不忍人之心
Chinese edit
| not; no | to bear; to endure; to tolerate | man; person; people | 's; him/her/it; this | heart; mind | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (不忍人之心) | 不 | 忍 | 人 | 之 | 心 | |
| simp. #(不忍人之心) | 不 | 忍 | 人 | 之 | 心 | |
Etymology edit
From Mencius:
- 孟子曰：「人皆有不忍人之心。先王有不忍人之心，斯有不忍人之政矣。以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政，治天下可運之掌上。所以謂人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍見孺子將入於井，皆有怵惕惻隱之心。非所以內交於孺子之父母也，非所以要譽於鄉黨朋友也，非惡其聲而然也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
- Mèngzǐ yuē: “Rén jiē yǒu bùrěnrénzhīxīn. Xiānwáng yǒu bùrěnrénzhīxīn, sī yǒu bù rěn rén zhī zhèng yǐ. Yǐ bùrěnrénzhīxīn, xíng bù rěn rén zhī zhèng, zhì tiānxià kě yùn zhī zhǎng shàng. Suǒyǐ wèi rén jiē yǒu bùrěnrénzhīxīn zhě, jīn rén zhà jiàn rúzǐ jiāng rù yú jǐng, jiē yǒu chùtì cèyǐn zhī xīn. Fēi suǒyǐ nàjiāo yú rúzǐ zhī fùmǔ yě, fēi suǒyǐ yào yù yú xiāngdǎng péngyǒu yě, fēi è qí shēng ér rán yě.” [Pinyin]
- Mencius said, 'All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others. 'The ancient kings had this commiserating mind, and they, as a matter of course, had likewise a commiserating government. When with a commiserating mind was practised a commiserating government, to rule the kingdom was as easy a matter as to make anything go round in the palm. When I say that all men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others, my meaning may be illustrated thus: even now-a-days, if men suddenly see a child about to fall into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress. They will feel so, not as a ground on which they may gain the favour of the child's parents, nor as a ground on which they may seek the praise of their neighbours and friends, nor from a dislike to the reputation of having been unmoved by such a thing."
孟子曰：「人皆有不忍人之心。先王有不忍人之心，斯有不忍人之政矣。以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政，治天下可运之掌上。所以谓人皆有不忍人之心者，今人乍见孺子将入于井，皆有怵惕恻隐之心。非所以内交于孺子之父母也，非所以要誉于乡党朋友也，非恶其声而然也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
Pronunciation edit
Idiom edit
不忍人之心
- compassion; a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others