中英雙語話中國歷史名人 第33期:孟子
Mencius(372 B. C.~289 B. C.), a great thinker of the mid-warring States Period, was born at Zou (present Zoucheng, Shandong Province) given name was Ke and courtesy name Ziyu.
孟子(約公元前372年~公元前289年)，名柯，字子輿，鄒(今山東省鄒城市)人，戰國中期的思想家。He was a successor of Confucius and has been called the “Second Sage" after Confucius.
曾受業於子思的門人，繼承了孔子的學說，被後世尊稱爲“亞聖”。He spent his life bouncing from one feudal court to another, lobbying the rulers, debating among the politicians and trying to find some rulers who would follow his teachings. His philosophical thoughts were established in the process of his political activities and were compiled in a book bearing his name.
孟子周遊列國，遊說於朝堂之上，論辯於政客之間，在激烈的辯論與尖銳的矛盾衝突中發展了自己的思想，《孟子》一書是其思想的結晶。
Mencius developed Confucius' concept of ren from merely a moral term to a level of governance by pointing out that a state should be governed by a sage-king.
他把孔子“仁”的思想改造發展爲通過實行“仁政”而實現“王道”社會的政治思想，把“仁”從倫理道德層次提升到治國思想的高度。His concept of benevolent governante calls upon the resumption of the “square-field system" and the reduction of corporal punishments. He was also against the abuse of taxation and any unjust wars.
“仁政”思想主張恢復井田制，省刑薄賦，使民以時，取民有制，反對橫徵暴斂，反對不義戰爭。He claimed that "the people are the most important; the state is secondary while the monarch is the least" and believed that civil security and public opinions are pivotal to the stability of a state.
他提出“民爲貴，社稷次之，君爲輕”的主張，認爲人民的安危與民心的向背是國家安危的關鍵所在。The theory of benevolent governance is based on Mencius' belief that human beings are good by nature. He held that this goodness is innate and can be acquired without learning or thinking; one's natural goodness is presented by the exercise of benevolence, righteousness, proprieties and prudence.
“仁政”思想的哲學基礎是“性善”論: 孟子認爲人的本性是“善”的，良心本心人所固有，不學而能，不慮而知，表現出來即爲仁義禮智之性。Evil comes into being when one rejects their natural goodness.
惡之所以產生，只是因爲捨棄了自己的良心本心。Unlike Confucius, Mencius did not deny the quest for li (profits, or gains), but he attached more importance to yi (righteousness) and considered yi as his top priority.
在義利觀土上，孟子不否認利，但更加重視義，把義作爲最高的價值選擇。When li and yi are in conflict, one should sacrifice one's opportunities of making profits for a righteous cause, or even lay down one's life.
當二者發生矛盾時，要舍利取義，甚至捨生取義。To achieve this state, there is no better way than reducing one's desires.
人要想達到這一境界，就需要通過養心而實現寡慾。Thus, the ideal moral personality of Mencius is that one should never be “corrupted by neither riches nor honors, shaken by neither poverty nor adversity, faltered by neither threats nor force".
所以，孟子理想的道德人格是“富貴不能淫，貧賤不能移，威武不能屈”，具有大義凜然的道義感。On the other hand, Mencius' declaration of “if poor, one attends to his own virtue in solitude; if advanced to dignity, he makes the whole world virtuous as well" has become a standard of social conduct of Chinese scholars for thousands of years.
另外，孟子“窮則獨善其身，達則兼濟天下”的主張成了後世中國文人立身處世的法則。
