Li Lou II · 孟子 4B.1

Passage 01

孟mèng子zǐ曰yuē：「舜shùn生shēng於wū諸zhū馮féng，遷qiān於wū負fù夏xià，卒zú於wū鳴míng條tiáo，東dōng夷yí之zhī人rén也yě。文wén王wáng生shēng於wū岐qí周zhōu，卒zú於wū畢bì郢yǐng，西xī夷yí之zhī人rén也yě。地dì之zhī相xiāng去qù也yě，千qiān有yǒu餘yú里lǐ；世shì之zhī相xiāng後hòu也yě，千qiān有yǒu餘yú歲suì。得dé志zhì行xíng乎hū中zhōng國guó，若ruò合hé符fú節jié。先xiān聖shèng後hòu聖shèng，其qí揆kuí一yī也yě。」

Mencius said, 'Shun was born in Zhu Feng, removed to Fu Xia, and died in Ming Tiao - a man near the wild tribes on the east. King Wen was born in Zhou by mount Qi, and died in Bi Ying - a man near the wild tribes on the west. Those regions were distant from one another more than a thousand li, and the age of the one sage was posterior to that of the other more than a thousand years. But when they got their wish, and carried their principles into practice throughout the Middle Kingdom, it was like uniting the two halves of a seal. When we examine those sages, both the earlier and the later, their principles are found to be the same.'