ABSTRACT
Mencius was a student of Confucius's grandson who developed Confucian ideas and championed them vis a vis rival philosophies. Like Confucius, he was a teacher who had no luck gaining a post as a royal adviser but whose many followers collected records of his influential teachings and passed them down as the book Mencius. Mencius emphasized that human nature is fundamentally good and that the primary duty of government is to benefit the people. In a book of Mencius, he said that All men have a mind which cannot bear to see the sufferings of others. The feeling of commiseration is the principle of benevolence. The feeling of shame and dislike is the principle of righteousness. The feeling of modesty and willing compliance is the principle of propriety. The feeling of approving and disapproving is the principle of knowledge. When these principles are completely developed, they will enable love and protection for all within the four seas.
