Beautiful, Then Great

Do you know someone who, without a word, makes you want to be a bit better?

Original

可欲之謂善，有諸己之謂信，充實之謂美，充實而有光輝之謂大。

In plain words

What the heart finds worth wanting is called good. Having it really in yourself is called true. Being filled with it, with nothing missing, is called beautiful. Being filled with it and shining out is called great.

Key words

充實chōng shíFull, with no gaps: good in every relationship, at every moment.
光輝guāng huīThe light a character gives off, lighting those around it.
大人dà rénIn Mencius, usually a person of complete virtue, not of high rank.

Reading it step by step

Yesterday we climbed two steps: the heart finding something good, and actually doing it. Today we climb two more: beautiful and great.

First: beauty here means beauty of character. At root, beautiful simply means worth admiring. Usually we think of a famous painting, a view, a face: things taken in through the senses, and judged by the taste of the times. Mencius says instead, “Being filled with it is called beautiful.” Filling works from the inside out: you keep the heart and let it grow. Then you make it solid: the sprouts of good become deeds and reach out to others.

Put together, it means doing good at any time, in any place, with anyone, in any word and any deed, with no gaps. Hard? Think of someone who looks the part and then opens their mouth and says something no decent person would say. That is a hole in the filling. There is a very practical hint here, too. If you want to be full everywhere, don't try to grab everything. Look after the few relationships closest to you first. Take on too much and something will always be left thin.

Second: great means shining. When someone has been full for long enough, they start to shine without trying. Like a lamp filled to the brim with oil: it burns bright by itself, and people nearby can see the path. When word spread of how Shun cared for his parents, everyone who heard it felt, “That's how a person should live.” That is the light.

When Mencius talks about the “great person”, this is who he means: someone whose virtue is complete. Every religion paints its Buddhas, saints and sages with a ring of light around the head; this is what the halo means. And the light needn't be grand. A famous speaker who brushes off every request for a photo or an autograph with “no time” has no light, however good the talk. Sometimes the light is one word of encouragement, or a smile.

within: work on yourself

goodthe heart wants it

trueyou really do it

beautifulfull, no gaps

beyond: light, transform, reach Heaven

greatshines on others

sage

divine

Steps 3–4: from being full to shining on others

Third: from yourself to others. Good, true and beautiful are work done on yourself. With great, your life begins to light up other people, so this step is a turning point. Goodness is, after all, the right relationship between people coming true. When one person is filled with it, those around them are touched by it naturally.

Think of the people you know. Is there someone who says little and never lectures, yet around them you feel embarrassed to complain, reluctant to cut corners, keen to do things a bit better? They're no influencer and they use no filter. Their light comes from the inside. Photos can be retouched: on campaign posters every candidate looks kind and warm, and some show quite another face once elected. Light can't be retouched.

So don't worry today about how to shine. Ask instead: what oil is my lamp still missing? A phone call to a parent? A real thank-you to a colleague?

When the lamp is full, it lights by itself.

One line to carry

When the lamp is full, it lights by itself.

Today's question

Who is a lamp in your life, and what about them makes you want to be better? What oil is your own lamp missing?

Quick check

What kind of beauty does Mencius mean by “being filled with it is called beautiful”?

Next pageSage, and Beyond KnowingPage 29

IV · Six Stages of Character — Good, true, beautiful, great, sage, divine

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