Gao Zi II · 孟子 6B.10

Passage 10

白bái圭guī曰yuē：「吾wú欲yù二èr十shí而ér取qǔ一yī，何hé如rú？」孟mèng子zǐ曰yuē：「子zǐ之zhī道dào，貉mò道dào也yě。萬wàn室shì之zhī國guó，一yì人rén陶táo，則zé可kě乎hū？」曰yuē：「不bù可kě，器qì不bù足zú用yòng也yě。」曰yuē：「夫fū貉mò，五wǔ穀gǔ不bù生shēng，惟wéi黍shǔ生shēng之zhī，無wú城chéng郭guō、宮gōng室shì、宗zōng廟miào、祭jì祀sì之zhī禮lǐ，無wú諸zhū侯hóu幣bì帛bó饔yōng飧sūn，無wú百bǎi官guān有yǒu司sī，故gù二èr十shí取qǔ一yī而ér足zú也yě。今jīn居jū中zhōng國guó，去qù人rén倫lún，無wú君jūn子zǐ，如rú之zhī何hé其qí可kě也yě？陶táo以yǐ寡guǎ，且qiě不bù可kě以yǐ為wéi國guó，況kuàng無wú君jūn子zǐ乎hū？欲yù輕qīng之zhī於wū堯yáo舜shùn之zhī道dào者zhě，大dà貉mò、小xiǎo貉mò也yě；欲yù重zhòng之zhī於wū堯yáo舜shùn之zhī道dào者zhě，大dà桀jié、小xiǎo桀jié也yě。」

Bai Gui said, 'I want to take a twentieth of the produce only as the tax. What do you think of it?' Mencius said, 'Your way would be that of the Mo. In a country of ten thousand families, would it do to have only one potter?' Gui replied, 'No. The vessels would not be enough to use.' Mencius went on, 'In Mo all the five kinds of grain are not grown; it only produces the millet. There are no fortified cities, no edifices, no ancestral temples, no ceremonies of sacrifice; there are no princes requiring presents and entertainments; there is no system of officers with their various subordinates. On these accounts a tax of one-twentieth of the produce is sufficient there. But now it is the Middle Kingdom that we live in. To banish the relationships of men, and have no superior men - how can such a state of things be thought of? With but few potters a kingdom cannot subsist; how much less can it subsist without men of a higher rank than others? If we wish to make the taxation lighter than the system of Yao and Shun, we shall just have a great Mo and a small Mo. If we wish to make it heavier, we shall just have the great Jie and the small Jie.'