Chapter 11 4. Ideal of benevolent government

Mencius embraced the feelings of joining the world, and just like Confucius did in the past, he traveled around the world and met many monarchs, hoping to "get the king and practice the way." The first few chapters of the book "Mencius" recorded the conversations between Mencius and the monarchs of various countries.Some people find it boring to read this. Sima Qian said that he read the first paragraph of the first chapter of "Mencius". King Hui of Liang asked Mencius "how can I benefit my country", and he "sighed at the waste of the book".I was just the opposite of him. Instead of closing the book, I was eager to know how Mencius would answer.Then, I was full of pleasant surprises, because Mencius' eloquence was impeccable, and his thought was more subtle and profound, and the shocking effect produced by the combination of eloquence and thought was rare in ancient and modern times.

First of all, when Mencius met the princes who held great power at that time, he certainly understood what these princes wanted, which was to enrich the country, strengthen the army, and dominate the world.In the end, what he offered was "benevolent government".How can a person be so "playing the piano to the cow" and still be full of confidence?It all depends on eloquence.Mencius' eloquence comes from his rich knowledge and life experience.He casually quoted the "Book of Books", showing a super strong memory, because these materials are ancient wisdom accepted by everyone, so they are highly convincing.Just reciting is nothing, but he can also use it flexibly to bring the classics into the real situation, leaving the princes speechless, and can only nod blankly in approval.

Mencius's benevolent government is not purely theoretical, but starts with economic policies. For an agricultural society, as long as the people live in peace, they can maintain their lives and die without regret, and then provide appropriate education to improve the level of human relations and order, and the country will naturally be on track.To implement benevolent government, the monarch must reduce taxes and take care of the people, or just grasp the four words: "Happy with the people".How can the world be ruled out when the monarch and the people are united?Mencius repeatedly explained how to carry out economic reforms, but it did not resonate, because if you want to enjoy the joy with the people, the princes must first give up the power to "dominate" and restrain the desire to "lust, be brave, and be good". Infinite desire, then what?Always listen to the lessons of Mencius.

Mencius' lessons are actually very pleasant to listen to because they are very vivid.He really likes to talk, and often when the monarch asks a question, he will develop it into a speech and teach the monarch a lesson.In addition to quoting classics and historical facts, Mencius also has the extraordinary ability to create aphorisms.Many idioms and adages that we still use today came from the mouth of Mencius.For example, the idiom "one storm and ten colds" comes from the dialogue between Mencius and King Xuan of Qi. Mencius publicized his ideal of benevolent government to King Xuan of Qi, but there was no effect for a while.So someone asked if the monarch was too stupid.

Mencius said: "There is no such thing as the king's unwiseness. Although there are things that are easy to grow in the world, they will be violent in one day and cold in ten days, but there is no one that can survive. I have seen it very rarely. I retreat and the cold ones come. Well, if I am cute, why would I?" ("Mencius Gaozi 1"). Mencius said: "Don't be surprised that the king is unwise. Even if there is the easiest thing in the world to grow, if you dry it for one day and freeze it for ten days, nothing will grow. I have seen the king too few times. As soon as I left, those who poured cold water on him came, so what can I do with my budding kindness towards him?"

Mencius actually compared himself to the sun and King Xuan of Qi to the seeds of plants.After a while in the sun, he began to germinate and grow.But after Mencius left, others came to pour cold water on him, saying that this ideal was too high to be realized.Because "benevolent government" first requires self-restraint and imagines for the people, which is too difficult; and other countries do not do it, and few people have been able to do it before.As a result, King Xuan of Qi became discouraged. The allusion of "one storm and ten colds" originated from this. In ancient times, the monarchs had too much power and power corrupted people, so it was difficult to think carefully when making judgments, so they needed good ministers to assist them. However, it is not easy for a monarch to persevere only by relying on a good minister to occasionally say some good opinions. of.

Mencius said: "Benevolence is better than non-benevolence, just like water is better than fire. A person who is benevolent today is like saving a fire with a glass of water; if it is not extinguished, it is said that water is not stronger than fire. This is also the case with people who are not benevolent." , and will eventually perish." ("Mencius·Gaozi 1") Mencius said: "The victory of benevolence over non-humanity is like water overcoming fire. People who practice benevolence today are like using a glass of water to save a carload of wood from fire; if the fire is not extinguished, it is said that water cannot overcome fire. This will give the greatest help to the unkindness. In the end, even a little bit of the original kindness will be lost."

What does that mean?For water to overcome fire, it needs a considerable "quantity".You see a whole truckload of wood on fire, and you use a glass of water to save it. How can you extinguish the fire?The difference in quantity is too great.The role of benevolence cannot be turned by a single thought. Mencius met the king once, and other ministers who poured cold water met the king ten times; once he was warmed, and the other ten times he was cold. No matter how the seeds germinate, they will not grow. .then what should we do?There is only one way, which is to practice benevolence in a large amount for a long time, so as to overcome inhumanity.It's as if you do one good thing and others do ten bad things.How can you say that one good deed of mine is better than ten bad deeds he did?If you do ten more good deeds, you will overcome.

Mencius emphasized that a person must be persistent in doing good deeds, and must continue to accumulate, until a certain time can change the situation.Many people embrace idealism when they are young. Once they find that their ideals cannot be realized, they easily give up their fighting spirit and become nihilism.There is a good Western proverb: "Nihilism lives next to idealism." I think that ideals are useless, and they can't be realized anyway. No matter how hard you struggle in life, the good and bad people don't get retribution.This kind of thinking will make many people give up their ideals, or join forces with others, or be depressed, and make the next generation of young people with ideals feel even more disappointed, which can be said to be a great harm to human nature.And Mencius taught us that we must avoid "one storm and ten colds" in everything. When we do good deeds, we cannot say that we only do one thing and hope to change the world. We need continuous efforts. At the end of the accumulation, justice will definitely outweigh injustice , which is the belief of Confucianism.

Doing anything requires a method.Westerners like to say two sentences: Do the right thing, do the right thing; Do the thing right, do the right thing.Doing the right thing and doing the right thing requires the right method. Mencius talked with King Xuan of Qi one day, and found that King Xuan of Qi always had some things he didn't want to say.Mencius asked him, "What is your king's greatest wish? Can you tell me about it?" King Xuan of Qi smiled and did not answer.Mencius then asked: "Is it because there is not enough fat food to eat? Is it not enough to wear light and warm clothes? Or is it not enough to see the bright colors? Is there not enough beautiful music to listen to? Is there not enough well-behaved servants?" King Xuan of Qi said: " No, I'm not for that." What was that for?King Xuan of Qi still didn't say anything.In the end, Mencius spoke out himself, because he had already known the wish of King Xuan of Qi.The wish of King Xuan of Qi is actually the common wish of the seven heroes of the Warring States Period.

Mencius said: "However, the king's great desire can be known. If he wants to open up land, he will go to Qin and Chu, and come to China to caress the four barbarians. To do what you want, to seek what you want, is like looking for fish by the tree." ("" Mencius · King Hui of Liang Part I") Mencius said: "Then, the king's greatest wish can be known. You want to expand the territory, let Qin and Chu come to pay tribute, rule the world and appease the foreigners around you. However, pursue your wish in your own way. , like climbing a tree to catch a fish." The idiom "seeking fish along a tree" comes from here.You should go to the stream to catch fish. How can you catch fish by climbing a tree?What Mencius meant was that the way King Xuan of Qi wanted to achieve this wish was wrong.What method did Mencius give?Carry out benevolent government.Under normal circumstances, a small country cannot defeat a big one, but Mencius firmly believed that his ideal of benevolent government could be invincible, which was due to his insight into human nature.That is to say, human nature tends to be good, and people will naturally turn to good politics.It's a pity that no monarch has ever been willing to try it, and they all feel that this ideal is too high and difficult to achieve.Mencius reminded King Xuan of Qi not to "seek fish from a tree".King Xuan of Qi said, "If it's even worse?" Is it that serious? Said: "Looking for fish from a tree, even if you don't get fish, there will be no future disasters. If you do what you want, ask for what you want, and do it with all your heart, there will be disasters later." Mencius said: "Climb up a tree to catch fish. Although you can't catch fish, there will be no troubles. Follow your way to pursue your wishes. If you work hard, you will definitely have troubles in the future." What did King Xuan of Qi do?It is to unify the world through war and force.This approach will inevitably bring sequelae.It can be seen from history that although it was Qin Shihuang who finally unified the six countries, and Qin Shihuang used the legalist method to unify the world by force and rule the world with severe punishments, the Qin Dynasty lasted only fifteen years. It's over.Explain what?Legalists may be able to unify, but they cannot maintain it.Can Confucianism be used to unify and maintain it?No experiment has been done.China's politics for more than two thousand years is actually four words "Yang Confucianism and Yin Law", which is Confucianism on the surface, but Legalism on the inside.The political leaders are on the top and try their best to "respect the emperor and humble the ministers". The ordinary people have not received real care, and the Confucian ideal of benevolent government has been shelved forever. Mencius also said a sentence related to the "wood" in "Looking for Fish from a Tree": I heard of those who came out of the deep valley and moved to the trees, and I didn't hear of the people who left the trees and entered the deep valley. ("Mencius Teng Wen Gong I") I only heard of some flying out of dark valleys and migrating to tall trees, but I have never heard of flying down from tall trees and migrating to dark valleys. Now a friend is moving, and we wish him "happy housewarming". The "housewarming" comes from here, that is, moving from a less favorable place to a more ideal place.Why did Mencius say this?At that time, there was a scholar Chen Xiang from Chu State in the south. He originally studied Confucianism to promote benevolent government. After arriving in Teng State, he saw a man named Xu Xing, so he changed his career and followed Xu Xing to learn farming.The peasant family follows the theory of Shennong, and is also one of the hundreds of schools of thought. Its characteristic is that it attaches great importance to agricultural production. It advocates that everyone, including the monarch, must plow the fields to support themselves, and only after plowing can they eat, similar to a The idea that all people are equal.Mencius asked, if you have to till the fields to eat, do you also have to weave cloth to wear clothes?Do you knit your own hat before you wear it?Do you only use pots, pans and bowls that you make yourself?Chen Xiang said: "No, it was bought in exchange for grain." Mencius asked him, why not also be a bricklayer and blacksmith, and do everything by himself?Chen Xiang had no choice but to say that it is impossible to plow the fields and do these jobs at the same time.Mencius said: "Then, is it possible to manage the world by farming at the same time? There are the jobs of officials and the jobs of ordinary people. Moreover, the supplies on a person's body must be made by various craftsmen. If you must do it yourself Make it and then use it, it will lead the people of the world to exhaustion." Then, there is the sentence "He who works hard governs people, and those who work hard rule people; those who rule people eat people, and those who rule people eat people, the common meaning of the world. "In other words, in a society, the division of labor and cooperation is important. Everyone does what he can, and then exchanges with each other. This is the correct way.As for Chen Xiang, a scholar who did not study Confucianism, he followed Xu Xing to study farming. Mencius felt very sad, saying that he seemed to have flown down from a tall tree into a dark valley. However, Mencius is not against agriculture, not saying that farming is bad, but emphasizing the division of labor and cooperation.A country needs someone to lead it, but if you ask the leader to farm the fields every day, how can he have time to think about national affairs?Mencius believed that if you become a Confucian scholar and have learned the five classics and six arts, you can serve as an official and benefit the people, but if you don't work hard and go to a farm, wouldn't it be a pity.Because Mencius thinks that Confucianism is more able to take into account the all-round needs of human life, especially for political leaders, the effect of making a correct decision is definitely better than plowing the fields yourself. "Sharing with the people" means: the king wants to share what he has with the people.This sentence comes from a conversation between Mencius and King Xuan of Qi.Mencius served as a national advisor in the state of Qi. When he had the opportunity, he suggested to King Xuan of Qi that he would implement a benevolent government and continuously improve and take care of the lives of the people.Over time, King Xuan of Qi probably felt that Mencius was very reliable, so he told him some truths.He said: "The widow has a disease." I have a problem, what is the problem?Courageous (loving bravery), Haohuo (loving property), lustful (loving beauty).Mencius probably smiled knowingly when he heard this.Because these three kinds of problems also appeared in the book.Confucius said that a gentleman has three precepts: abstinence from sex, abstinence from fighting, and abstinence from gain.Confucius divided the three kinds of problems into three stages of life, but in fact many people have these three problems at the same time regardless of any stage of life. King Xuan of Qi is an example.However, King Qi Xuan, as the leader of the country, admitted that he was sick, which is very courageous.As long as you admit that you are sick, it is possible to cure the disease; if you are afraid of being sick, you refuse to face it, and you avoid medical treatment.But why did he tell Mencius that he was sick?This reminds me of a Nietzsche saying: Philosophers are doctors of culture.If there is a problem with the culture of an era, ask a philosopher.The characteristic of the philosopher Mencius is that he believes that human nature is good. As long as everyone is sincere, he will find that there is a power in his heart that asks himself to be good, choose good and do good. King Xuan of Qi was very sincere in admitting that he was sick. He said that his first problem was "a widow is so brave". Wang please has no good Xiaoyong.The husband stroked his sword and looked at him sharply, saying, "That evil dare to take me!" "The bravery of a man is the enemy of one person."The king asks you to speak up. ("Mencius under King Hui of Liang") I hope the king will not like Xiaoyong.He put his hand on the hilt of his sword, glared at him, and said, "How dare he resist me!" This is the bravery of ordinary people, and it can only deal with one person.I hope that the king will expand and expand it. Mencius said that there are two types of bravery. The first type is called Xiaoyong, which is impulsive.When I was walking on the road and saw someone glaring at me, I glared angrily and drew my sword at each other. This is the courage of a man.The second type is called Dayong, which is to uphold justice and take care of the people.For example, King Wen of Zhou and King Wu of Zhou "pacified the people of the world when they were angry", and calmed down the people of the world when they were angry.Mencius said, there is nothing wrong with your majesty's liking for bravery, but if what you like is great bravery, the common people are still afraid that you are not "very brave".Not only did he not criticize King Xuan of Qi, but he also hoped that he would put his courage on the right path, cut off all bad people and bad things in the world, and uphold justice for the people. King Xuan of Qi went on to say, I still have a problem, "the widow is a good product", and I like property.This is human nature, and Mencius did not blame him. In the past, Gong Liu Haohuo wrote in a poem: "The accumulation is the warehouse, and the package is the grain; when you put it in the bag, you can use up the light. The bow and arrow are stretched, the arms are raised, and the journey is started." Those who live in the past have food, and those who travel have The food is also wrapped; then you can start your journey.The king is like a good product, the same as the common people, what is there for the king? In the past, Gong Liu loved property. "The Book of Songs Daya Gong Liu" said: "The grain is stored in the warehouse, the dry food is wrapped in a bag, and the people are stabilized to show their prestige. Put the arrow on the bowstring, and the sword and ax are all ready, and then set off. Go forward." Therefore, those who stay behind have warehouses to store up, and those who travel have a full load of dry food before they can set off for a long journey.If your majesty loves property and enjoys it with the common people, what difficulty will there be in becoming king of the world? Gong Liu, according to legend, is the great-grandson of Hou Ji and the ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty.He led the people to actively engage in economic production, which gradually prospered the foundations of the Zhou Dynasty.Mencius said, it doesn't matter if you love property. If you can share property with the common people like Gong Liu, what difficulty will it have in becoming king?There is a good saying, "Hide wealth from the people".The common people have money, and the monarch does not have to worry about money at all; on the contrary, the monarch collects money desperately, the palace is full of pearls, and the life of the common people is terribly miserable, can the monarch still enjoy it? King Xuan of Qi said again, I still have a third problem, "the widow is lustful", and I like beautiful women.This is even more natural.Mencius did not blame him, but cited a story in the Book of Songs. In the past, the great king was lustful and loved his concubine.The poem goes: "The ancient father and father came to court and walked on horses, led the West Water Margin, and went to Qixia. When I reached Jiangnu, I came to Xuyu." At that time, there were no resentful women inside, and no husbands outside.The king is as lustful as the common people, so what is there for the king? "("Mencius · King Hui of Liang") In the past, the Tai Wang loved beauty and doted on his concubine. "The Book of Songs Daya Mian" said: "The ancient father and father rode a horse and galloped along the west bank to the foot of Qishan Mountain in the early morning, so Jiang's daughter came to live here together." At that time, no one complained about not getting married. woman, and there is no man who remains single without marrying.If your majesty loves beauty and shares it with the people, what difficulty will there be in becoming king of the world? King Xuan of Qi wanted to say, I am very lustful, and I want to hide all the beauties in the world in the harem alone.Mencius said, it’s not a problem for you to be lustful, so that everyone in the world is lustful, men have a share, women have a home, and everyone has a home for their emotions, isn’t that great?It can be seen from this that Confucianism is not really opposed to natural desires, unlike what Zhu Xi said "preserve the principles of nature and get rid of human desires".People who say such things can't do it themselves.The real Confucian thought is to understand people's desires and develop along with them, but there is a principle that we should extend from egocentric desires to non-self-centered desires.I have desires by myself, and I must know that other people have desires as well. I can’t hurt others just to satisfy my own desires, or let others not have desires, and I can enjoy them as much as I can alone. This is not acceptable. Mencius is really smart. He encouraged King Xuan of Qi with "what is there for the king" again and again. Not only did he not refute the various shortcomings of King Xuan of Qi with harsh words, but "to lure them to benefit" and encourage him to implement benevolent government.Mencius said, there is nothing wrong with your problems, the key lies in whether you "share them with the people" so that the common people can satisfy these natural desires.Therefore, as long as a monarch can "respect himself and others, and share with the people", even if he is brave, good-looking, and lustful, it is not a big problem.Because the prosperity and development of a society is to allow everyone to satisfy their legitimate and reasonable wishes, and the king is no exception. King Xuan of Qi was sitting in the hall one day, and someone in the hall led a cow and passed in front of him.The cow whined desperately, screaming miserably.When King Xuan of Qi saw this, he asked: "Where is this ox going? It seems to have committed no crime and was sentenced to death. It screams so miserable. Let it go." The man who led the ox said: " May I ask your Majesty to abolish the ceremony of offering sacrifices to bells?" In ancient etiquette, after a bell was cast, a cow had to be killed and its blood painted on the bell before the bell could be used.So the man who led the ox meant that since you do not allow the ox to be killed, the ceremony of offering the bell cannot be held.King Xuan of Qi said: "Why are you so stupid, if you change a sheep, it will be over." After the news spread, the common people talked about it.Everyone felt that the king was too stingy, and cattle were more expensive than sheep, so he exchanged sheep for cattle when offering sacrifices to the clock.When this word reached the ears of King Xuan of Qi, he felt very wronged.Just then Mencius came to see him, and he took the initiative to mention the matter, saying: "I know that the king exchanged the cow for the sheep not because he was stingy, but because he couldn't bear to see the cow killed." King Xuan of Qi said, " I feel sorry for him.” I felt that Mencius really understood him, and said: “Although the state of Qi is small, how can I begrudge a cow? It’s because I can’t bear to see the cow’s trembling in fear, as if he was thrown into a prison without committing a crime. dead ground, that’s why sheep are used instead.” How did Mencius respond?He tried his best to use every opportunity, hoping to persuade those in power to practice benevolent government. Said: "The king is no different from the common people who regard the king as their love; if they are small and easy to be big, they will know the evil? If the king hides his innocence and dies, how can the cattle and sheep choose?" ("Mencius·Liang Hui Wang Shang") Mencius said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to blame the people for thinking you are stingy. If you replace the big one with a small one, how will they understand your thoughts? If your Majesty takes pity on it and puts it to death without committing a crime, then what is the difference between an ox and a sheep?" What does that mean?Mencius said, "Your Majesty, when you hear the howling of the cow, you feel very pitiful when you see the cow. Don't you feel sorry for the sheep?"In other words, even if you see the pity of cattle and sheep, have you seen the pity of the people?Have you seen the people trembling in fear and struggling to survive?Since the favor of the king can be extended to cattle and sheep, but the merits cannot take care of the people, what is going on?If your majesty sees the people suffering from life and death because of war, famine, and exploitation, wouldn't he feel pity?Sympathizing with cattle and sheep but not being able to sympathize with the common people is really irrelevant to the extreme. Mencius lived in the middle of the Warring States period. At that time, the feudal lords were fighting for hegemony, and all countries were doing whatever they could to achieve the goal of hegemony. The situation of ordinary people was very miserable.Mencius once mentioned the four words "leading beasts to eat people" in a conversation with King Hui of Liang, explaining the absurdity of troubled times. There is fat meat in the kitchen, fat horses in the stables, hungry people in the people, and hungry scorpions in the wild. This leads to beasts and cannibals. ("Mencius · King Hui of Liang Part I") There is fat meat in the kitchen and fat horses in the stables, but the faces of the people look hungry, and there are starved corpses in the field. This is tantamount to leading wild beasts to eat people. If there is fat in the kitchen, it means that the pigs are fat; if there is fat horse in the stable, it means that the horse is eating well.Food for animals is plentiful, but ordinary people are so emaciated that they starve to death. Isn't this the same as bringing wild beasts to eat people?Before Mencius said this, he asked King Hui of Liang two questions.He said: "There is a difference between killing with a stile and a blade?" Is there any difference between killing a person with a stick and killing a person with a knife?King Hui of Liang said, there is no difference.Mencius then asked: "Is there a difference between using a sword and governing?" Is there any difference between killing people with a knife and killing people with tyranny?King Liang Hui didn't dare to speak.It turns out that Mencius was talking about him.The king saw the common people die unexpectedly, and then said it was not my business, it was the bad harvest and bad luck this year. In fact, "a tyrannical government is fiercer than a tiger", there was such a saying in the time of Confucius, one hundred Years later the situation got worse.Finally, Mencius said: "The wild beasts kill each other, and people hate each other; as the parents of the people, they carry out administrative affairs, but they cannot avoid leading the wild beasts to eat people. How can they be the parents of the common people?" Mencius knew how to use language skills when talking with these monarchs, and the various metaphors interspersed were very vivid.No matter how much these monarchs don’t like reading or thinking, they can understand it as soon as they hear it. After understanding it, they have to ask themselves, do they want to improve?How to improve?Then Mencius took the opportunity to express his ideal of "benevolent government" and persuaded them to implement benevolent government, be diligent in government and love the people.Mencius reminded the monarch through these two parables about animals that you are pitiful when you see cows and sheep, but don’t forget that the common people are also pitiful; it is absolutely wrong for you to let the animals you raise have plenty of food but make the common people unable to survive.Of course, having said that, Mencius still did not forget to encourage King Xuan of Qi at the end, praising his unbearable heart as the origin of "benevolence". There is no injury, this is the art of benevolence, seeing the ox but not the sheep.A gentleman is like animals, seeing them alive, he cannot bear to see them die; hearing their voices, he cannot bear to eat their flesh.Therefore, a gentleman is far away from the kitchen. ("Mencius · King Hui of Liang Part I") It doesn't matter, this is the manifestation of benevolence and virtue, and it is the reason why the king saw the cow but not the sheep.When a gentleman sees a beast live, he cannot bear to see it die; when he hears its cry, he cannot bear to eat its flesh.It is precisely because of this that a gentleman always keeps a distance from the kitchen. The "gentleman" here refers to someone who is in position or virtuous. The phrase "a gentleman stays away from the kitchen" is not intended to give the gentleman a reason not to cook in the kitchen, but to worry that the gentleman's "unbearable" will be weakened by being close to the kitchen, and eventually he will no longer feel pity for others.Mencius hoped that King Xuan of Qi could extend his "benevolence" towards cattle and sheep to the common people, be able to sympathize with the sufferings of the common people, and be considerate of the common people.Mencius's painstaking efforts are really admirable. To be successful in anything, you need the cooperation of the environment.For example, if your child wants to learn English, should you find an American teacher or a Chinese teacher?The answer is very clear. Of course, I should find an American teacher, because English is their mother tongue. No matter how good the Chinese teacher’s English is, it is inevitable that they will want to explain in Chinese. It is not easy for children to learn the language well in this environment. I have experienced it myself.When I was studying in the United States, my daughter was five years old.I put her in first grade in an American elementary school, and after two months, she could speak English better than me.Because whether English is good or not depends on pronunciation and intonation, she speaks exactly like American children, very authentic.But after returning to Taiwan to study, she completely forgot her English.She later blamed me for not letting her continue learning English.I said that if you are asked to learn English in Taipei, the learning effect will be very poor, because language learning especially requires the environment to cooperate. If you are not in that environment, you will have no way to communicate with others. You don’t know that this sentence is read in books. Getting up and actually saying it are the same thing.Now I sometimes feel that my English is poor, because when I open the "New York Times" and "Time" magazine, I can't understand many words. Why?Because of the development of the times, they have gradually changed some spoken terms, but if you have not lived in that environment, you will not be able to keep up, and you will not be able to find it in a dictionary.It can be seen from this that the environment has a great influence on people's language learning.The same goes for dealing with people.Mencius once had a conversation with Dai Busheng, a senior official of the State of Song.Dai Busheng said, there is a man named Xue Juzhou, he is a very good person, let him be by our king's side, the king will gradually become better.Mencius gave a metaphor for learning a language.He said: "Suppose there is a doctor from the state of Chu who wants his son to learn the dialect of the state of Qi, should the people of the state of Qi be invited to teach it? Or the people of the state of Chu to teach it?" Dai Busheng said: "The people of the state of Qi should be invited to teach it." Said: "All the people of Qi teach him, and all the people of Chu call him. Even if you seek Qi Qi every day, you can't get it. If you put it between Zhuang and Yue for several years, you can't get it even if you ask Chu Chu every day. The son said that Xue Juzhou is also a good man, so that he lives in the king's place. Those who live in the king's place, the elder, the young, the humble, and the respected are all Xue Juzhou. Who is the king who is not good? In the king's place, the elders, young, humble, and honored Xue Juzhou, who is the king who is good? One Xuejuzhou, just like the king of Song Dynasty?" ("Mencius·Teng Wen Gong Xia") Mencius said: "A person from Qi State taught him, and many people from Chu State interfered with him. Even if he was whipped every day to force him to speak the Qi State dialect, it was impossible. It is impossible to force him to speak the Chu dialect. You say that Xue Juzhou is a good man, so let him live in the Grand Palace. Who will do bad things? If there is no one like Xue Juzhou in the Grand Palace, regardless of age or status, who can the king do good deeds with? What effect can Xue Juzhou have on King Song? From this passage, we can know that education in ancient times was also quite scary, because there would be corporal punishment, and children who did not learn well would be whipped by the teacher.Mencius used this as a metaphor to emphasize that people need the cooperation of the environment and the cooperation of many people to embark on a good path.If you are surrounded by good people, you have no chance to do bad things; on the contrary, if you are surrounded by bad friends, you have no chance to do good things.Of course, this is not to deny the power of everyone's autonomy and freedom, but because in ancient society, a monarch had great power, and he really needed many good ministers to assist him, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.The common people wait for you to implement good policies so that they can improve their lives; if you don't do this, they will slowly endure, but when they reach the limit, they will rise up and rebel.Mencius lived in an era where the world was already in chaos, and he always tried various ways to hope that the monarch could improve as soon as possible.Because the monarch does well, the common people can follow suit. This is the idea of ​​the ancients.As the so-called "one man celebrates, all the people depend on him", if the monarch does not do it right, the common people will suffer accordingly. How can the monarch implement benevolent government?Mencius believed that relying on a good man Xue Juzhou or a few good ministers to teach around him would not be effective. "One Xue Juzhou, just like King Song?" On the contrary, if the people around King Song are all people who try to do good, then it will not be easy for King Song to do evil.Although the truth of this passage is very ordinary, it is enough to tell us a message, that is, Confucianism is by no means just focusing on individual determination, as if a person can achieve a great personality alone without being affected by the environment.In fact, starting from Confucius’s phrase “Choosing benevolence, how can we know?”, Confucianism has noticed that there is a very profound interaction between the specific life of a person and the external environment.Of course, the value of a person comes from within, based on consciousness and voluntariness; but this value must fall in the network of interpersonal relationships before it can be realized.At the same time, people's consciousness and voluntariness cannot be separated from the judgment of the specific situation, and they cannot be separated from the surrounding environment. "Twice the result with half the effort" everyone likes it very much, and always hope to do things with half the effort to achieve more than double the effect.Mencius once chatted with his disciple Gongsun Chou and talked about the current situation. He said that if any monarch can implement benevolent government in today's era, he can achieve twice the result with half the effort. Why?Because "the benevolent monarch does not appear, there is no one who waits longer than now; the people suffer from tyranny and oppression, no one is more serious than now." The hungry are easy to eat, and the thirsty are easy to drink.Confucius said: "The popularity of virtue can be passed on as quickly as postage." At present, the country of Wancheng is practicing benevolent government, and the people are happy with it.People who are half-ancient in the story will double their efforts, but this is the case. "("Mencius Gongsun Chou 1") A hungry man is easily satisfied with whatever he eats, and a thirsty man is easily satisfied with whatever he drinks.Confucius said: "The popularity of virtuous government is faster than the transmission of government orders by post stations." At this time, a big country with tens of thousands of military vehicles implements benevolent government, and the joy of the people is like lifting the pain of hanging upside down.Therefore, if things are done half as much as the ancients, the effect must be twice that of the ancients, only at this time. Mencius said that when a person is hungry, anything he eats is delicious; on the contrary, if you are already full, even if you are asked to eat delicacies from mountains and seas, you may not be able to eat it; similarly, when a person is thirsty, drink A glass of boiled water is very happy; if you are not thirsty at all, no matter how good you are given to drink, you may not feel good to drink it.Therefore, whether the food is good or not, and whether the water is good or not depends on your own needs.If the world is peaceful now and you practice benevolent government, the common people may think it is natural; on the contrary, the world is in chaos and the people are struggling to live. At this time, if you implement benevolent government, the people in the world will envy your people very much and will naturally support you.In the end, "a person who works half the time ago will do twice as much", not only double the effect, but even quadruple the effect. Mencius' statement seems to be exaggerated.In the era he lived in, every country was striving for hegemony, and the common people had no choice but to make sacrifices and live a miserable life.He used the word "hanging upside down" to describe the suffering of the common people, which means that people are hung upside down, with their heads on the bottom and feet on the top, right and wrong are reversed, and the pain is unbearable.Mencius said that if you can implement benevolent government at this time, the effect will be incredible.To be honest, I am afraid that every monarch will be tempted to hear such words, but have these monarchs done anything?There is no way to do it.Because Confucianism asks you to practice "benevolent government", you must first exercise self-discipline, restrain your desires, and not have so many luxurious enjoyments; you can't say that the king of our country is eating, drinking and having fun on the top, and you people below should practice benevolent government. This is impossible.To implement benevolent government, the first thing to do is to reduce taxation. If there is less taxation, the monarch will not be able to fully enjoy it.Therefore, the monarch must make a choice between practicing benevolent government and his own interests. This is not an easy task. Therefore, there are very few monarchs who can really listen to Mencius' words and implement them.At this time, what should Mencius do?When he mentioned his choice, he said the four words "more than enough": I heard it: if there are officials, they will go if they can't hold the position;I have no official guards, and I have no words of responsibility, so if I advance and retreat, wouldn't it be more than enough? ("Mencius Gongsun Chou Xia") I have heard that those who have a fixed official position should leave if they cannot exercise their powers; those who have the responsibility to speak out should leave if they cannot speak out.I have neither a fixed official position nor the responsibility to speak out, so isn't it generous and leeway for my actions to advance or retreat? " There is a background for Mencius to say this.His friend Frog was originally a county magistrate in the state of Qi, and later came to serve as a supervisor next to King Xuan of Qi, responsible for admonishing and telling the king what to do and what not to do.After working for a while, there was no performance.Mencius told him that if you quit the county magistrate and become a supervisor, then you should advise the king to make him improve.So the frog really went to speak to King Xuan of Qi, but the king didn't accept it, so he resigned and left.别人批评孟子说，你看你为蚔蛙考虑得倒是很好，那你自己呢？你不是也在齐国政府里面担任某些职务吗？孟子当时在齐国担任国策顾问，地位崇高，但是没有正式的官位，也没有进言的责任。所以孟子说这了段话，作为回应。孟子说，你不要批评我，我在齐国既无官守也无言责，所以不能怪我。换句话说，孟子是顾问的身分，空有仁政理想，但使不上力。他认为我要进要退绰绰有余，很从容。 这两段话前面讲”事半功倍“是针对政治领袖，如何花很少的力气，产生巨大的效果。因为”时机“很特别，天下大乱，别的国家都在瞎搞、乱搞，你这边如果好好实行仁政，老百姓会非常感恩。后面讲到”绰绰有余“是孟子自己。孔子曾提到做官有两种，第一种叫做具臣，有专业能力的、尽忠职守的臣子；第二种叫做大臣，以正道来服侍君主的臣子。孔子用八个字描写大臣”以道事君，不可则止“，我用正道来服侍国君，如果行不通，我就停下来，辞职了。孔子认为自己的学生中，像子路、冉有都有”具臣“的能力，但是还没有办法达到”大臣“的标准。孟子认为如果他有机会的话，他可以做到”大臣“，但是很可惜，没有机会。他本身不是齐国人，只是客卿，从外国来帮忙的；虽然想劝导齐宣王推行仁政，进而匡济天下百姓，但是国君不听，他也无可奈何。