Today, it is an honor to present selections from “Mencius,” translated into English by James Legge, in which the Venerated Enlightened Philosopher Mencius expounds on the importance of leaders letting the people have contentment as they themselves would like it.
Mencius Chapter 3 Interview with the King
“Chwang Pâ’o, seeing Mencius, said to Him, ‘I had an interview with the King. His Majesty told me that he loved music, and I was not prepared with anything to reply to him. What do you pronounce about that love of music?’ Mencius replied, ‘If the King’s love of music were very great, the kingdom of Ch'î would be near to a state of good government!’ Another day, Mencius, having an interview with the King, said, ‘Your Majesty, I have heard, told the officer Chwang, that you love music; was it so?' The King changed color, and said, ‘I am unable to love the music of the ancient sovereigns; I only love the music that suits the manners of the present age.’ Mencius said, ‘If your Majesty’s love of music were very great, Ch'î would be near to a state of good government! The music of the present day is just like the music of antiquity, as regards affecting that.’ The King said, ‘May I hear from you the proof of that?’
Mencius asked, ‘Which is the more pleasant, to enjoy music by yourself alone, or to enjoy it with others?’ ‘To enjoy it with others,’ was the reply. ‘And which is the more pleasant, to enjoy music with a few, or to enjoy it with many?’ ‘To enjoy it with many.’ Mencius proceeded, ‘Your servant begs to explain what I have said about music to your Majesty.
Now, your Majesty is having music here. The people hear the noise of Your bells and drums, and the notes of Your fifes and pipes, and they all, with aching heads, knit their brows, and say to one another, “That's how our King likes His music! But why does He reduce us to this extremity of distress? Fathers and sons cannot see one another. Elder brothers and younger brothers, wives and children, are separated and scattered abroad.” […] The people hear the noise of your carriages and horses, and see the beauty of your plumes and streamers, and they all, with aching heads, knit their brows, and say to one another, “[…] Why does He reduce us to this extremity of distress? Fathers and sons cannot see one another. Elder brothers and younger brothers, wives and children, are separated and scattered abroad.” Their feeling thus is from no other reason but that you do not allow the people to have pleasure as well as yourself.
Now, Your Majesty is having music here. The people hear the noise of Your bells and drums, and the notes of Your fifes and pipes, and they all, delighted, and with joyful looks, say to one another, “That sounds as if our King were free from all sickness! If He were not, how could He enjoy this music?” […] The people hear the noise of your carriages and horses, and see the beauty of your plumes and streamers, and they all, delighted, and with joyful looks, say to one another, “That looks as if our King were free from all sickness! […]” Their feeling thus is from no other reason but that You cause them to have their pleasure as You have Yours. If Your Majesty now will make pleasure a thing common to the people and Yourself, the royal sway awaits You.’”
Conversation with King Hsüan of Ch'î
“The King Hsüan of Ch'î asked, ‘Was it so that the park of King Wan contained seventy square lî?’ Mencius replied, ‘It is so in the records.’ ‘Was it so large as that?’ exclaimed the King. ‘The people,’ said Mencius, ‘still looked on it as small.’ The King added, ‘My park contains only forty square lî, and the people still look on it as large. How is this?’ ‘The park of King Wan,’ was the reply, ‘contained seventy square lî, but the grass-cutters and fuel-gatherers had the privilege of entrance into it […]. He shared it with the people, and was it not with reason that they looked on it as small? When I first arrived at the borders of your kingdom, I inquired about the great prohibitory regulations, before I would venture to enter it; and I heard, that inside the barrier-gates there was a park of forty square lî, and that he who killed a deer in it, was held guilty of the same crime as if he had killed a man. Thus, those forty square lî are a pitfall in the middle of the kingdom. Is it not with reason that the people look upon them as large?’”
