The birth and death year of Mencius (about 372- 289 BC) was named Ke. Thinkers, politicians and educators in the Warring States period. The master of Confucianism after Confucius, later generations and Confucius are called "Confucius and Mencius" and "Yasheng". Zou (now southeast of Zoucheng City, Shandong Province) was born. His teacher is a disciple of Kong Ji, the grandson of Confucius. He traveled to Qi, Song, Teng and Wei, and was the first to promote Wang Zhidao. Not accepted, I came back to give lectures and write books with my disciples, and wrote seven "Mencius". Mencius maintained and developed Confucianism and put forward the theory of "benevolent governance" and "good nature", which is now called "the way of Confucius and Mencius", and its theory had a great influence on the Song Dynasty. Mencius recorded Mencius' words and deeds with a sharp pen, and often used exaggeration, metaphor and fable stories to enhance his persuasiveness. It is a distinctive collection of essays in the pre-Qin period. Mencius was a famous thinker in ancient China and a representative of Confucianism in the Warring States Period. Mencius inherited and carried forward Confucius' thought, and became a master of Confucianism after Confucius, known as "the sage of Asia" and called Confucius and Mencius. Mencius is the author of Mencius. Mencius has been handed down for seven times, which is one of the Confucian classics. The theory of good nature is the starting point of Mencius' theory, and its main propositions are "benevolent government" and "king" Sima Qian believed that Mencius was written by Monk. "Monk didn't agree, so he retired Zhang Wan's disciples to preface poetry books, state Zhong Ni's meaning and write seven pieces of Mencius." . However, there are also views that, judging from the language in the book, its editor is probably a disciple of Mencius, and the book was written in the middle of the Warring States Period. Mencius consists of seven chapters, the titles of which are: the first and second chapters of Liang Wang Hui; "Gongsun Ugly" up and down; "Teng Wengong" up and down; Li Lou; "Zhang Wan" up and down; "High posture" ups and downs; Up and down "dedication". In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu regarded Mencius, The Analects of Confucius, Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean as four books. Until the end of the Qing Dynasty, "Four Books" had been a compulsory part of the imperial examination. Mencius' ancestors were aristocrats in the state of Lu, but later his family fortune declined and he moved from the state of Lu to the state of Zou. He lost his father when he was three years old, and Meng Mu brought him up. Meng Mu's godson was very strict. His godson stories, such as "moving the son to teach the son" and "breaking the loom", have become eternal stories. There is a saying in Saint Amethyst that "Meng Mu used to choose a neighbor". Mencius learned from Confucius, but praised Confucius, thinking that "the life of the people is not prosperous in Confucius." Mencius traveled around Qi, Jin, Song, Xue, Lu, Teng and Liang countries to lobby his thoughts of "benevolent governance" and "kingliness". However, because the vassal States were busy with the war at that time, almost no one adopted his thought of governing the country. Mencius is one of the most important representatives of Confucianism in China, and his thoughts have a great influence on later generations. But his position was not very high before the Song Dynasty. Since Han Yu listed Mencius as the only figure in pre-Qin Confucianism who inherited Confucius' "Taoist orthodoxy", there has been a "promotion movement" of Mencius, and his status has gradually improved. In the fourth year of Xining in northern Song Shenzong, Mencius was listed as one of the subjects in the imperial examination for the first time, and then it was promoted to a Confucian classic. Zhu in the Southern Song Dynasty combined it with The Analects of Confucius, Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean into four books. From the Yuan Dynasty to the first year of Shun Dynasty (1330), Mencius was named "Yashenggong" and later called "Yashenggong", ranking second only to Confucius. His thoughts and Confucius' thoughts are collectively called "The Way of Confucius and Mencius". Mencius' theory of benevolent governance is considered to be "circuitous and broader than things" and has no chance to be implemented. Finally, he retired to give lectures, and together with his students, he "wrote a poem as a preface, wrote a book, expounded Zhong Ni's meaning, and wrote seven pieces of Mencius". When Mencius was young, his mother found him three places in order to give him a good learning environment. Later, people called it the Three Major Movements in Meng Mu. Mencius lived in an era when a hundred schools of thought contended, and "Yang Zhu's words prevailed in the world". Mencius criticized it fiercely from the standpoint of Confucianism. Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' thoughts and put forward a complete ideological system, which had a great influence on later generations and was regarded as the "sage" after Confucius. Mencius inherited and developed Confucius' thought of ruling by virtue, and developed it into the theory of benevolent governance, which became the core of his political thought. He applied the principles of "pro" and "long" to politics, eased class contradictions and safeguarded the long-term interests of the feudal ruling class. Mencius closely combined ethics with politics, emphasizing that moral cultivation is the basis of doing politics well. He said: "The foundation of the world is in the country, the foundation of the country is at home, and the foundation of the home is in the body." Later, the idea of "nourishing qi and calming the world" put forward by University was developed according to this idea of Mencius. Mencius summarized moral norms into four categories, namely, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom. At the same time, the human relations are summarized into five kinds, namely, "father and son are close, monarch and minister are righteous, husband and wife are different, young and old are orderly, and friends are trustworthy". The highest category of Mencius' philosophical thought is heaven. Mencius inherited Confucius' thought of destiny, removed the residual meaning of personality god, and imagined heaven as a spiritual entity with moral attributes. He said: "Honest people, heaven is also." Mencius defined the moral concept of honesty as the essential attribute of heaven, and believed that heaven was the origin of the inherent moral concept of human nature.

Yasheng-Monk

Private Shu developed Confucius' thoughts of "rule by courtesy" and "rule by virtue", advocated "kingly way" and "benevolent government", and used this to lobby the governors of Qi, Liang, Lu, Zou, Song and Teng. The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light. Monk's "king" is "benevolence". Monk thinks: "Different people have different opinions, and the wise have different opinions, which is irresistible." . In other words, no one can use "benevolent government" to stop the unification of the world. He believes that to implement "benevolent government", we must first win "popular support" and the rulers should treat the people with "benevolence". He also proposed to attach importance to the people. He said, "The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light." But at the same time, he emphasized the unchangeable position of the ruler and the ruled. He said: "Those who work hard govern others, and those who work hard govern others;" Treat people eat people, treat people eat people, and the meaning of the world is also. " Mencius' inheritance and development of Confucius' thought is to make a new interpretation of Confucius' thought from the characteristics of the times, and strive to improve the spiritual character of Confucianism on the premise of basically following Confucius' exposition, so as to develop the theory founded by Confucius and keep Confucianism alive forever. On the basis of Confucius' understanding of the reality of poetry, he put forward the theory of "opposing one's will with one's will", and made a reasonable explanation of Confucius' personality beauty based on "benevolence and righteousness" and its formation, thus developing and perfecting Confucius' thought. Judging from the significance of human being as the subject of life and human existence, the ideological connotation of Confucius' theory of benevolence has been strengthened, making it an ideal belief with survival value. Therefore, although there are many differences between his theory and Confucius' thought, there are internal relations that cannot be ignored, which objectively enrich, develop and deepen Confucius' theoretical views. Monk's theory of human nature is the basis of his theory of "benevolent government" and educational theory. He believes that human nature is innate, and people are born with "goodness", that is, there is a tendency to be good. These "good endings" are innate and inherent in the heart. So it is also called "conscience". Education the day after tomorrow is very important. Monk believes that although human nature has "good ends" of benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and wisdom, it is necessary to strengthen moral cultivation through education and strive to expand and develop these "good ends". He advocates that as long as people constantly explore the inner "goodness", they will reach an understanding of fate through understanding human nature. What Monk emphasizes most is inner moral cultivation. But he does not deny the influence of the acquired environment on human nature. He believes that the acquired environment can change the innate nature, and the acquired bad habits can make people lose their kindness. Monk thinks that education is more effective than politics. He said: "Good governance is not as good as good education. Good governance is feared by the people, good teaching is loved by the people, good governance is rich by the people, and good teaching is popular with the people. " In order to win the hearts of the people, he proposed to pay attention to cultivating a "miraculous" gentleman or gentleman. He said: "Teach human relations, father and son are close, monarch and minister are righteous, husband and wife are different, young and old are orderly, and friends have faith." Monk's gentleman, a real gentleman, refers to a person who can practice "benevolent government" and "kingly way", live a benevolent life, and be "rich and rich, but can't be lewd or bent".

The main points of Mencius' theory

First, the theory of mind and nature 1. Four ends of good nature-the root of moral value Mencius' theory of good nature mainly plays the role of Confucius' view of benevolence. Confucius' "benevolence" lacks theoretical basis and has not explained the "root of moral value". Therefore, Confucius should establish a kind of "conscious consciousness of the root of moral value", and think that goodness is the basic consciousness of human beings, which is manifested in compassion, shame, resignation and right and wrong. The "four ends" show that moral value consciousness is innate. This can supplement the deficiency of Confucius' theory of "benevolence" 2. Discrimination between righteousness and benefit-demonstration of moral value Mencius believes that the "four ends" are inherent in the conscious mind and belong to the "essence" of human beings, that is, the so-called "sex" of human beings. Human nature is necessarily different from animals, and this kind of "different from animals" means "dying well". He pointed out that people are not good because they are blinded by selfish desires. Therefore, people should give up self-interest in order to achieve social justice. The purpose is to establish a good personal morality. 3. Nourishing Qi into Virtue Mencius pointed out that only by cultivating self-cultivation and giving full play to kindness can the "four ends" in the heart be fully developed, which Mencius called "exhaustion". The cultivation of "doing one's best" cultivates noble spirit, makes people become "gentlemen" who are rich and powerful, but can't move or bend, and then control their emotions with "mind" to achieve virtue. 4. Moral Heaven Mencius believes that the real world is a moral world, and the standard behind the moral root is "heaven", which is manifested in people and is "sex". If people have enough self-cultivation, they can know the nature and achieve the "harmony between man and nature". Second, political theory 1. Mencius pointed out that "the people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the least", and it is based on the premise that the government should protect the interests of the people and the monarch should take care of them. Therefore, the destiny lies in the heart, not in the monarch. The bitter king has no way, and the people can overthrow it. But if the monarch has a purpose, the people should stick to their posts. 2. Mencius, the former French king, advocated benevolent governance. He must follow the example of the former kings (Yu, Tang, Wen, Wu, and) to govern politics in order to implement benevolent governance in the world. 3. Benevolent policy and Wang Dao Mencius advocates that benevolent policy must be implemented first, and then benevolent policy can be implemented. Mencius believed that "people have a heart of forbearance" is a "policy of forbearance", and benevolent governance is a necessary condition for unifying the world. The concrete manifestation of benevolent government is kingly way, making the family serve the people and folk music, and implementing kingly way and "respecting the virtuous and enabling". 4. The concept of "benevolence" of Confucius is a conscious morality; Mencius' "benevolence" has both educational functions. The monarch mainly focuses on Xiu De, and virtue is the condition for implementing benevolent policies, so he advocates "the rule of virtue". 5. Opposing Hegemony Mencius advocated the benevolent policy of serving people with virtue and opposed the hegemonism of serving people with force, with the aim of alleviating the pain of people's livelihood and easing social contradictions. Therefore, Mencius advocated "kingly politics" and opposed bullying and being afraid of hard work to serve the people. 6. Restoring the Minefield System Mencius believes that the ideal economic system is the minefield system. The "farmland system" means that the land belongs to the state, and the state grants farmland to the people for cultivation, but the people also have to help cultivate farmland as a tax. So farmers have "constant production" (constant and fixed cultivated land), and the country will be stable. Third, education proposition-implement Mencius' thought of "cultivating talents in the world" and advocate personality and moral education. He said, "We should strictly observe filial piety." . Moreover, Mencius believes that self-cultivation is the basic point of reading, but he also believes that human goodness cannot be cultivated from the outside (education can only play an influential role), and ultimately it must be realized by one's own thinking. In the method of self-cultivation, we advocate free development and guide the situation. In addition, Mencius also attached great importance to the learning environment. Only by putting students in a good environment and giving them spontaneous education can they succeed. The influence of Mencius' theory on later generations Mencius put forward the theory of "inner sage", pointing out that human nature is good, as long as everyone develops goodness, suppresses material desires and reflects on themselves. This method of introspection became the mainstream of Confucianism in later generations. Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Lu Jiuyuan, Wang Yangming and other Song and Ming Neo-Confucians all inherited Mencius' theory in this respect. When Mencius formed the concept of "orthodoxy", he regarded Yao, Shun, Yu, Yu, Wen Wang, Zhou Gong and Confucius as Confucian orthodoxy. Since then, the concept of orthodoxy and Confucianism have become an inseparable whole. The influence of people-oriented thought Mencius' people-oriented thought and benevolent government thought are based on the people's hearts. This revolutionary theory became the original idea of China's traditional political theory. However, this theory lacks modern democratic spirit, but it has become the rational source of restraining absolute monarchy in the traditional governance system. Mencius' thought of "producing for the people" has become the highest ideal of economic systems in past dynasties, such as the land equalization system in Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Characteristics of articles in Mencius

The article Mencius gives people the deepest impression, first of all, its eloquence. This feature is: first, grasp the other person's psychology, be persuasive, guide the other person to fall into the trap set by himself unconsciously, and convince the other person; Second, the momentum is abundant and right and wrong are clear. Once the other party is trapped, it will be arrogant and step by step, without giving the other party a chance to argue. The second characteristic is good at reasoning with typical examples, metaphors and fables.

There are two opinions about the year of Mencius' birth and death. First of all, people think that Mencius was born in the seventeenth year of King Zhou An (385 BC) and died in the eleventh year of Zhou Nanwang (304 BC). Second, Mencius was born in the fourth year of the reign of kings in Zhou Dynasty (372 BC) and died in the twenty-sixth year (289 BC).

Mencius chronology

One-year-old: In 390 BC, in the twelfth year of Zhou 'an, Mencius was born in Fu Village, west foot of Zou Maanshan. According to the inscription in Mencius, he was "the son of Lu Gong and Meng Sun" and moved to Zou. In the autumn of 389 BC, Mencius was one year old. Two years old: In 388 BC, in the fourteenth year of Zhou 'an, Mencius was in Zou. Three years old: In 387 BC, in the fifteenth year of Zhou 'an, Mencius was in Zou. Four years old: In 386 BC, in the sixteenth year of King An of Zhou, Mencius was in Zou. That year, he lost his father and was taught by his mother three times to cut off the machine (according to the biography of the fierce woman). In fact, relocation and outage may not happen within one year. Five years old: In 385 BC, in the seventeenth year of Zhou 'an, Mencius was in Zou. Six years old: 384 BC, the eighteenth year of King Anguo of Zhou. Chu and Wu began to be friends. Mencius is in Zou. Seven years old: 383 BC, the nineteenth year of King Anguo of Zhou. Lumugong died, and Li Fen represented the interests of the public. Mencius is in Zou. Eight years old: In 382 BC, in the twentieth year of Zhou 'an, Mencius was in Zou. Nine years old: 38 BC1,the twenty-first year of King Zhou An. Chu imperial clan killed Wuqi. Mencius is in Zou. Ten years old: In 380 BC, in the twenty-second year of King An of Zhou, Mencius was in Zou. Eleven years old: In 379 BC, in the twenty-third year of Zhou An, Qi Kanggong died. Zhao moved to Wu. Mencius is in Zou. Twelve years old: In 378 BC, in the twenty-fourth year of Zhou 'an, Mencius was in Zou. Thirteen years old: In 377 BC, in the twenty-fifth year of Zhou 'an, Mencius was in Zou. Fourteen years old: 376 BC, twenty-six years of King Anguo of Zhou. Han miezheng. All blame and kill their king. Mencius is in Zou. Fifteen years old: 375 BC, the first year of the reign of kings in Zhou Dynasty. Han is a thief. Qi Tianwu killed the King of Qi and became the Duke of Huan. There will be chaos in the Yueshi area, and there will be nothing. Mencius is in Zou. Sixteen years old: In 374 BC, in the second year of King Zhou, Mencius was in Zou. Seventeen years old: In 373 BC, in the third year of the reign of King Zhou, Mencius was in Zou. Eighteen: In 372 BC, in the fourth year of the reign of King Zhou, Mencius was in Zou. Nineteen years old: 37 1 BC, in the year of Wang Wu, died. In short, it is a public chess piece. Han Yan killed Han Aihou. Wei cut Chu and took Luyang. Mencius is in Zou. Twenty years old: 370 BC, six years of the reign of King Zhou. Han and Zhao will move to Tunliu. Zhao, Han defeated Wei, Wei defeated Zhao and defeated Pingyang. Mencius is in Zou. Twenty-one years old: 369 BC, the seventh year of the reign of King Zhou. Qi cut Wei, lowered the view, and Wang voted for Korea by mistake. Wei defeated North Korea in Maling. Mencius is in Zou. Twenty-two years old: 368 BC, the first year of Zhou Xianwang. Mencius went to Shandong to study and was educated by Zi Si. Twenty-three years old: in 367 BC, Zhou Xian was queen for two years. Zhao Han is divided into two weeks. Mencius is in Shandong. Twenty-four years old: In 366 BC, Zhou Xianwang was three years old. Wei defeated North Korea. Mencius is in Shandong. Twenty-five years old: In 365 BC, Zhou Xianwang was four years old. In April Jiayin, Wei moved to the capital as a girder. Tian killed his mother. Mencius is in Shandong. Twenty-six years old: In 364 BC, Zhou Xianwang was five years old. Wei Gongzi is as slow as Zhao. Mencius returned to Zou to establish Zisi Academy, and cultivated talents in the world. Twenty-seven years old: in 363 BC, Queen Zhou Xian was six years old. Wei cut Zhao, while people get fat. Yuesi District and Dis killed their king. Mencius is in Zou. Twenty-eight years old: In 362 BC, Zhou Xianwang was seven years old. Wei defeated the allied forces of Zhao and Han in the north, captured Le Zuo and Pijin alive. Zhao Chenghou and Han Zhaohou will attend the party. Mencius is in Zou. Twenty-nine years old: 36 BC1,Zhou Xianwang eight years. Shang Yang entered Qin. Song Yue was born in this year. Wei entered Futian River. People come and go when they are free. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty years old: In 360 BC, Zhou Xianwang was nine years old. Gong Hui was an outstanding figure in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-one years old: In 359 BC, Zhou Xianwang was ten years old. Han and Wei divided Jin, and moved the Jin army to Duanshi. Shang Yang's political reform. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-two years old: 358 BC, eleven years of King Zhou Xian. Wei made an alliance with Han Hou, and Wusha returned to Han. Shang Yang sentenced Gong Ziqian and Gong. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-three years old: 357 BC, 12 years in Zhou Xianwang. Lu, Song, Wei and Wei ruled together, and Liang was king. Shang Yang is the eldest son of Zuo Shu. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-four years old: 356 BC, thirteen years in Zhou Xianwang. Lu Hou went to Wei, and Wei built a pond for Qin. Han built the Great Wall in the south. Anyi, Hou Yu, Yancheng, Zhao Hui. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-five years old: in 355 BC, King Zhou Xian was fourteen years old. Shen Buhai sang Han. The more you die, the less you die. Qin Xiaogong and Wei Huiwang will meet in Du Ping and invade the Song Dynasty. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-six years old: In 354 BC, Zhou Xianwang was fifteen. Qi defeated Wei in Guiyang. Han Hou Wei Chao. Qin defeated Wei, cut 7 thousand, and took less beams. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-seven years old: 353 BC, the sixteenth year of King Zhou Xian. Zhao defeated Wei in Guilin. Wei defeated the princes in Xiangling, and the Song State was unified. Qi made Chu Jingshe, and Wei Mou succeeded. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-eight years old: In 352 BC, Zhou Xianwang was seventeen years old. Shang Yang was conquered by Qin Daliang (equivalent to prime minister and general), and Anyi surrendered to Qin. Mencius is in Zou. Thirty-nine years old: 35 1 BC, the eighteenth year of Zhou Xianwang. Qin moved the capital to Xianyang. Shang Yang attacked Wei and Gu Yang destroyed Qin. Wei returned to Handan, Zhao, and made an alliance in Zhangshui. Mencius is in Zou. Forty years old: 350 BC, the nineteenth year of King Zhou Xian. Shang Yang abandoned the ore field and set up a county. Mencius is in Zou. Forty-one years old: in 349 BC, in the twentieth year of King Xian of Zhou, Mencius was in Zou. Forty-two years old: 348 BC, twenty-one years in Zhou Xianwang. Just like Qin. The Qin Dynasty was "endowed at first". Mencius is in Zou. Forty-three years old: In 347 BC, in 22 years, Mencius first went from Zou to Qilinzi to recruit literary lobbyists. Forty-four years old: In 346 BC, in the twenty-third year of Zhou Xian, Mencius made friends with Zhang Kuang in Qi State. Forty-five years old: In 345 BC, in the twenty-fourth year of Zhou Xian, Mencius was in Qi. Forty-six years old: In 344 BC, Zhou Xianwang was twenty-five. When the princes were summoned to the Okanagan valley, the son of Qin led his troops to the meeting. Qin Xiaogong will become a vassal of the capital. Mencius was laughed at by Miracle's Chun Kun, and they had an argument about "Li". Forty-seven years old: 343 BC, the twenty-sixth year of Zhou Xianwang. Qi Tianji defeated Wei Jun in Maling with Sun Bin's plan, Pang Juan committed suicide, and Prince Shen was captured. Mencius was not reused in Qi State and was laughed at by Qi people. Mencius explained himself with "I have no official duties" and "I have no responsibility". Forty-eight years old: 342 BC, twenty-seven years in Zhou Xianwang. Shang Yang attacked Wei, captured Zilei, defeated Wei Jun, and Mencius was in Qi. Forty-nine years old: 34 BC1,in the twenty-eighth year of Zhou Xianwang, Mencius was in Qi. Fifty years old: 340 BC, twenty-nine years in Zhou Xianwang. (Qi) Pi moved to Xue. Wei is a big ditch, walking in the water in the field. Mencius is in Qi. Fifty-one years old: In 339 BC, Zhou Xianwang was thirty years old. According to Records of the Historical Records, Zhuangzi and Chu Weiwang were both hired as phase, and Zhuangzi resigned. Zhao Liang saw Shang Yang and threatened him to step down. Mencius is in Qi. Fifty-two years old: 338 BC, thirty-one years in Zhou Xianwang. Song carved into the pawn, brother. Qin Xiaogong died, cherry Shang Yang was in Xianyang, and his teacher Shijiao fled to Shu. Mencius is in Qi. Fifty-three years old: 337 BC, thirty-two years in Zhou Xianwang. Hanshenbuhai is dead. Qin still used Shang Yang to reform, Chu, Zhao, Han and Shu. Mencius is in Qi. Fifty-four years old: In 336 BC, in the thirty-third year of Zhou Xian, Mencius was in Qi. Fifty-five years old: 335 BC, thirty-four years in Zhou Xianwang. Qin Gan Mao took Han Yiyang. Because he traveled with Mencius, he was used as a general and defeated the State of Qin. Wei Huiwang's policy of Hui nationality and joining forces with Xuzhou and Hui Wang. Mencius is in Qi. Fifty-six years old: In 334 BC, in the thirty-fifth year of King Xian of Zhou, the State of Chu perished. Mencius is in Qi. Fifty-seven years old: 333 BC, thirty-six years in Zhou Xianwang. Su Qin joined forces with six countries and formed an alliance with Huan Shui and Ji Xue. Mencius is in Qi. Fifty-eight years old: In 332 BC, in the thirty-seventh year of Zhou Xian, Mencius was in Qi. Fifty-nine years: 33 1 year BC, thirty-eight years in Zhou Xianwang. Qin defeated Wei, captured its general Long Jia alive and beheaded 80,000. Mencius was ignored in the state of Qi and sighed. Sixty years old: 330 BC, thirty-nine years in Zhou Xianwang. Wei Xianxi is located in the territory of Qin. Mencius is in Qi. Sixty-one years old: In 329 BC, 40 years after King Xian of Zhou, Mencius was in Qi. Sixty-two years old: In 328 BC, in the forty-first year of Zhou Xian, Mencius was in Qi. Sixty-three years old: in 327 BC, the first king of Zhou was forty-two years old. Han Ju fought in Qi and died in Sancho. Dead, Mencius was buried in Lu. At the beginning of his visit to the State of Qi, Mencius respected him as a guest, so he buried his mother as a doctor. Sixty-four years old: 326 BC, forty-three years in Zhou Xianwang. In May, Wei Hanhui sent troops to Wusha. In October, the Han Dynasty proclaimed the Wei Dynasty. Mencius mourned for Lu. Sixty-five years old: in 325 BC, the first king of Zhou was forty-four years old. In April, King Hui of Qin became king. In May, the prince of Yan was king and the king of Han Xuan was king. Mencius mourned for Lu. Sixty-six years old: 324 BC, forty-five years in Zhou Xianwang. Chu defeated Wei in Xiangling. Mencius returned to Qi after three years in Lu 'ai. Sixty-seven years old: 323 BC, forty-six years in Zhou Xianwang. Zhaoyang was destroyed by Chu. Teng Dinggong is dead. At this time, Xia Ji Gong Xue declined. Mencius saw that Wang Wei couldn't realize his idea of "benevolent governance" in Qi, and heard that the King of Song wanted to be king, so he left Qi.

The honor and disgrace behind it

Mencius is one of the most important representatives of Confucianism, but his position before the Song Dynasty was not very high. Since Han Yu wrote The Original Road in the mid-Tang Dynasty and listed Mencius as the only figure in pre-Qin Confucianism who inherited Confucian orthodoxy, there has been an "upgrading movement" of Mencius, and the status of Mencius and his works has gradually risen. Song Shenzong Xining four years (107 1), Mencius was included in the imperial examination for the first time. In the sixth year of Yuanfeng (1083), Mencius was officially named "Zou Guogong" for the first time, and he was allowed to enjoy the Confucius Temple the following year. Later, Mencius was promoted to a Confucian classic. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Zhu combined Mencius with The Analects of Confucius, Daxue and The Doctrine of the Mean into four books, and their actual status was even higher than that of the Five Classics. From the Yuan Dynasty to the first year of Shun Dynasty (1330), Mencius was named "Asian Saint" and later called "Asian Saint", ranking second only to Confucius. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang edited Mencius Festival, and deleted some chapters and sentences in Mencius, such as "People are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the least important", "A thief is called a husband, and killing a gentleman is unheard of".

Throughout the ages, chasing seals lost their lives.

During the dynasty, the emperor conferred the title of Song Yuanfeng for six years (1083). From Song Shenzong in the Yuan Dynasty to the first year of Shun (1330), Gong Sheng of Yuan Wenzong went abroad.

Mencius family

Asian sages of past dynasties: forty-five generations of Sun, fifty-four generations of Si Liang, fifty-five generations of Sun Meng Keren, fifty-six generations of Sun Meng Xiwen, fifty-seven generations of Meng, the word scholar Huan. Sun Zhao of the 58th generation, son of Meng Yuan's younger brother Meng Heng, son of Meng Yuan, word Xianwen, Meng Gongbang, and son of Meng Yuan, word Chao, Sun Mengchengguang of the 60th generation in the first year of Qin Long, Sun Menghongyu of the 60th generation in the 29th year of Wanli, and Sun Mengwenyu of the 62nd generation in the 3rd year of Apocalypse. In the second year of Chongzhen, 63rd generation Sun Meng Zhenren, 64th generation Sun Meng, 65th generation Sun Meng Yantai, 66th generation Sun Meng, 67th generation Sun Meng, 68th generation Sun Meng, 69th generation Sun Meng, 70th generation Sun Meng, 72nd generation Sun Meng, 73rd generation Sun Mengqingtang and 74th generation Sun Mengfanji were born in 1908. He inherited from 1943, "The Holy Official of Bai Ya". 1949 went to Taiwan Province province. Seventy-five generations of grandchildren's association

Theory of human nature being good

Mencius believed that human nature is good, and Mencius once said: "So everyone has a heart that can't bear others. Now, at the first sight, my obedient son will go down the well, and all of them feel pity; If you don't do what your parents did, you should be praised by your friends in the countryside. If you don't hate your own voice, you will naturally. " Everyone also has the heart to bear others. If a child is about to fall into a well, he saves people not because of friendship, reputation and other interests, but because the essence of "goodness" in his heart is naturally revealed. Mencius believed that the essence of "goodness" is divided into sadness, shame, rebellion and right and wrong, that is, "four ends". "Duan" means the starting point. Mencius believes that virtue can be achieved as long as we strive to expand the four ends, that is, moral practice. However, since "goodness" has long existed in people's minds, some people still do evil. Mencius believes that people are not good because they are blinded by selfish desires. Mencius believed that people should give up self-interest and preserve righteousness.

political thought

People-oriented thought "the people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light." It means the people first, the country second, and the monarch last. Mencius believed that the monarch should take care of the people first, and politicians should protect the rights of the people. Mencius agreed that the monarch has no way and the people have the right to overthrow the regime. It is said that Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, was dissatisfied with Mencius' people-oriented thought and ordered people to abridge the relevant contents in Mencius. Benevolence and Wang Mencius advocated that the monarch should be benevolent and inherit the theory of good nature. Mencius believes that "people have the heart to bear others" and "the policy to bear others". As long as the monarch preaches his benevolent policy, the so-called "young and old" is benevolent policy, from caring for the family to loving the people. The concrete measure to implement benevolent government is to implement "kingly way" to make the people rich and happy, that is, "to protect the people as kings", the people naturally support the monarch, and the country naturally becomes prosperous and stable. The people are the most important, the country is the second, and the monarch is the light. Mencius said: "The people are the most important, followed by the land god who represents the country, and the monarch is the light. Therefore, the son of heaven who is popular with the people, the king who is loved by the son of heaven and the doctor who is loved by the king. If the monarch harms the god of the land valley, the country will become a monarch. The sacrifices are rich and clean, and the sacrifices are held on time, but they still suffer from drought and flood, so they are changed to Tugu God. " Mencius' keynote is idealism and optimism, which embodies Mencius' firm belief in human nature. His political thought is very similar to Confucius in many aspects, especially Mencius' insistence that the monarch should rule mainly through moral norms rather than force. But compared with Confucius, Mencius is a "noble man". "Heaven sees through people's eyes and hears through people's ears" (2) This is one of his most famous assertions. Mencius emphasized that the most important part of a country is the people, not the rulers. The duty of a ruler is to benefit the people, especially he should provide moral guidance and suitable living conditions for the people. The government policy he advocates is free trade; Low taxes and protection of natural resources; Share wealth instead of the law of the jungle. The government should provide welfare for the old, the weak and the sick. Mencius believed that the power of the monarch was given by heaven. If a monarch ignores the happiness of the people, he will lose the sovereignty given by heaven and should be ousted. Because the end of this sentence is an effective negation of the beginning, Mencius actually put forward that people have the right to resist unjust rulers as early as John Locke. This is an idea widely accepted by China people. But on the whole, the ideas advocated by Mencius are more welcomed by the rulers than by the rulers. So Mencius' suggestion was not adopted by the rulers at that time. There seems to be nothing to make a fuss about. However, during this period, his views became more and more popular among Confucian scholars and the public in China. Mencius enjoyed a high reputation at that time, and 1 1 century and12nd century saw the rise of Neo-Confucianism. His popularity in China is even higher.