Page 283 - 《孟子》（一）中·英对照版

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must not be waited for.’ You were certainly going
to the court, but when you heard the king's order,
then you did not carry your purpose out. This does
seem as if it were not in accordance with that rule of
propriety.”

Mencius answered him, “How can you give
that meaning to my conduct? The philosopher Zeng
said, ‘The wealth of Jin and Chu cannot be equalled.
Let their rulers have their wealth: — I have my
benevolence. Let them have their nobility: —I have
my righteousness. Wherein should I be dissatisfied
as inferior to them?’ Now shall we say that these
sentiments are not right? Seeing that the philosopher
Zeng spoke them, there is in them, I apprehend
a real principle. In the kingdom there are three
things universally acknowledged to be honourable.
Nobility is one of them; age is one of them; virtue is
one of them. In courts, nobility holds the first place
of the three; in villages, age holds the first place;

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