Jin Xin I · 孟子 7A.37

Passage 37

孟mèng子zǐ曰yuē：「食shí而ér弗fú愛ài，豕shǐ交jiāo之zhī也yě。愛ài而ér不bú敬jìng，獸shòu畜chù之zhī也yě。恭gōng敬jìng者zhě，幣bì之zhī未wèi將jiāng者zhě也yě。恭gōng敬jìng而ér無wú實shí，君jūn子zǐ不bù可kě虛xū拘jū。」

Mencius said, 'To feed a scholar and not love him, is to treat him as a pig. To love him and not respect him, is to keep him as a domestic animal. Honouring and respecting are what exist before any offering of gifts. If there be honouring and respecting without the reality of them, a superior man may not be retained by such empty demonstrations.'

First-principles reading

Begin with the words and context, expose the premise beneath the argument, then test the conditions and limits of the principle.