Page 218 - 《孟子》（三）中·英对照版

?孟
子

of its life day and night, and in the calm air of the
morning, just between night and day, the mind feels
in a degree those desires and aversions which are
proper to humanity, but the feeling is not strong,
and it is fettered and destroyed by what takes place
during the day. This fettering taking place again
and again, the restorative influence of the night is
not sufficient to preserve the proper goodness of
the mind; and when this proves insufficient for that
purpose, the nature becomes not much different
from that of the irrational animals, and when people
now see it, they think that it never had those powers
which I assert. But does this condition represent the
feelings proper to humanity? Therefore, if it receive
its proper nourishment, there is nothing which will
not grow. If it lose its proper nourishment, there is
nothing which will not decay away. Confucius said,
‘Hold it fast, and it remains with you. Let it go, and
you lose it. Its outgoing and incoming cannot be

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