Page 248 - 《孟子》（一）中·英对照版

?孟
子

Mencius said, “All men have a mind which
cannot bear to see the sufferings of others. The
ancient kings had this commiserating mind, and they,
as a matter of course, had likewise a commiserating
government. When with a commiserating mind
was practised a commiserating government, to
rule the kingdom was as easy a matter as to make
anything go round in the palm. When I say that
all men have a mind which cannot bear to see the
sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated
thus: —even nowadays, if men suddenly see a
child about to fall into a well, they will without
exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress.
They will feel so, not as a ground on which they
may gain the favour of the child’s parents, nor as a
ground on which they may seek the praise of their
neighbours and friends, nor from a dislike to the
reputation of having been unmoved by such a thing.
From this case we may perceive that the feeling of

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