Mencius
Mencius (/ˈmɛnʃiəs/ MEN-shee-əs);[1] born Meng Ke (Chinese: 孟軻); or Mengzi (Chinese: 孟子; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage" (亞聖), that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confucius' fourth generation of disciples. Mencius inherited Confucius' ideology and developed it further.[2][3] Living during the Warring States period, he is said to have spent much of his life travelling around the states offering counsel to different rulers. Conversations with these rulers form the basis of the Mencius, which would later be canonised as a Confucian classic.
This article is about the ancient Chinese philosopher. For the book, see Mencius (book).
Mencius
289 BC (aged 82–83)
- Confucianism
- Right to revolution as an aspect of the Mandate of Heaven
- Theory of Good Human Nature
Mèngzǐ
"Master Meng"
Mèngzǐ
Mèngzǐ
ㄇㄥˋ ㄗˇ
Meng4-tzu3
Mèng-zǐh
Mèngdž
Man-tsy
Maahngjí
maang6 zi2
Bēng-chú
Bīng-tsú
Mæ̀ng-tzí
*mˤraŋ-s tsəʔ
One primary principle of his work is that human nature is righteous and humane. The responses of citizens to the policies of rulers embodies this principle, and a state with righteous and humane policies will flourish by nature. The citizens, with freedom from good rule, will then allocate time to caring for their wives, brothers, elders, and children, and be educated with rites and naturally become better citizens. This placed him at odds with his near contemporary, Xunzi, who believed that human nature is evil by birth.[4]
Mencius Institute[edit]
The first Mencius Institute was established in Xuzhou, China in 2008 under a collaboration between Jiangsu Normal University, China Zoucheng Heritage Tourism Bureau, and Xuzhou Mengshi Clan Friendship Network.[40]
First Mencius Institute outside of China is located at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Kampar Campus, Malaysia in 2016.[40]