"Fish is what I want"
Author: Mencius
Fish is what I want, bear's paw is also what I want, the two cannot be To have both is to give up the fish and take the bear's paw. Life is what I want, and righteousness is what I want. You cannot have both, and you must sacrifice life for righteousness. Life is what I want, and what I want is more than life, so I don't want to get it. Death is also what I hate, and what I hate is even worse than the dead, so I cannot avoid suffering from it. If there is nothing more that people want than life, then why not use anything that can lead to life. There is nothing more evil that can be done to a person than the dead, so why not do anything that can avoid the patient! Because of this, there is no need to use it; because of this, it is possible to avoid trouble but there is no need to do anything. Therefore, what one desires is more than the living, and what one hates is more than the dead. Not only sages have this mind, but everyone has it. A sage will not lose his ears.
A basket of food and a bean soup, if you get it, you will live, if you don't get it, you will die. If you give him a call, you will not be tolerated by those who practice the Tao; if you give him a call, you will be looked down upon by beggars.
If ten thousand bells are received without discerning etiquette and justice, how can ten thousand bells be of any use to me? For the beauty of the palace, the support of my wives and concubines, and the needy people I know, should I be my wife? I didn't accept it because of my body death, but now I do it because of the beauty of the palace; I didn't accept it because of my body death, but now I do it because of my wives and concubines; I didn't accept it because of my body death, but now I do it because the poor people I know get me. ：Is it okay? This is called losing one's original intention.
It’s all here, find it yourself! Fish are my favorite; bear's paws are also my favorite. If I can't get both things at the same time, then I would rather give up the fish and choose the bear's paw. Life is also what I love; righteousness is also what I love. If I cannot get both at the same time, I would rather give up my life and seek righteousness. Using metaphors, compare life to fish and righteousness to bear paws. By analogy with the choice between bear paws, we can infer the choice between life and righteousness.