Mencius

Mencius, Philip J. Ivanhoe, Irene Bloom

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Year: 2009
• eBook ISBN:
  9780231520584
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Central Asian History

Known throughout East Asia as Mengzi, or "Master Meng," Mencius (391-308 B.C.E.) was a Chinese philosopher of the late Zhou dynasty, an instrumental figure in the spread of the Confucian tradition, and a brilliant illuminator of its ideas. Mencius was active during the Warring States Period (403-221 B.C.E.), in which competing powers sought to control the declining Zhou empire. Like Confucius, Mencius journeyed to one feudal court after another, searching for a proper lord who could put his teachings into practice. Only a leader who possessed the moral qualities of a true king could unify China, Mencius believed, and in his defense of Zhou rule and Confucian philosophy, he developed an innovative and highly nuanced approach to understanding politics, self-cultivation, and human nature, profoundly influencing the course of Confucian thought and East Asian culture.

Mencius is a record of the philosopher's conversations with warring lords, disciples, and adversaries of the Way, as well as a collection of pronouncements on government, human nature, and a variety of other philosophical and political subjects. Mencius is largely concerned with the motivations of human actors and their capacity for mutual respect. He builds on the Confucian idea of ren, or humaneness, and places it alongside the complementary principle of yi, or rightness, advancing a complex notion of what is right for certain individuals as they perform distinct roles in specific situations. Consequently, Mencius's impact was felt not only in the thought of the intellectual and social elite but also in the value and belief systems of all Chinese people.

GLOSSARY OF PERSONS AND PLACES

Bai Kui [6B10, 6B11].

Bi Zhan [3A3].

Bigan, Prince [2A1, 6A6].

Bin (state) [1B14, 1B15].

Biying [4B1].

Bo (state) [3B5, 5A6, 5A7].

Bogong Qi [5B2].

Bogong You [2A2].

Boli Xi [5A9, 6B6, 6B15].

Boyi [2A2, 2A9, 3B10, 4A13, 5B1, 6B6, 7A22, 7B15].

Cai (state) [7B18].

Cao Jiao [6B2].

Chang Xi [5A1, 5B3].

Chaowu (place) [1B4].

Chen (state) [7B18, 7B37].

Chen Dai [3B1, 3B10].

Chen Jia [2B9].

Chen Liang [3A4].

Chen Xiang [3A4].

Chen Zhen [2B3, 2B10, 6B14, 7B23].

Chen Zhongzi (Tian Zhong) [3B10, 7A34].

Cheng Jian [3A1].

Chess Qiu [6A9].

Chi Wa [2B5].

Chong (state) [2B14].

Chong Yu [2B7, 2B13].

Chu (state) [1A5, 1A7, 1B6, 1B13, 2B2, 3A1, 3A4, 3B5, 3B6, 6A4, 6A12, 6B4].

Chui Ji [5A9].

Chunyu Kun [4A17, 6B6].

Chuzi [4B32, 6B5].

Confucius [2A1, 2A2, 2A3, 2A4, 2A7, 2B13, 3A2, 3A4, 3B3, 3B7, 3B9, 4A2, 4A7, 4A8, 4A14, 4B10, 4B18, 4B22, 4B29, 5A4, 5A6, 5A8, 5B1, 5B4, 5B5, 5B7, 6A6, 6A8, 6B3, 6B6, 7A24, 7B17, 7B18, 7B19, 7B37, 7B38].

Dai Busheng [3B6].

Dai Yingchi [3B8].

Danzhu (son of Yao) [5A6].

Di (non-Chinese peoples) [1B11, 1B14, 1B15, 3A4, 3B5, 3B9, 7B4].

Dian (son of King Xuan of Qi) [7A33].

Ding, duke of Teng [3A1].

Dongguo family [2B2].

Duan Ganmu [3B7].

Fan (place) [7A36].

Fang Xun. See Yao.

Feilian [3B9].

Feng Fu [7B23].

Five Hegemons [6B7, 7A30].

Fu Chu [4B31].

Fu Yue [6B15].

Fuxia (place) [4B1].

Gao Yao [3A4, 7A35, 7B38].

Gaotang (place) [6B6].

Gaozi (competitor) [2A2, 6A1, 6A2, 6A3, 6A4, 6A6].

Gaozi (disciple) [2B12, 6B3, 7B21, 7B22].

Ge (state) [1B3, 1B11, 3B5, 3B10].

Gong Gong [5A3].

Gong Liu [1B5].

Gong Zhiqi [5A9].

Gongduzi (Master Gongdu) [2B5, 3B9...

Table of contents

• Cover 
• Half title
• Editorial Board
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents 
• Editor’s Preface
• Introduction
• Book 1A
• Book 1B
• Book 2A
• Book 2B
• Book 3A
• Book 3B
• Book 4A
• Book 4B
• Book 5A
• Book 5B
• Book 6A
• Book 6B
• Book 7A
• Book 7B
• Glossary of Persons and Places
• Translations from the Asian Classics