Mencius on Confucian Morality

I will show Mencius’ concept of morality in terms of the sage. To understand how one becomes a sage, I will briefly explain the concept of “ren, “ and I will show how ren is then shaped by “li.” Finally, I will show how the sage is conceived as a model of morality and how he inspires moral reciprocity.

Mencius describes a sage as a person who has reached moral perfection. Although Mencius, in the book titled Mencius, is often advising leaders of countries to strive toward sagehood, he does not believe that sagehood is limited to the wealthy. Rather, he believes that anyone can achieve a state of moral perfection. In book IV, part B, Mencius speaks of Shun an eastern barbarian and King Wen a western barbarian, who lived many miles apart and were many years apart in age. He says, “ ‘Yet when they had their way in the Central Kingdoms, their actions matched like the two halves of a tally. The standards of the two sages, one earlier and one later, were identical’” (128). In other words, if a person has reached moral perfection he can become a sage, regardless of his economic or social status.

In order for a sage to reach moral perfection he must have an understanding of feeling or heart, which Mencius calls ren. Ren is an internal concept. In other words, one must have an internal feeling/understanding of what is moral/right. This understanding is gained from one’s first relationship with his parents. The parents must instill a sense of feeling into the child so that a moral structure can be built within. If one has an understanding of feeling, then he has an understanding of rightness (yi). However, the difficult part for a sage is maintaining this sense of rightness and applying it to all aspects of his life. Mencius says, “In other words, all you have to do is take this very heart here and apply it to what is over there” (57). Ren can be descried as loyalty to one’s heart. A person of ren assesses each situation and acts according to his heart.

A sage must also have a sense of manner or ritual to communicate his heart. Mencius refers to this as li. Li is external. Li governs the physical interaction between two people. It tells the people how to act appropriately, and is like a guide to acting morally. Mencius says, “Shun understood the way of things and had a keen insight into human relationships. He followed the path of morality. He did not just put morality into practice” (131). Li is what allows morality to come into practice, but is not sufficient in it’s self. Li is only a guide for one with a feeling heart. Hahm Chaibong, in his essay titled Confucian Rituals and the Technology of the Self: A Foucaultian Interpretation, believes li to be a useful tool in the search for moral perfection. He says, “It is matter of cultivating, training, and disciplining one’s body so that it will always practice and manifest truth, virtue, and sincerity ” (Chaibong 317). Li trains the self to act virtuously.

A sage who has embodied ren and li understands the importance of the five relationships, as they define him. A sage could not be a sage if he was not engaged in a plurality of relationships. The five main relationships according to Confucian thought are: parent/child, rule/subject, husband/wife, old/young, friend/friend. The sage upholds morality by interacting appropriately and benevolently, in accord with ren and li, in each of these relationships. Morality for the sage is situational, in that his actions are based upon the situation of the moment and not on one abstract universal principle. So, what may have been appropriate in one situation may not be appropriate in another. Mencius gives an example: Meng Chi-tzu asks Kung-tu Tzu who he would pay respect to, his elder brother or a man from his village that is a year older. Kung-tu Tzu says his brother. Then Meng Chi-tzu asks whose cup he would fill with wine first and Kung-tu Tzu says the villager. Kung-tu Tzu concludes by saying, “ ‘Normal respect is due to my elder brother; temporary respect is due to the man from my village’” (162). A sage is a person skilled at managing all of his relationships. Ren and li are what a sage utilizes to maintain morally superior relationships.

A sage is a model of morality that, when observed by others, inspires moral reciprocity; thus, according to Mencius, morality breeds morality. Mencius says, “ ‘When someone above shows a preference for anything, there is certain to be someone below who will outdo him. The gentleman’s virtue is like wind; the virtue of the common people is like grass. Let the wind sweep over the grass, and the grass is sure to bend’” (96-97). The sage sets a precedence of action for others to follow on a large scale, as well as on a small scale. On the small scale, if the sage acts virtuously his people will want to follow him and support his decisions and the sage will have an orderly kingdom. On a large scale, if the sage acts virtuously his people will have an example of morality and will, perhaps, strive to be virtuous as well. The same would be true if the sage was not a king of the people. Thus, the sage plays an important role in the present, as well as the future of morality for Mencius.

I have shown Mencius’ concept of morality by using the example of the sage. Thus, morality for Mencius is based on the capability of a person to understand feeling and rightness, to demonstrate this understanding through li, and to stand as a model for others to follow, regardless of one’s social or economic status.