Page 315 - 《孟子》（一）中·英对照版

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Mencius replied, “It may. Zikuai had no right
to give Yan to another man, and Zizhi had no right
to receive Yan from Zikuai. Suppose there were an
officer here, with whom you, Sir, were pleased, and
that, without informing the king, you were privately
to give to him your salary and rank; and suppose
that this officer, also without the king’s orders,
were privately to receive them from you: —would
such a transaction be allowable? And where is the
difference between the case of Yan and this?”

The people of Qi smote Yan.
Some one asked Mencius, saying, “Is it really
the case that you advised Qi to smite Yan?”
He replied, “No. Shen Tong asked me whether
Yan might be smitten, and I answered him, ‘It may.’
They accordingly went and smote it. If he had asked
me, ‘Who may smite it?’ I would have answered
him, ‘He who is the minister of Heaven may smite
it.’ Suppose the case of a murderer, and that one

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