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1、•••3•••IDEALISTICCONFUCIANISM:MENCIUSTHECAREEROFMENCIUS(371-289B.C.?)wasamazinglysimilartothatofConfucius,whomheproclaimedthegreatestsage.1LikeCon-fucius,hewasborninwhatismodernShantungprovince.LikeCon-fucius,hewasaprofessionalteacher,havingstudiedunderthepupilsofthegrandsonofConfucius.Like
2、Confucius,heidolizedthelegendarysage-emperors.2LikeConfucius,helivedinaperiodofpoliticalstruggle,moralchaos,andintellectualconflicts.LikeConfucius,hehadasenseofmission,ifonlytosuppress"perversivedoctrines."3Tothisendhede-batedwithscholarsandattackedhisopponents,especiallythefollowersofMoTzu
3、(fl.479-438B.C.)andYangChu(440-360B.C.?).4LikeConfucius,hetraveledforfortyyearsfromabout354B.C.orearlier,toofferadvicetorulersforreform.5LikeConfucius,heonceservedasanofficial,inCh'ifrom319to312B.C.LikeConfucius,hewasafilialson,forwhileservinginCh'i,hetookthreeyearsouttomournthedeathofhismo
4、ther.AndlikeConfucius,hewaseventuallydisappointed,andretired.Onecontrastbetweenthetwo,however,isthatweknowpracticallynothingaboutMencius'familyorhisprivatelife.HewasapupilofCon-fucius'grandsonTzu-ssu'spupil.Hisdatesareuncertain.Themostscholarscansayisthathelivedbetween370and290B.C.,thusmaki
5、nghimcontemporaneouswithHsünTzu,ChuangTzu,andPlato,withwhomheisoftencompared.ThegreatestdifferencebetweenMenciusandConfucius,however,isintheirdoctrines.Basically,Mencius'teachingswerederivedfromCon-fucius.ButinthecentraldoctrineoftheConfucianschool,thatofhumannature,Menciustookabigstepforwa
6、rd,andhisnewtheorycoloredhisotherdoctrines.WhileConfuciusnomorethanimpliedthathumannatureisgood,Menciusdeclareddefinitelythatitisoriginally1Mencius,2A:2;3B:9;7B:38.2Ibid.,3A:1;3B:9;4A:28;5A:l-3;7A:16,30,35;7B:33.3Seebelow,commenton3B:9.4Fordebates,seeMencius,3B:9;4A:17;6A:l-6.Forcriticismso
7、fYangandMo,seeMencius,3A:5;3B:9;7A:26;7B:26.Forattackonotherschools,seeMencius,3A:4;3B:10;6B:1.5Sofarasscholarscanmakeout,histravelwassomethinglikethis:HevisitedthestateofCh'iinorabout357B.C.HewasinSungaround325B.C.SometwoyearslaterhewenttoHsüehandreturn
