Mengzi 孟子, II.A.6

孟子曰：“人皆有不忍人之心。先王有不忍人之心，斯有不忍人之政矣。以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政，治天下可運之掌上。所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心。非所以內交於孺子之父母也，非所以要譽於鄉黨朋友也，非惡其聲而然也。由是觀之，無惻隱之心，非人也；無羞惡之心，非人 也；無辭讓之心，非人也；無是非之心，非人也。惻隱之心，仁之端也；羞惡之心，義之端也；辭讓之心，禮之端也；是非之心，智之端也。人之有是四端也，猶其 有四體也。有是四端而自謂不能者，自賊者也；謂其君不能者，賊其君者也。凡有四端於我者，知皆擴而充之矣，若火之始然，泉之始達。苟能充之，足以保四海； 苟不充之，不足以事父母。”

Mencius said: “All men have a mind (which desires) the non-sufferings of others. The ancient (sage) kings had a mind (which desired) the non-sufferings of others, and as such, had a government in which people did not suffer. When a mind (which desires) the non-sufferings of others was used in the conduct of a government in which people do not suffer, governing the realm turns upon one’s palm. When I said all men have a mind (which desires) the non-sufferings of others, I mean that now, if one were suddenly to see a child about to fall into a well, anyone would have feelings of shock, fear and distress. It is not the case that it is in order to obtain friendship with the child’s parents, or that they seek to gain praises of their fellow villagers and friends, nor from thinking that such a thing is evil. The reason for this condition is that without XXX, one is not a man, without a heart that is shameful of evil, one is not a man, without expressions of complaisance, one is not a man, without a heart that knows right from wrong, one is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the principle of benevolence; the feeling of being shameful of evil is the principle of righteousness; the feeling of expressing complaisance is the principle of propriety; a heart that knows right from wrong is the principle of knowledge. Men have these four principles just as they have their four (limbs) of the body. When men, having these four principles, but say of themselves that they cannot develop them, they are stealing from themselves, and he who says to his