Mencius (372 BC – 289 BC), known as Ke, was a famous thinker, educator and statesman in China during the Warring States Period. He was born into a poor family in Zouguo, Shandong Province (present-day Zoucheng, Shandong Province), China.
Mencius was smart and studious since he was a child, and he was very fond of reading. His mother attached great importance to his education and often guided him to classical culture and morals. Mencius left his hometown as an adult and traveled extensively in search of opportunities to learn from famous scholars.
Mencius's thoughts are mainly embodied in the book Mencius, which records his words, deeds, and thoughts. He advocated the inherent goodness of human nature, believing that human beings are born with a sense of conscience and morality. He emphasized the importance of human cultivation and education, and put forward the viewpoints of "theory of goodness of nature" and "theory of education".
Mencius's political proposition is to take benevolence as the core, advocating that the monarch should govern the country with benevolence and pay attention to the well-being of the people. He opposed war and violence and advocated the peaceful settlement of disputes. He also put forward the "Mandate of Heaven Theory", which believed that the legitimacy of the monarch's rule came from the Mandate of Heaven, but also emphasized that the monarch must have the qualities of both ability and integrity.
Mencius's ideas have had a profound impact on politics, education, ethics, and other fields in ancient and modern China. His ideas have been widely inherited and developed by later generations of Confucianism, and have become an important part of traditional Chinese culture. He was revered as "Mencius" and was hailed as the "Aristotle of the East".
History