Classical Prose

鱼我所欲也

Yú wǒ suǒ yù yě

孟子

Mèngzǐ

Yú, wǒ suǒ yù yě; xióng zhǎng, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě. Èr zhě bù kě dé jiān, shě yú ér qǔ xióng zhǎng zhě yě.

鱼,我所欲也;熊掌,亦我所欲也。二者不可得兼,舍鱼而取熊掌者也。

Shēng, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě; yì, yì wǒ suǒ yù yě. Èr zhě bù kě dé jiān, shě shēng ér qǔ yì zhě yě.

生,亦我所欲也;义,亦我所欲也。二者不可得兼,舍生而取义者也。

Shēng yì wǒ suǒ yù, suǒ yù yǒu shèn yú shēng zhě, gù bù wéi gǒu dé yě; sǐ yì wǒ suǒ wù, suǒ wù yǒu shèn yú sǐ zhě, gù huàn yǒu suǒ bù pì yě.

生亦我所欲,所欲有甚于生者,故不为苟得也;死亦我所恶,所恶有甚于死者,故患有所不辟也。

Rú shǐ rén zhī suǒ yù mò shèn yú shēng, zé fán kě yǐ dé shēng zhě hé bù yòng yě? Shǐ rén zhī suǒ wù mò shèn yú sǐ zhě, zé fán kě yǐ pì huàn zhě hé bù wéi yě?

如使人之所欲莫甚于生,则凡可以得生者何不用也?使人之所恶莫甚于死者,则凡可以辟患者何不为也?

Yóu shì zé shēng ér yǒu bù yòng yě; yóu shì zé kě yǐ pì huàn ér yǒu bù wéi yě.

由是则生而有不用也;由是则可以辟患而有不为也。

Shì gù suǒ yù yǒu shèn yú shēng zhě, suǒ wù yǒu shèn yú sǐ zhě.

是故所欲有甚于生者,所恶有甚于死者。

Fēi dú xián zhě yǒu shì xīn yě, rén jiē yǒu zhī, xián zhě néng wù sàng ěr.

非独贤者有是心也,人皆有之,贤者能勿丧耳。

Yī dān shí, yī dòu gēng, dé zhī zé shēng, fú dé zé sǐ.

一箪食,一豆羹,得之则生,弗得则死。

Hū ěr ér yǔ zhī, xíng dào zhī rén fú shòu; cù ěr ér yǔ zhī, qǐ rén bù xiè yě.

呼尔而与之,行道之人弗受;蹴尔而与之,乞人不屑也。

Wàn zhōng zé bù biàn lǐ yì ér shòu zhī. Wàn zhōng yú wǒ hé jiā yān?

万钟则不辩礼义而受之。万钟于我何加焉?

Wèi gōng shì zhī měi, qī qiè zhī fèng, suǒ shí qióng fá zhě dé wǒ yú?

为宫室之美,妻妾之奉,所识穷乏者得我欤?

Xiāng wèi shēn sǐ ér bù shòu, jīn wèi gōng shì zhī měi wéi zhī;

乡为身死而不受,今为宫室之美为之;

Xiāng wèi shēn sǐ ér bù shòu, jīn wèi qī qiè zhī fèng wéi zhī;

乡为身死而不受,今为妻妾之奉为之;

Xiāng wèi shēn sǐ ér bù shòu, jīn wèi suǒ shí qióng fá zhě dé wǒ ér wéi zhī.

乡为身死而不受,今为所识穷乏者得我而为之。

Shì yì bù kě yǐ yǐ hū? Cǐ zhī wèi shī qí běn xīn.

是亦不可以已乎?此之谓失其本心。


Translation

Fish is something I desire; bear’s paw is also something I desire. If I cannot have both, I would give up the fish and choose the bear’s paw. Life is something I desire; righteousness is also something I desire. If I cannot preserve both, I would give up life and choose righteousness. Life is precious to me, yet there is something I value even more than life; therefore I will not seek life by improper means. Death is hateful to me, yet there is something I hate even more than death; therefore there are dangers I will not avoid. If nothing people desired were greater than life, why would they not use every means that could preserve it? If nothing people hated were worse than death, why would they not do everything that could escape danger? Yet there are ways to live that people refuse to use, and ways to avoid danger that people refuse to take. Thus there is indeed something desired more than life, and something hated more than death. This heart is not possessed only by the worthy; everyone has it, but the worthy are able not to lose it. A basket of food and a bowl of soup may mean life if received and death if refused. But if they are given with a shout of contempt, even a passerby will not accept them; if they are kicked over and offered, even a beggar will disdain them. Yet some accept great salaries without distinguishing ritual propriety and righteousness. What do such rewards add to me? Is it for beautiful houses, for the support of wives and concubines, or to gain gratitude from the poor whom I know? What one would once have refused even at the cost of death, one now accepts for a fine house; what one would once have refused even at the cost of death, one now accepts for household comfort; what one would once have refused even at the cost of death, one now accepts for the thanks of the needy. Should this not be stopped? This is what is called losing one’s original heart.

Analysis

“Fish Is What I Desire” is one of Mencius’s clearest statements on righteousness and the original moral heart. The essay begins with a simple analogy: fish and bear’s paw are both desirable, but when one cannot have both, one chooses the greater good. Mencius then transfers this logic to life and righteousness. Life is precious, yet righteousness may be more precious still. The argument is powerful because it does not begin with abstract moral command; it begins with a recognizable act of choice. The central claim is that human beings are not governed only by the desire to live. There are things people value more than survival, and things they hate more than death. Mencius insists that this moral awareness is not reserved for sages. Everyone possesses it; the worthy differ only in that they do not allow it to be lost. The example of a basket of food and a bowl of soup sharpens the point. Food may preserve life, but if offered with contempt, even a starving person may reject it. Human dignity can outweigh physical survival. Mencius then contrasts this with the acceptance of great wealth without moral discernment. The irony is severe: one may refuse humiliation in poverty, yet accept moral compromise for luxury, comfort, or social gratitude. The essay thus exposes the subtle danger of losing one’s original heart not under mortal threat but under the attraction of gain. Its structure is concise, its reasoning cumulative, and its ethical force lies in the phrase “to lose one’s original heart.”

About the Author

Mencius, or Meng Ke, was a major Confucian thinker of the Warring States period and was later honored as the “Second Sage” after Confucius. He developed Confucian ideas of humane government and argued that human nature is originally good, grounded in innate moral tendencies such as compassion, shame, courtesy, and discernment. The book Mencius records his debates and teachings in a style marked by vivid analogies, sharp reasoning, and moral urgency. “Fish Is What I Desire” is one of the most influential passages expressing his belief that righteousness can stand above life itself.