May I ask what exactly is the meaning of sacrificing one s life in Mencius s Fish I Want ? What sho

In "Fish I Want", Mencius believes that those who can sacrifice their lives for righteousness are "those who want more than the living, and those who do evil more than the dead", that is, those who value morality more than life. For those who are willing to sacrifice their lives for morality, it is even more disgusting to give up morality just to steal their lives. This kind of person is also the "sage" mentioned in Mencius's text.

Appreciation of "Fish I Want".

The whole text uses the analogy of specific things that people are familiar with in life, comparing life to fish and righteousness to bear's paws, which naturally leads to the proposition of "sacrificing life for righteousness". This assertion is the central thesis of the whole article. The full text is full of momentum, fully embodies Mencius's righteous and awe-inspiring personality, and shows Mencius's eloquent and eloquent talent.

The provenance of "Fish I Want".

Fish I Want" from "Mencius: Gaozi I":

Fish, I want too; Bear's paws, as well as I want. You can't have both, and you can't have both, and those who give up the fish and take the bear's paw are also. Disturbing the divination, I also want it; Righteousness is also what I want.

You can't have both, and those who sacrifice their lives to take righteousness are also. Life is also what I want, and what I want is more than the living, so I don't want to get it; Death is also evil to me, and evil is worse than the dead, so I have no way to get rid of it. If a man is made to do more than to live, then why should he not use him who can live?

If there is no worse than the death of Bu Li Yun, why not do anything that can get rid of the patient? From what is, there is no need to be born, and from what is, there can be troubles and there are not actions. Therefore they desire more than the living, and evil more than the dead.

The non-unique Liang sage has a heart, everyone has it, and the sage can not lose his ears.

A spoonful of food, a bean soup, if you get it, you will live, and if you get it, you will die. Huer and with it, the doer of the way is receiving; With it, the beggars disdain. Wan Zhong does not defend etiquette and righteousness, and Wan Zhong is not a matter of what is it for me!

For the beauty of the palace, for the devotion of wives and concubines, and for the poor who know me? The township is not subject to the death of the body, and now it is the beauty of the palace; The township is not subject to death, but now it is the worship of wives and concubines; The country is not subject to death, but now it is for the poor who know that I have to do it: yes or can't it be?

This is a loss of heart.

Mencius was the most famous thinker of the Warring States period. "Mencius" is his masterpiece, which is a concentrated spark of his rich and profound thoughts. "Fish I Want" is one of the famous articles, which has always been a compulsory article in middle school textbooks.

However, some realizations about the main points of this article are debatable.

Many people believe that the central thesis of "Fish I Want It" is to sacrifice one's life for righteousness, and it has the following explanation:

In the first paragraph of the article, the beginning of the article is "metaphorical" with fish and bear's paws, which leads to the central thesis: sacrificing life for righteousness. Then, from the understanding or attitude of some people to "sacrifice their lives for righteousness", they will discuss it, and finally "sublimate" the previous text with "not only the sage has a heart, everyone has it, and the sage can not lose his ears".

As for the second and third sections, they are all examples of argumentation, respectively from the two aspects of "righteousness is more important than life" and "righteousness is more important than profit", and specifically demonstrate "sacrificing life to take righteousness".

This view holds that Mencius put forward the idea of "sacrificing life for righteousness" in the text, and then organizes the content of the whole text around this view, emphasizing that "righteousness" is more important than life, and "unrighteousness" is more hateful than death.

I have to admit that such an understanding has a certain persuasiveness.

However, in the course of teaching research, the author found that there is another point of view in the article that is also very clear and prominent, and cannot be taken lightly. This point of view is that "the sage is not the only one who has a heart, everyone has it, and the sage can not lose his ears" (everyone has "righteousness"). Combined with the content of the three paragraphs of the article, this point of view is clearly put forward at the end of the first paragraph, and the second and third sections are specifically discussed, first emphasizing positively that "doers" and "beggars" have preserved "righteousness", and then clarifying the reasons why some people have lost "righteousness" from another perspective, thus emphasizing the connotation that "everyone has 'righteousness'".

Through comparative arguments, examples are used to demonstrate the truth of sacrificing one's life for righteousness.

Mencius first used an analogy with the specific things that people are familiar with in life: fish is what I want, and bear's paw is also what I want, and in the case that the two cannot be obtained at the same time, I would rather give up the fish and have the bear's paw; Life is what I cherish, and righteousness is also what I cherish, and in the case that the two cannot be obtained at the same time, I would rather give up my life in favor of righteousness.

Mencius compared life to a fish and righteousness to a bear's paw, believing that righteousness is more precious than life just as a bear's paw is more precious than a fish, which naturally leads to the proposition of "sacrificing life for righteousness".

In order to make this doctrine more convincing and more acceptable, Mencius went on to illustrate it with concrete examples. A spoonful of food, a bean soup, if you get it, you will live, and if you get it, you will die. Huer and with it, the doer of the way is receiving; With it, the beggars disdain.

"Qi" is a round bamboo basket for rice in ancient times, "Dou" is a vessel for meat or other food in ancient times, "Huer" is a loud shout, and "Keer" is kicked with a foot.

Fish I Want" is from "Mencius: Gaozi I", and the author is likely to be Mencius.

"Fish I Want" is a masterpiece of Mencius's in-depth discussion of man's concept of life and death based on his theory of sexual goodness. Emphasizing that "justice" is more important than "life", he advocates sacrificing one's life for righteousness. Mencius had a good nature, and thought that "everyone has a heart of shame and evil", so people should maintain a good nature, strengthen their usual cultivation and education, and not do things that violate etiquette.

Mencius regarded this thought as the essence of the traditional moral cultivation of the Chinese nation and had a far-reaching impact.

People who have a good nature, pay attention to strengthening their daily cultivation and education, and do not do things that violate etiquette.

This sentence is a manuscript written by Mencius on the basis of his theory of sexual goodness and an in-depth discussion of man's view of life and death.

Emphasizing that "justice" is more important than "life", he advocates sacrificing one's life for righteousness. Mencius was good-natured and thought that "everyone has a heart of shame and evil". It is to maintain a good nature, strengthen daily cultivation and education, and do not do things that violate etiquette.

Mencius believed that this thought was the essence of the traditional moral cultivation of the Chinese people in the key school, and it had a far-reaching impact.