful stories for the ages, and are examples of motherhood for the generations to come.
Mengzi is one of the classics of Confucianism. The ideological core of Mencius is "benevolence" and "righteousness", and advocates "benevolent government", which is the development of Confucius' thought. His prose is full of vigor, strong feelings, and rich in agitation; he is good at using metaphors to explain things and debate right and wrong, which can attract people's attention and enhance persuasive power. The article "Fish I Desire" better reflects these characteristics. There are very few stories about his life that have been handed down, but the Biography of Han Shi contains stories about his mother's "weaving break", and the Biography of the Ladies contains stories about his mother's "three removals" and "going to Qi", which show that he benefited from his mother's education. It can be seen that he owed a lot to his mother's education. According to the Biography of the Ladies and Zhaoqi's "The Inscription of Mencius", Mencius was taught by Confucius' grandson, Zisi. However, it seems to be implausible to deduce the date of his education. The Records of the Grand Historian. Mengzi Xunqing Liezhuan" says that he "studied under Zi Si's disciples", which is possible. Whether he studied under Zi Si or not, Mencius' doctrine was influenced by Zi Si. Therefore, Xunzi categorized Zisi and Mencius as one school, which is later known as the Si-Meng school of Confucianism. When Mencius arrived in Lu at the age of 15 or 16, there was a theory that he studied under Zisi, the grandson of Confucius, but according to historical evidence, Zisi died several decades before Mencius was born, so it is still more plausible to say that he studied under Zisi's disciples, as recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian!
Center of the argument
Human beings have a nature that "desires more than life, and hates more than death".
Method of Argumentation
This essay uses the techniques of analogy: simile, comparison, example and reason.
Metaphorical argument: this article begins with a metaphorical argument, comparing the choice between life and righteousness to the choice between a fish and a bear's paw.
Example argument:A round of food, a bean soup, if you get it, you will live; if you don't get it, you will die; if you call for it, the people who walk the road will not accept it; if you cuer it, the beggars won't bother;
Contrasting argument:The whole third paragraph uses contrasting argument to compare the present situation with the previous situation.
Original passage
"The Fish I Desire"
Meng Zi - Su Zi Shang (告子上)
The fish, I desire; the bear's paw, I also desire. I can't have both, so I'll give up the fish and take the bear's paw. I want to live, and I want to be righteous, and I want to be righteous. If I cannot have both, I will give up life for righteousness. Life is also what I desire, and what I desire is more than life, so I don't do it for (wéi) gǒu; death is also what I hate (wù), and what I hate (wù) is more than the dead, so I suffer from (bì). If one's desire is nothing more than life, then why not use whatever one can get? If one's desire is greater than life, then why not use those who can have life? If one's evil is greater than death, then why not use those who can have bì? If this is the case, then there is no need to use it, and if this is the case, then there is no need to use it if it is possible to avoid (bì) patients? Therefore, the desire is greater than the living, and the evil (wù) is greater than the dead. It is not only the virtuous who have this heart, but also all people, the virtuous can not lose ear.
One dan (dān) food (shi), one bean soup (gēng), get it then life, fú get it then death. If you call for it, the people who walk the path will not accept it; if you cu (cù) it, the people who beg will not care (xiè) about it. Ten thousand bells is not defense of propriety and righteousness and accepted, ten thousand bells in my how to add! For (wèi) the beauty of the palace, concubines (qiè) of the service, know the poor get (dé) me with (yú)? I am now wéi for the beauty of the palace; I am now wéi for the worship of my concubines; I am now wéi for the knowledge of the poor and the needy; and I am now wéi for the knowledge of the poor and the needy; is this also not possible? This is called losing one's original mind.
Translation
Fish is what I want, and bear's paw is what I want, and if I can't have both, then I will give up the fish and choose the bear's paw. Life is also what I want, and morality is also what I want, and if these two things cannot be obtained at the same time, then I will give up life and choose morality. Life is what I want, but there are other things I want that are more important than life, so I don't do what I do to live. Death is what I abhor, but there are things I abhor that are worse than death, so I do not hide when there is trouble. If there is nothing that men desire that is more important than life, what is there not to be done in any way that preserves life? If there is nothing that people detest more than death, what means can be employed to avoid trouble? Doing it in this way will allow one to survive yet it is not employed, and doing it in this way will allow one to avoid the scourge yet it is not done. From this we can see that there are things they want that are more important than life, and there are things they detest that are more serious than death. It is not only sages who have this kind of thinking, but everyone has this kind of thinking, only that sages are able to conduct themselves in such a way that they do not lose this morality.
A tube of rice, a bowl of soup, gain it and you live, lose it and you die. But if one yells and hands it to others, even a hungry man passing by will not accept it; and if one kicks and gives it to others (after stepping on it), the beggar will not accept it out of contempt (and will not look at him with disdain). If you accept the salary of a high position without distinguishing whether it is moral or not, then what good is this high position and generous salary to me! Is it for the splendor of my palace, for the service of my concubines, for the gratitude of the poor whom I know? Once I would rather die than accept alms for the sake of morality, but now I accept it for the sake of the splendor of the palace; once I would rather die than accept alms for the sake of morality, but now I accept it for the sake of the service of my wives and concubines; once I would rather die than accept alms for the sake of morality, but now I accept it for the sake of the gratitude of the poor people whom I have come to know. Is it not possible for this behavior to cease? If it does not cease, this is what is meant by the loss of human nature.
Editorial
Notes
1. Bear's paw: the paw of a bear's foot, which was considered by the ancients to be a precious food.
2. get both: obtain both. Get: at the same time.
3.He who gives up the fish and takes the bear's paw:He who gives up the fish and chooses the bear's paw. Take: to choose.
The one who gives up his life and takes justice:The one who gives up his life and chooses justice. Taking: to seek to take.
4. He who desires something more than life: He who desires something more than life. The word "more" means more than life; "in" means more than life.
5. Gouge: to get by. Here it means "to live by hook or by crook"; or to seek profit by any means necessary.
6.所恶：讨厌的(事物)。 Evil, hate, detest.
7. affliction: scourge, disaster.
8. Pai: ????????, to avoid. The same as below.
9. 如使：假如，假使，下文 "使 "同义。
10. All those who can be born: all the ways to survive.
10.
11. 何不用也：什么手段不可以使用呢？
12. not for: not willing to do so.
13. By Yes, then life is born but there is no use of it: survival can be obtained by a certain method, but some people do not use it. By is, according to this method. Is, the indicative pronoun, refers to a certain way.
14. non-unique: not only, not only. Alone, only, merely.
15 is: this.
16. do not lose: do not lose. Mourn: to lose, to lose.
17.箪:round bamboo utensils used for serving food in ancient times. It can be translated as "bamboo basket"
18. Bean: an ancient food vessel with a high foot and a disk shape. Wooden, pottery, etc., used to hold meat or other food.
19. hu'er and with it: means to yell without courtesy to give food. Er: tone auxiliary. According to the Records of Rites - Tan Gong, there was a great famine in Qi one year, and Qian Ao was giving out porridge on the road. When a hungry man came with his face covered by his sleeve, Qian Ao yelled at him to eat the porridge. He said, "I am in this situation because I refuse to eat food handed out in contempt. The man always refused the insulting alms and later died of starvation. Hue and cry: to yell, contemptuously, to treat someone with disrespect. And, hyphenated to express modification.
20. cu (cù): the appearance of kicking with the foot With: to give
21. disdain: to refuse to accept because of contempt, here in the sense of unwillingness to accept. The word "disdain" is often used in conjunction with the word "not"
22. The term "ten thousand bells" here refers to the high official's salary. Bell, an ancient measuring device, six drachms and four buckets for a bell. Then, the conjunction, here table assumption. The word "defense" means "discernment".
23. He Jia: what is the benefit.
23.
24. for: in order to.
25. ...Bong: to serve.
26. The poor and needy whom I know have got me: do the poor and needy whom I know appreciate me?
26. 得我：得於我，感激我的恩德。 The word "gain" means "virtue", favor, and here it means to be grateful.
27. xiang for the body to die but not to accept: once upon a time (for the sake of "propriety and righteousness"), one would rather die than accept (alms). The word "xiang" means "to", originally, once upon a time.
28. 已：停止，放弃。
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30.
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32. The people who walk the road: the hungry pedestrians on the road.