King Hui of Liang II · 孟子 1B.8

Passage 08

齊qí宣xuān王wáng問wèn曰yuē：「湯tāng放fàng桀jié，武wǔ王wáng伐fá紂zhòu，有yǒu諸zhū？」孟mèng子zǐ對duì曰yuē：「於wū傳chuán有yǒu之zhī。」曰yuē：「臣chén弒shì其qí君jūn可kě乎hū？」曰yuē：「賊zéi仁rén者zhě謂wèi之zhī『賊zéi』，賊zéi義yì者zhě謂wèi之zhī『殘cán』。殘cán賊zéi之zhī人rén謂wèi之zhī『一yì夫fū』。聞wén誅zhū一yì夫fū紂zhòu矣yǐ，未wèi聞wén弒shì君jūn也yě。」

The king Xuan of Qi asked, saying, 'Was it so, that Tang banished Jie, and that king Wu smote Zhou?' Mencius replied, 'It is so in the records.' The king said, 'May a minister then put his sovereign to death?' Mencius said, 'He who outrages the benevolence proper to his nature, is called a robber; he who outrages righteousness, is called a ruffian. The robber and ruffian we call a mere fellow. I have heard of the cutting off of the fellow Zhou, but I have not heard of the putting a sovereign to death, in his case.'