Mengzi

Mengzi or Meng-tzu (both: mŭng-dzŭ), city, SE Yunnan prov., China, c.12 mi (20 km) E of Gejiu. It is the commercial hub of a district where tin and antimony are mined.

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Mencius

 Chinese Mengzi or Meng-tzu orig. Meng K'o

Mencius, detail, ink and colour on silk; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei

(credit: Courtesy of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China)

(born c. 372—died c. 289 BC) Chinese philosopher. The book Mencius contains statements on innate human goodness, a topic warmly debated by followers of Confucius up to modern times. That the four principles (si duan)—the feelings of commiseration, shame, courtesy, and right and wrong—are all inborn in humans was a self-evident truth to Mencius; the four principles, when properly cultivated, will develop into the four cardinal virtues of ren (benevolence), righteousness, decorum, and wisdom. His development of orthodox Confucianism earned him the title “second sage.”

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Mencius

 or Mengzi or Meng-tzu

Chinese Confucian text concerning government, written by Mencius. The book maintains that the welfare of the common people comes before every other consideration. When a ruler no longer practices benevolence and righteousness, the mandate of heaven (his right to rule) is withdrawn and he should be removed. Mencius did not become a classic until the 12th century, when it was published by Zhu Xi together with Daxue, Zhongyong, and Lunyu (Analects) as the Four Books. See also Confucianism.