Book Description
Mencius was the philosopher whose influence upon ancient Chinese thought was second only to that of Confucius, whose teachings Mencius defended and expanded. The Mencius, in which he recounts his dialogues with kings, dukes, and military men, as well as other philosophers, is one of the four books that make up the essential Confucian corpus. It takes up Confucius’s theories of jen, or goodness, and yi, righteousness, explaining that the individual can achieve harmony with mankind and the universe by perfecting his innate moral nature and acting with benevolence and justice. Mencius’s remarkably modern views on the duties of subjects and their rulers and on the evils of war created a Confucian orthodoxy that has remained intact since the third century BCE.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Chinese
About the Author
Mencius (372–298 BCE) was one of the greatest Chinese philosophers, focusing on political theory and practice. D. C. Lau is a professor at the University of Hong Kong.
Mencius FROM THE PUBLISHER
This ancient text records the teachings of Mencius (4th C. B.C.E.), the second originary sage in the Confucian tradition, which has shaped Chinese civilization for over two thousand years. In a culture that makes no distinction between those realms we call the heart and the mind, Mencius was the great thinker of the heart, and it was he who added the profound inner dimensions to the Confucian vision.
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