ABSTRACT
Mencius is peculiarly vibrant, especially in the central section of his conversation with Kung-sun Ch’ou ( -R M it) (2A2) about “knowing (men by their) words” and “nourishing ch ’i.” He is vibrant in what he said, in how he said it, and in unifying the what in the how - and the how in the what - into an organic architectonic! He is vibrant in that the development of the conversation with Kung-sun Ch’ou, and the circumstances surrounding it, elucidate the theme of the conversation. When Mencius discusses the issues involved in self-cultivation with Kung-sun Ch’ou, he is not playing “intellectual games” with the key notions, such as ch ’i and ye« (f§). Mencius is, rather, expounding on his own spiritual pilgrimage.
