Mencius was one of the great philosophers of ancient China, second only in
influence to Confucius, whose teachings he defended and expanded. The Mencius,
in which he recounts his dialogues with kings, dukes and military men, as well
as other philosophers, is one of the Four Books that make up the essential
Confucian corpus.Mencius was one of the great philosophers of ancient China, second only in
influence to Confucius, whose teachings he defended and expanded. The Mencius,
in which he recounts his dialogues with kings, dukes and military men, as well
as other philosophers, is one of the Four Books that make up the essential
Confucian corpus. It takes up Confucius's theories of jen, or goodness and yi,
righteousness, explaining that the individual can achieve harmony with mankind
and the universe by perfecting his innate moral nature and acting with
benevolence and justice. Mencius' strikingly modern views on the duties of
subjects and their rulers or the evils of war, created a Confucian orthodoxy
that has remained intact since the third century BCE.
