Gao Zi I · 孟子 6A.15

Passage 15

公gōng都dōu子zǐ問wèn曰yuē：「鈞jūn是shì人rén也yě，或huò為wéi大dà人rén，或huò為wéi小xiǎo人rén，何hé也yě？」孟mèng子zǐ曰yuē：「從cóng其qí大dà體tǐ為wéi大dà人rén，從cóng其qí小xiǎo體tǐ為wéi小xiǎo人rén。」曰yuē：「鈞jūn是shì人rén也yě，或huò從cóng其qí大dà體tǐ，或huò從cóng其qí小xiǎo體tǐ，何hé也yě？」曰yuē：「耳ěr目mù之zhī官guān不bù思sī，而ér蔽bì於wū物wù。物wù交jiāo物wù，則zé引yǐn之zhī而ér已yǐ矣yǐ。心xīn之zhī官guān則zé思sī；思sī則zé得dé之zhī，不bù思sī則zé不bù得dé也yě。此cǐ天tiān之zhī所suǒ與yǔ我wǒ者zhě，先xiān立lì乎hū其qí大dà者zhě，則zé其qí小xiǎo者zhě不bù能néng奪duó也yě。此cǐ為wéi大dà人rén而ér已yǐ矣yǐ。」

The disciple Gong Du said, 'All are equally men, but some are great men, and some are little men - how is this?' Mencius replied, 'Those who follow that part of themselves which is great are great men; those who follow that part which is little are little men.' Gong Du pursued, 'All are equally men, but some follow that part of themselves which is great, and some follow that part which is little - how is this?' Mencius answered, 'The senses of hearing and seeing do not think, and are obscured by external things. When one thing comes into contact with another, as a matter of course it leads it away. To the mind belongs the office of thinking. By thinking, it gets the right view of things; by neglecting to think, it fails to do this. These - the senses and the mind - are what Heaven has given to us. Let a man first stand fast in the supremacy of the nobler part of his constitution, and the inferior part will not be able to take it from him. It is simply this which makes the great man.'