Meng Ke was a Zou man. A disciple of Zi Si’s family①. Now that the road is open, he can visit King Xuan, but King Xuan cannot use it. When it comes to Liang ④, if King Hui of Liang fails to do what he says ⑤, he will think that he is far-fetched and broad-minded about things ⑥. At that time, Qin used Shang Jun to enrich the country and strengthen its army; Chu and Wei used Wu Qi to defeat weak enemies; King Wei and King Xuan of Qi used Sun Tzu and Tian Ji's disciples, and the princes faced Qi to the east. The affairs of the world are to unite and follow Lianheng 8, and to attack and conquer is virtuous 9, but Meng Ke is describing the virtues of the Tang, Yu, and three dynasties 10, so what he said is not consistent 10. When he retreated, he prefaced "Poems" and "Books" with Wan Zhangzhi, described Zhongni's ideas, and wrote seven chapters of "Mencius". After that, there is Zou Zi’s genus ⒁.
① Learn from the teacher: learn from the teacher. Disciple: Disciple. ②Tao: refers to the tunnel. Han Yu's "Jinxuejie": "In the past, Meng Ke was good at arguing and Confucianism was clear." ③ Youshi: lobbying. ④Suitable: Arrive. ⑤Result: letter. ⑥This sentence means: On the contrary, it is considered unrealistic and far away from reality. Far-flung, unrealistic; broad, far; things, facts. ⑦East: Facing the east. Chao Qi: To pay homage to the king of Qi. ⑧Business: dedication. He Cong Lian Heng: During the Warring States Period, the strategy of the six kingdoms to unite to resist Qin was called "United Vertical"; Qin's strategy of uniting some vassal states to attack other vassal states was called "Lian Heng". Cong, the same as "vertical"; Heng, Tong, "horizontal". ⑨Xian: Talent. ⑩Speak: describe and advocate. Tang: In the legendary ancient dynasty, the monarch was Yao. Yu: In the legendary ancient dynasty, the monarch was Shun. Three Dynasties: refers to Xia, Shang and Zhou. Virtue: Refers to moral governance. ⑾ Such as: refers to the vassal states that Mencius went to lobby. Such as, to, to. Together: consistent. ⑿Return: return. Order: Arrange in order. Here is the meaning of tidying up. "Poetry": The Book of Songs. The earliest poetry collection in my country. In the pre-Qin Dynasty, it was called "The Book of Songs", and in the Han Dynasty it was regarded as one of the Confucian classics, so it was called "The Book of Songs". "Book": that is, "Shang Shu", also known as "Book of Books". A compilation of the earliest existing ancient historical documents in my country. It is one of the Confucian classics. ⒀Recount: describe, elaborate. ⒁麺: surname. Tong "Zou". Zi: The honorific title given to scholars and teachers during the Warring States Period. Genus: category, generation.
Meng Ke was from the state of Zou. He once studied with Zisi's disciples. After he understood Confucianism, he went to persuade King Xuan of Qi, but King Xuan of Qi did not appoint him. So when he arrived in Wei State, King Hui of Liang not only did not listen to his ideas, but also believed that his ideas were unrealistic and far from reality. At that time, all the vassal states were implementing reforms. Qin appointed Shang Yang to make the country rich and powerful; Chu and Wei also appointed Wu Qi, defeating some countries and weakening powerful enemies; Qi Wei and Xuan both appointed Sun Bin Hotan Ji and others' strong national power caused all the princes to come east to pay homage to Qi. When the various vassal states were committed to the offensive strategy of "joining vertical and horizontal" and regarded those who could attack well as virtuous, Mencius praised the virtues of Tang Yao, Yu Shun and the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties. Therefore, it was not in line with what he thought. The needs of those countries traveling around. So he returned to his hometown and worked with Wan Zhang and others to sort out the Book of Songs and Book of Books, elucidate Confucius' thoughts and theories, and write a book called "Mencius", consisting of seven chapters.