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7A · Jin Xin I 7A·9 Page 7 of 30 5-minute read

Mencius in 30 Pages

In Hard Times, Keep Yourself Good

When nobody notices or appreciates you, can you still be at ease being yourself?

hard times: keep yourself goodopen roads: do good for all 善

Original

孟子謂宋句踐曰：「子好遊乎？吾語子遊。人知之，亦囂囂；人不知，亦囂囂。」曰：「何如斯可以囂囂矣？」曰：「尊德樂義，則可以囂囂矣。故士窮不失義，達不離道。窮不失義，故士得己焉；達不離道，故民不失望焉。古之人，得志，澤加於民；不得志，修身見於世。窮則獨善其身，達則兼善天下。」

In plain words

Mencius said to Song Goujian, “Do you like travelling to advise rulers? Let me tell you how to go about it. If they understand you, be content. If they don't understand you, be content.” “How can one be content like that?” “Honour virtue and delight in what is right, and you can be content. So a scholar in hard times doesn't lose what is right, and when the way opens doesn't leave the path. Because he doesn't lose what is right in hard times, he keeps hold of himself. Because he doesn't leave the path when the way opens, the people are not disappointed. When the ancients got their chance, their goodness reached the people. When they didn't, they cultivated themselves and were seen by the world. In hard times, keep yourself good; when the way opens, make the whole world good along with you.”

Key words

  • 囂囂xiāo xiāoContented and unhurried, needing nothing from outside.
  • 窮 / 達qióng / dáQiong: the way is blocked. Da: the way is open. Not poor versus rich.
  • 兼善jiān shànTo bring others along with you toward the good.

Reading it step by step

Mencius travelled from state to state for decades, and was almost never given real responsibility by any ruler. How did he keep his peace of mind? This page is what he told Song Goujian, another man travelling to advise kings.

First: content whether understood or not. If people appreciate you, be content. If they don't understand you, be content all the same. This isn't shrugging indifference; it has a root: honour virtue and delight in what is right. The joy comes from valuing goodness and liking to do the right thing, not from applause. That is exactly what Mencius believed: when we are sincere, the strength to do good, and the joy of it, rise from within.

Second: qiong and da are not poor and rich. Qiong means the way is blocked, no opportunity. Da means the way is open, a chance to act. Opportunity is often not ours to decide; Mencius went to Liang because King Hui invited him. What we do decide is what we hold onto in each situation. In hard times, don't lose what is right, and you keep hold of yourself: you are still you. When the way opens, don't leave the path, and the people won't be let down.

Third: keeping yourself good is not hiding. When the ancients didn't get their chance, Mencius says, they cultivated themselves and were seen by the world. Nor does “alone” mean cut off: it means the few people around you, family, friends, colleagues, and doing the good among them. A person who stays upright and gentle through hard times is already an influence. And when the way opens, you make the world good along with you. That means more than sharing out your wealth, good as that is; it means helping more people onto the right road of life. The only difference between the two is the size of the circle. The direction is the same.

qiong · way blocked

da · way open

hold on to

what is right
the true path

so

you keep yourself
people aren't let down

and so

keep yourself good, and be seen
make the world good with you

This theme began with “I have no choice.” Mencius didn't love quarrels; he couldn't bear to watch the world go on as it was. With the tree and the fish, and fifty paces laughing at a hundred, he taught us to check our means and our standards: that is wisdom. With the ox and the sheep, and one day of sun, he taught us to extend a kind heart and keep it growing: that is kindness. With looking back at yourself, he taught us to start by setting ourselves straight. And with this saying he tells us there is a right road in good times and bad. Walking it takes courage.

If you are in a blocked season now (laid off, passed over, your work unseen), take care of yourself, keep yourself good, and let that be seen. If the way is open for you now, look back: who else could you bring along?

In the next theme we ask: why did Mencius trust human beings so much?

Theme I: wisdom, kindness and courage in parables and sayings

  1. 1no choice: arguing to set hearts right
  2. 2tree for fish: match means to ends
  3. 3fifty paces: the standard lies ahead
  4. 4ox, not sheep: extend the kind heart
  5. 5one day of sun: keep goodness growing
  6. 6look back at yourself: start with you
  7. 7blocked or open: a road either way
One line to carry

When the road closes, keep yourself; when it opens, bring others.

Elsewhere on the shelf

Today's question

Are you closer to a blocked season or an open one right now? Name one thing you want to hold onto in it.

Quick check

In “in hard times, keep yourself good,” what does qiong (hard times) mean most nearly?

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