Mencius (Paperback)

~ (Author), David Hinton (Translator) "Mencius went to see Emperor Hui of Liang, and the emperor said: ""Even a thousand miles wasn't too great a journey for you..." (more)
Key Phrases: twisty words, august lords, true emperor, Son of Heaven, Emperor Wen, Wan Chang (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Irene Bloom is a sensitive and well-trained scholar. Her translation of Mencius, one of the most influential philosophical works ever written in China, marks an important step forward for Asian and Confucian studies." -- Harold D. Roth, professor of religious and East Asian studies and director, Contemplative Studies Initiative, Brown University

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

This ancient text records the teachings of Mencius, who lived during the fourth century B.C.E. and studied with the grandson of Confucius. He is China's ya sheng, or second originary sage, having contributed the profound inner dimensions of the human being to the spiritual cosmology in Confucianism.

This volume is the second in a series of new translations presenting the four central masterworks of ancient Chinese thought. Hinton's translations are inviting and immensely readable, applying a consistency to key terms and structural links to this vital canon. Other titles in the series include Chuang Tzu: The Inner Chapters (1997), The Analects (1998), and Tao Te Ching (1999).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582430209
• ISBN-13: 978-1582430201
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #568,139 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Discover a classic of Chinese literature!, January 18, 2001

By	bryan12603 (Poughkeepsie, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mencius (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Very few people in the West have heard of Mencius. However, in East Asia he is known as "the second sage" of Confucianism -- second only to Confucius himself. The eponymous _Mencius_ is a collection of his sayings and dialogues with disciples, rulers, and rival philosophers. It is unfortunate that this work is not more widely read outside of Asia. It is more accessible than the often cryptic _Analects_ of Confucius. Furthermore, Mencius is arguably a deeper philosophical thinker than Confucius. Buy this book and you'll get a fine translation of a classic of world literature and philosophy.

Mencius is most famous for his claim that human nature is good. He illustrates this by asking us to imagine a person who suddenly sees a child about to fall into a well. Anyone, Mencius claims, would have a feeling of alarm and compassion at this sight. This feeling is a manifestation of our innate tendency toward benevolence. Mencius is aware that, despite having this innate tendency toward virtue, most people fail to act in a benevolent manner. But he claims that this is due to bad environmental factors, as well as a failure to cultivate one's "sprouts" of virtue. (Lau translates "sprout" as "germ," a minor infelicity.)

Lau's _Mencius_ is probably the best complete translation of this work in English. It also includes extensive supporting material: an interpretive introduction, a glossary, and appendices on events in the life of Mencius, early traditions about Mencius, the text of the _Mencius_, ancient history as understood by Mencius, and Mencius's method of argumentation.

James Legge also did a complete translation, _The Works of Mencius_, which is a little dated (it was completed in the late 19th century), but it is still a good translation, and includes the Chinese text, along with extensive notes. I did a partial translation of the _Mencius_ for _Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy_.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, Great Translation!, January 7, 2004

By	Frikle - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mencius (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

For those who don't know, Mencius was a disciple of Confucius's philosophy - probably the most famous. He helped spread it by adding his own flavour to the theories. This book presents them. It is easier to read than the Analects, in my opinion, as it presents much longer and more coherent paragraphs many of which are like stories. As a result, less time is spent getting acquainted with the background.

One of the key features of Mencius that separates him from Confucius is the book of Mencius has a lot of philosophical argument and rhetoric that is quite sophisticated from a cursory reading (with Confucius, much of the sophistication is apparent only if you know the text EXTREMELY well). Mencius was a keen maker of illustrations in arguments. This is the book that contains the famous argument taht human nature is fundamentally good because a person seeing a child on the edge of a well about to fall in will initially be compelled to run and save the child.

Basically, there was a sort of split in the interpretation of Confucianism. Xunzi believed that humans are essentially evil (or at least selfish) and therefore it is necessary to have ren (benevolence), li (ritual/propriety) and fa (law) to enable them to develop themselves and overcome their base urges. Mencius went the other way, considering people essentially good (as can be seen in the well example). He would see evil as a result of corruption by society, and ren and li as tools to enable one to develop their true nature. From reading his work though, I think he was far from naive and he certainly did not have an idyllic view of humanity. Rather, Xunzi and Mencius seemed to be advocating the same kind of philosophy and there is not actually that much difference between them. But Mencius is the more optimistic and hence more pleasant to read, and it is perhaps because of the sense of optimism that he was adopted by the Chinese as the more authoritative Confuscian in ages to come.

The translation is great and makes the reading easier. There are useful appendices at the end which give the background in a logical way (eg a section on Mencius's view of history).

A great find!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "To try to achieve anything is like digging a well. ", February 19, 2005

By	C. Gilbert "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mencius (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Having read the Analects, I wanted to read further in Chinese philosophy. It was recommended that I pick up the Lau translation of Mencius, as it was widely considered the best.

Even as a reader approaching his thinking for the first time, I was able to get quite a bit from reading the seven books. They were thought-provoking and crisp. I was interested in the notions of morality and good as treated in his analogies. This point is the famous difference between Confucius and Mencius and alone makes this book valuable reading.

The Penguin edition may well be the best available translation and I am sure that the essays at the beginning and end are useful for more knowledgeable scholars. Unfortunately, as a reader largely unfamiliar with his life and work (beyond knowing his role as a student of Confucius) these essays assumed a level of knowledge beyond that which I actually possessed. It would have been helpful for me if the introduction had been more concerned with basic context setting.

The appendices bound with the book contain essays on dating events in the life of Mencius, early traditions about Mencius, textual notes, history as depicted in the text, and the use of analogy as argument.