孟子见梁惠王。王曰:“叟!不远千里而来,亦将有以利吾国乎?”孟子对曰:“王!何必曰利?亦有仁义而已矣。…….苟为后义而先利,不夺不餍。未有仁而遗其亲者也,未有义而后其君者也。王亦曰仁义而已矣,何必曰利?”
Mencius visited Duke Hui of the Liang State. The duke said, “Old man, you went to the trouble of travelling a long distance to come here. What benefits have you brought to our state?” Mencius answered, “Your Highness, why do you talk about benefits first? It’s all right to talk about benevolece and justice. … If a senior official puts justice behind private benefits, he would never be satisfied till he has seized the monarch’s property. There is no example that a benevolent man would abandon his parents, nor example that a just man would neglect his monarch. It is good if your Highness merely talk about benevolence and justice. Why dou you only talk about benefits?”
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