Page 69 - 《孟子》（二）中·英对照版

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on the altar-ground, where he lived alone other
three years, before he returned home. On another
occasion, Zixia, Zizhang, and Ziyou, thinking that
You Ruo resembled the sage, wished to render to
him the same observances which they had rendered
to Confucius. They tried to force the disciple Zeng
to join with them, but he said, ‘This may not be
done. What has been washed in the waters of the
Jiang and Han, and bleached in the autumn sun:
—how glistening is it! Nothing can be added to it.’
Now here is this shrike-tongued barbarian of the
south, whose doctrines are not those of the ancient
kings. You turn away from your master and become
his disciple. Your conduct is different indeed from
that of the philosopher Zeng. I have heard of birds
leaving dark valleys to remove to lofty trees, but I
have not heard of their descending from lofty trees
to enter into dark valleys. In the Praise-songs of Lu
it is said, ‘He smote the barbarians of the west and

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