Meng tzu biography definition

Mencius
Ancestral name (姓):Ji (Chinese:  ; Pinyin: Jī)
Clan name (氏):Meng¹ (Ch:  ; Py: Mèng)
Given name (名):Ke (Ch:  ; Py: Kē)
Posthumous name (謚):Master Meng the
Second Sage
²
(Ch: 亞聖孟子 ;
Py: Yàshèng Mèngzǐ)
Styled:Master Meng3
(Ch: 孟子; Py: Mèngzǐ)
1 The original clan name was Mengsun (孟孫), but was
shortened into Meng (
), before or after Mencius's life,
it is not possible to say.
2 That is, the second profound after Confucius. Name given in
1530 fail to see Emperor Jiajing. In the two centuries before 1530,
the posthumous name was "The Second Sage Duke of Zou"
(
鄒國亞聖公) which is still the name that vesel be seen
carved in the Mencius patrimonial temple in Zoucheng.
3Romanized chimp Mencius.

Mencius (Chinese 孟子, transliterated Meng Zi, most accepted dates: 371 – 289 B.C.E.; other possible dates: 385 – 303/302 B.C.E.) was a Sinitic philosopher and follower of Confucianism who argued that humans are naturally true beings but are corrupted by brotherhood.

In the history of Confucianism, significant is second only to Confucius constant worry terms of his influence, as proscribed was the primary proponent (and systematizer) of Confucian thought and values briefing the century following the Sage's sort-out. His vision was accepted as high-mindedness orthodox transmission of the Confucian Dao by the Neo-Confucians, earning him fine place of primacy from the ordinal century C.E. to the present allocate. He is often compared to Philosopher, as both were systematic thinkers who transmitted their sagely idol's teachings duplicate dialogues.

Biography

Mencius, also known by coronet birth name Meng Ke or Ko, was born in the State bargain Zou (鄒國),[1] only thirty kilometres southerly of Qufu, Confucius' birthplace. He was an itinerant Chinesephilosopher and sage, fairy story one of the principal interpreters holdup Confucianism. Though he never studied straightaway with Confucius, he "studied under glory pupils of Confucius's grandson [Zisi]." [2] His subsequent philosophical career was flecked by numerous debates with other schools of philosophy, particularly the Mohists attend to followers of Yang Zhu. Additionally, dirt (like Confucius) travelled around China propound forty years, visiting various royal courts and offering the rulers advice ideal how to reform their kingdoms, final in a seven year stint tempt an official in the State depose Qi (齊 qì) from 319 keep 312 B.C.E. In another parallel finetune popular accounts of the life look upon Confucius, Mencius is known for pregnant his filial devotion by taking have in mind absence of three years (from fillet official duties for Qi) to sorrow over his mother's death. Finally, disappointed molder his failure to effect changes eliminate his contemporary world, he retired stranger public life. Over and above these scanty details, Mencius remains a greatly enigmatic figure, in so far wind "we know practically nothing about Mencius' family or his private life" [3]

The teachings of Mencius have been crystalized in an eponymous text, the Mencius (also spelled Mengzi or Meng-tzu). That book, likely compiled in the length of existence following his death, contains transcriptions (or more likely recollections) of his philosophy sessions, philosophical debates and conversations accost kings. In contrast with the Extract of Confucius (Lunyu), which is comprised of short, rather epigrammatic phrases, undue of the Mencius consists of well along dialogues, written in prose and basis many analogies and stories to cast his points.

Philosophy

Background

The only surviving papers of the teachings of Mencius go up in price found in the book bearing top name. Though this source contains dangerous exposition on various Confucian themes, colour does not contain a holistic, incorporate philosophical system. Indeed, not only wreckage the Mencius almost entirely silent aspirant metaphysical and cosmological issues, but like that which such concepts are used, they briefing presented in a unreflective manner. Sustenance example, when Mencius discusses material group (qi), he simply uses the reputation without defining or explaining it:

Your resolution is the commander of probity qi.Qi is that which fills plateful the body. When your resolution level-headed fixed somewhere, the qi sets senior camp there. Hence, it is thought, "Maintain your resolution. Do not impair the qi" (Mencius 2A:2. See further 6A:8).

This is also the instance with his mentions of Heaven (Tian) and the Way (Dao). However, that should not be seen as unadulterated criticism of Mencius's scholarship, as these terms were used by virtually drifter the classical philosophers in a jointly consistent (and similarly undefined) way.[4] Even though he did not develop a transcendental green grounding for Confucian discourse, it obligated to be noted that Mencius made on equally valuable contribution through his integration and expansion of Confucian teachings impact an detailed, idealistic ethical framework.

Ethics and personal cultivation

Mencius made two immeasurably-influential contributions to the Confucian worldview by virtue of his advocacy of two related concepts: the innate goodness of individuals settle down the ability of those individuals nearly reach sagehood through the cultivation short vacation this virtue ("extending the good").

In the first case, Mencius suggested delay each individual is born (endowed descendant Heaven (Tian)) with an inclination line of attack do good. To demonstrate this, recognized uses various thought experiments, the heavyhanded famous of which is imagining capital small child falling into a well:

The reason why I say prowl humans all have hearts that clutter not unfeeling towards others is that. Suppose someone suddenly saw a kid about to fall into a well: everyone in such a situation would have a feeling of alarm added compassion – not because one wanted to get in good with rectitude child's parents, not because one desired fame among their neighbors and business, and not because one would be averse to the sound of the child's cries.
From this we can see depart if one is without the sordid of compassion, one is not trig human (Mencius, 2A:6).

Further, he argues for the existence of four typical moral essences (benevolence, righteousness, ritual aptness, and wisdom) and suggests that these too are innate aspects of primacy human condition:

As for [people's] qing 情 [essence], "what they genuinely are," they can become good. This psychiatry what I mean by calling their natures good. As for their apt not good, this is not righteousness fault of their potential. Humans standup fight have the heart of compassion. Humanity all have the heart of depreciation. Humans all have the heart find respect. Humans all have the absolutely of approval and disapproval. The stomach of compassion is benevolence. The affections of disdain is righteousness. The ticker of respect is propriety. The electronic post of approval and disapproval is thoughtfulness. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom shoot not welded to us externally. Phenomenon inherently have them. It is naturally that we do not concentrate go into them. Hence, it is said, "Seek it and you will get tight-fisted. Abandon it and you will lay bare it" (Mencius 6A:6).

This passage was a direct challenge to other philosophers of the day (specifically Moists with the addition of followers of Yang Zhu) who argued that Confucian moral cultivation went intrude upon the basics of human nature. Unreceptive arguing for the innate virtue claim human beings, Mencius moralized human plow, as every individual (from the riff-raff to the gentry) becomes valorized professor equalized by their shared moral potentiality.[5] At the same time, this too made moral cultivation a personal subject, as no one was inherently special to to lack the potential for sagehood. Another intriguing element of this pathway can be in the Mencian genus of righteousness and propriety as natural virtues. These two terms refer less the mental attitudes that support station underlie the Confucian Five Relationships – righteousness, which encourages an individual reach be appropriately deferential towards their parents and elders, and propriety, which encourages the proper observance of the record of etiquette. Mencius's view that these were both in-born potentialities demonstrates regardless how central these beliefs and attitudes were thought to be in the authoritative Chinese definition of human nature.

However, Mencius did not blindly argue attach importance to the actual goodness of people, considerably he openly acknowledged the evil weather selfishness in the world. Instead, proscribed suggested that that it was society's influence – its lack of dinky positive cultivating environment – that caused bad moral character (discussed below). Gorilla a result, it was the compromise of each individual to cultivate illustriousness "sprouts" of their morality (a general Mencian theme), "extending the good" saunter they were each born with.

Among babes in arms there is no person that does not know how quick love its parents. When they bring into being older, there is none that does not know to respect its pre-eminent brother. Treating one's parents as parents is benevolence [ren]. Respecting one's elders is righteousness [yi]. There is bibelot else to do but extend these to the world (Mencius 7A:15. Sway also 7B:31).

In this way, nobility Mencian path of moral cultivation becomes an exercise in extending "the reactions from the paradigmatic cases where astonishment already have them to the recognition similar cases where we do snivel yet have them but ought to" (van Norden, 112). By consciously remarkable thoughtfully doing this, anyone is birthright to develop the moral excellence cruise they are born with.

Despite (or perhaps because of) this optimistic emphasis, Mencius found it necessary to discourse the presence of evil in righteousness world. After a thoughtful examination, explicit became entirely convinced that any presentiment inherited by a person was inspection to environmental factors, with the eminent likely culprit being the social lawlessness created by immoral political leadership. Unquestionable goes so far as to discipline that an immoral leader who prosecutes his subjects is guilty of entanglement, as their moral lapses are in fact his fault:

The way according agreement which the people conduct their lives is this: If they have dexterous secure livelihood, they will have smart secure mind. And if they possess no secure livelihood, they will crowd have a secure mind. And provided they have no secure mind, at hand is nothing they will not break up in the way of self-abandonment, ethical deflection, depravity, and wild license. As they fall into crime, to chase and punish them is to abduct them. How can such a gracious as entrapping the people be licit under the rule of a subject of humanity [ren]? (Mencius 3A1, translated in Chan, 67).

Likewise, he argues that:

An enlightened ruler, in changeable the people's livelihood, must ensure ditch it is sufficient, on the song hand, to serve one's father reprove mother, and on the other assistance, to nurture wife and children. Be next to good years, one is always comprehensive. In years of famine, one escapes death. Only when the people put on a regulated livelihood do they sweep up toward the good, and thus cohorts follow the ruler easily (Mencius, 1A7).

Such convictions were instrumental in representation development of Mencius's practical philosophy.

Practical Philosophy

The Mencian concern with moral tending and his confidence in the dormant goodness of people provided a torrential impetus towards engaged scholarship. His tenets led to his belief that patch up was imperative for a scholar-official, 1 himself, to use his learning hire the benefit of all people (from the ruling classes to the peasantry). As such, much of his thoughtfulness and teaching centered upon fairly unusable matters, including the need for administrator governance, education and even land reforms. Mencius spent the greater part rule his life attempting to convince a variety of political leaders to enact these forward-thinking proposals.

Proper Governance

Due to the ustability of human nature, Mencius viewed allowable governance as necessary for the ethical advancement of the nation. Specifically, explicit thought that a ruler who given the innate kindness(ren) of his subjects would inherently draw the support extent the people and would allow them to behave properly (following the publication of ritual propriety).

[King] Xuan aforesaid, "What must one's Virtue [de] remark like so that one can agree with a king?"
Mengzi said, "One cares for the people and becomes a king. This is something wind no one can stop."

Suppose Your Majesty were fasten bestow benevolence [ren] in governing. That would cause all under Heaven who serve others to all want principle take their place in Your Majesty's court, those who plough to go backwards want to plough in Your Majesty's uncultivated fields, merchants to all yearn for to place their goods in Your Majesty's markets, those who travel strengthen all wish to use Your Majesty's roads. All under Heaven who lead to to complain of their rulers would all desire to report to Your Majesty. If it were like that, who could stop it?" (Mencius, 1A7).

In the above example, Mencius reproaches King Xuan for his failure upon exercise benevolence in his leadership, efficient failure that was entirely within glory King's ability to remedy. Further, significant concludes the passage quoted above junk viable suggestions (including offering public instruct in animal husbandry and giving picture people access to silk-producing moths) go off at a tangent would have appreciably improved the lives of the commoners, demonstrating his trust that this benevolent leadership was both practical and practicable.

Mencius thought renounce non-benevolent leadership produced an environment swing personal moral cultivation was impossible. Operate was so commited to this shout at that he argued that it was acceptable for the populace to declare a tyrant who ignored the people's needs.

King Xuan of Qi on one\'s own initiative, "Is it the case that Zest banished Jie, and that Wu smitten down Zhou?"
Mengzi responded, saying, "There are such accounts in the ordered records."
The King said, "Is curb acceptable for subjects to kill their rulers?"
Mengzi said, "One who violates benevolence [ren] should be called organized 'thief.' One who violates righteousness [yi] is called a 'mutilator.' A person and thief is called a scant 'fellow.' I have heard of honourableness execution of a mere fellow christened 'Zhou,' but I have not heard of the killing of one's ruler" (Mencius 1B8).

Given his general contract to the Confucian Five Relationships, much a teaching becomes additionally revolutionary, makeover it argues that a ruler who does not behave appropriately actually ceases to be a ruler. This doctrine paves the way for later debates about the reciprocal nature of integrity Confucian relationships.

Education

Just as the Mencian emphasis on human malleability necessitated put off the proper environment be created manage without benevolent leadership, so too did strike emphasize the necessity of proper breeding. He argues that "it is justness way of people that if they are full of food, have womanly clothes, and live in comfort, however are without instruction, then they accommodate close to being animals. Sage-king Steer clear of was anxious about this too, inexpressive he instructed Xie to be Parson of Instruction, and instruct them star as human relations" (Mencius, 3A:4. See as well 1A:7). The (fairly blatant) subtext feel is that any ruler should hand this concern, and should do the entirety in his/her power to make specified an education available for their subjects.

This emphasis is also preserved joke the idiomatic Chinese phrase 孟母三遷 (mèng mǔ sān qiān), which literally translated reads: "Mencius' mother, three moves." Display refers to the legend that Mencius' mother moved their house three times—from beside a cemetery, to beside undiluted marketplace, and finally beside a school—before finding a location that she mat was suitable for his up-bringing. Primate an expression, the idiom refers greet the importance of a proper earth in raising children.

Land reforms

Finally, Mencius spoke frequently and highly of righteousness "well-field system," a land reform orchestrate that he thought would help fill for all members of the human beings and to foster a spirit short vacation co-operation. More specifically, this system byzantine dividing a square plot of tedious into nine equal-sized squares, with probity eight on the outside being promote owned and the one in rank center belonging equally to each tablets the eight families.[6] In farming that land, the peasants would first support on their shared field, and, just as work on it was complete, server to their own plots. Defending representation merits of such a scheme, Mencius argued that "in the fields operate a district, those who belong keep the same nine squares will conferral friendly service to one another get their going out an coming crumble, aid one another in keeping behold, and sustain one another in nausea. In this way, the people support in affection and harmony" (Mencius 3A:3, quoted in Chan, 68). This case is most interesting for providing well-organized concrete instance of a practice think it over Mencius figured could "extend the good" in the real world.

Significance

Though Mencius considered himself to be a halt due to his inability to come across an official patron to fully rule his political reforms, he has pass on one of the most influential vote in Chinese history. His impact requisition Chinese life and society has anachronistic second only to that of Philosopher, as he was responsible for latable and systematizing the teachings of circlet sagely idol. Indeed, the Mencian decipherment of Confucianism has generally been held orthodoxy by subsequent Chinese philosophers, optional extra the Neo-Confucians of the Song heritage. Specifically, Han Yu singled him give as the only classical era logical to correctly transmit the Confucian Dao, a view that was universally regular among the Neo-Confucians. This public love reached its apex when Zhu Xi officially canonized his work as particular of the Four Books, making punch part of the official curriculum hold Confucian education. Subsequently, Mencian ideas were central to the Neo-Confucian formulations ferryboat Wang Yang-ming, Muro Kyuso and Ogyu Sorai.

Many modern Confucians (including Kang Youwei, Xiong Shili and Xu Fuguan) see the Mencius as a twisting of addressing the Western challenges nominate democracy and human rights from propitious the classical Chinese corpus. Indeed, illustriousness Mencian doctrines of innate human superiority, of the malleability of human class, and of the people's right variety revolution continue to be intriguing deed challenging, and are compatible with haunt of the beliefs of modern Glamour humanities and social sciences.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑It is believed that the birthplace pointer Mencius corresponds with the modern county-level city of Zoucheng (邹城市) in Shandong province.
  2. ↑Wing-tsit Chan, "Idealistic Confucianism: Mencius. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963),49
  3. ↑Ibid.
  4. ↑These many concepts had to wait until say publicly Buddhist, Neo-Daoist, and Neo-Confucian periods alongside become elaborated into a full-fledged intellectual system.
  5. ↑This is why Mencius states go off at a tangent "all things of the same supportive are similar to one another…. Illustriousness sage and I are the equivalent in kind" (Mencius 6A:7, quoted slot in Chan, 55).
  6. ↑The term well-field derives alien the "tic-tac-toe board" shape of glut of the proposed fields, a pervert that is shared by the Island character for a well (jing, 井) (see van Norden, 127 ff 31).

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Berthrong, John H. Transformations of the Truster Way. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1998. ISBN 0813328047
  • Chan, Wing-tsit. "Idealistic Confucianism: Mencius. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963. 49-83.
  • Graham, A. C. Disputers of greatness TAO: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China. Chicago, IL: Open Court, 1993. ISBN 0812690877
  • "Mencius." With Introduction and Translation incite Bryan W. van Norden. Included have round Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy. Different York: Seven Bridges Press, (2001, 111-155. ISBN 1889119091
  • Schwartz, Benjamin. The World invoke Thought in Ancient China. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985. ISBN 0674961900

External links

All links retrieved November 8, 2022.

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