Sima Qian said: Whenever I read the book of Mencius and come across the part where King Hui of Liang asks, "How can I make my country prosperous and strong?" I can't help but put down the book and sigh. Alas, self-interest is a real recipe for disaster! Mencius rarely talks about interests because he always guards against their source. Therefore, he said, "Self-interest breeds resentment." From emperor to peasant, chasing self-interest always bites you in the end. Mencius was from the state of Zou. He was a student of Zisi. Once he'd mastered his studies, he served King Xuan of Qi, but King Xuan did not value him. He then went to the state of Liang, but King Hui of Liang found Mencius impractical and did not adopt his advice. At that time, the state of Qin implemented the reforms of Shang Yang, making the country prosperous and strong; the states of Chu and Wei implemented the reforms of Wu Qi, defeating weaker enemies; and King Wei and King Xuan of Qi valued talents like Sun Bin and Tian Ji, causing all the vassals to turn to Qi. The world was all about power grabs and alliances, while Mencius extensively discussed the morality of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, so he was not valued wherever he went. He retired and, with Wan Zhang and others, worked on editing classic texts and expounding Confucius's teachings. The result was the seven chapters of *Mencius*. Qi produced three famous men from Zou. The first was Zou Ji, who charmed King Wei of Qi with his qin playing. This led to discussions of state affairs, his appointment as Marquis of Cheng, and finally, the premiership.
Following Zou Yan came Mengzi. Zou Yan saw that those in power were living the high life and being morally lax, not understanding the importance of moral cultivation, as described in the "Da Ya" classics, where cultivating oneself, ordering one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world were not achieved. So he delved deep into the study of Yin and Yang changes and wrote outlandish writings such as "Zhong Shi" and "Da Sheng," totaling more than one hundred thousand words. His words were grand and unconventional, always starting with small things to verify, then expanding endlessly. He began from the present and traced back to the time of the Yellow Emperor; these were topics that scholars collectively studied, recording the rise and fall of dynasties throughout history, including various omens and systems, and then continued to trace it back to before the creation of the world, to that chaos which was impossible to verify and trace.
Next, he listed China's famous mountains and rivers, various birds and beasts, as well as plants and precious items produced in various regions. From there, he reasoned that there were things overseas that people had never seen. He referenced the shifting of the Five Virtues since the creation of the world, noting that various methods of governing each had their suitable timing, corresponding one by one. He believed that what Confucians called "China" only accounted for one eighty-first of the entire world! China, or Chixian Shenzhou as it was known, contained nine territories, as described by the division of the nine regions by Emperor Yu, and there was no need to count them separately. Outside of China, there were nine more places like Chixian Shenzhou, which constituted the so-called "Nine Regions." Beyond this, a vast ocean surrounded it, where people and animals could not interact, forming a separate region considered one territory. There were nine such territories, and beyond them was a huge ocean called the Ying Sea, marking the edge of heaven and earth. His teachings were of this nature.
However, ultimately, his teachings still returned to benevolence, righteousness, frugality, and the relationships between rulers and subjects, fathers and sons, brothers, and other ethical principles. Initially, his teachings were exaggerated. The bigwigs who first heard of his ideas were initially spurred to change their ways, but they couldn't stick to it in the long run.
So, the position of Zouzi in the state of Qi was very high. When he went to the state of Liang, King Hui personally came out of the city to greet him, giving him the VIP treatment. When he arrived in the state of Zhao, Lord Pingyuan gave up his seat for him and put on a spread. In the state of Yan, King Zhao personally held a fly whisk to clear the way for him, invited him to sit in the disciple's seat to listen to lectures, and even specially built the Jieshi Palace for him, personally visiting him as a teacher. Ah, they basically treated him like a rockstar! As he traveled to various states, he received this kind of respect and treatment. This is a far cry from Confucius suffering and starving in the states of Chen and Cai, or Mencius facing obstacles in the states of Qi and Liang.
So, King Wu used a righteous army to overthrow King Zhou and become king, while Boyi would rather starve to death than eat the food of the Zhou dynasty. Duke Ling of Wei sought advice from Confucius, but Confucius did not respond; King Hui of Liang wanted to attack the state of Zhao, but Mencius advised him to leave the Bian region. Does this mean they were just trying to get by? You can't fit a square peg in a round hole. Some say that Yi Yin, carrying a cauldron, convinced King Tang to establish his hegemony, while Bai Li Xi, a lowly cowherd, later helped Duke Mu ascend to power. They all first complied, then guided them onto the right path. Although Zou Yan speaks in an unconventional way, perhaps he also harbors thoughts similar to Yi Yin and Bai Li Xi.
Zou Yan, along with those gentlemen from the Jixia Academy in the state of Qi, such as Chunyu Kun, Shen Dao, Huan Yuan, Jie Zi, Tian Pian, and Zou Shi, each wrote books discussing running the country and keeping the state safe, wanting to influence the rulers of the time. There were tons of them!
Chunyu Kun, a native of the state of Qi, was knowledgeable and had an amazing memory, open-minded and not sticking to one school of thought. When advising the King of Qi, he admired the way Yan Ying conducted himself, but paid more attention to reading the king's mind and knowing which way the wind blew.
Once, a guest recommended Chunyu Kun to King Hui of Liang. King Hui dismissed his attendants and met with him alone, but did not say a word. King Hui was puzzled and reprimanded the guest, saying, "You praised Chunyu Kun even more than Guan Zhong and Yan Ying, but when I met him, I gained nothing from our meeting. Is it that I am not worthy of speaking to him? What is going on?" The guest relayed this to Chunyu Kun, who replied, "Of course it is so. The first time I met Your Majesty, you were eager to get rid of me; the second time, you were itching to listen to that music, so I remained silent." The guest truthfully reported this to King Hui, who was astonished and said, "Wow, Chunyu Kun was a real wise guy! The first time he came, someone presented me with a fine horse, which I had not yet seen before he arrived. The second time, someone presented me with a good song, which I had not yet heard before he came. Although I dismissed my attendants, I was actually thinking about those things!" Later, when Chunyu Kun met King Hui again, he talked your ear off for three days and nights straight. King Hui wanted to appoint him as one of his top advisors, but Chunyu Kun declined. Instead, King Hui sent him a comfortable carriage, four good horses, as well as silk, jade, and gold. And that's how Chunyu Kun lived out the rest of his days in retirement.
Shen Dao (Zhao), Tian Pian and Jiezhi (Qi), and Huan Yuan (Chu) all studied and elaborated on Huang-Lao philosophy. Shen Dao wrote twelve treatises, Huan Yuan wrote two writings, and Tian Pian and Jiezhi also wrote some articles. Zou Shi was a horse breeder from the state of Qi, who drew on Zou Yan's ideas in his historical writings.
Later, King Qi was very happy. Starting from Chunyu Kun, he appointed all these people as top brass, built swanky digs and fancy streets for them, large gates and houses, and treated them like royalty. King Qi boasted in front of the nobles and visitors from all over, saying that Qi could gather all the wise men in the world.
Xunzi, from the state of Zhao, only went to Qi to study at the age of fifty. At that time, Zou Yan of Qi had mind-blowing theories, Gongsun Si had brilliant but impractical knowledge, and Chunyu Kun, who had spent some time with Xunzi, sometimes dropped some real zingers. So the people of Qi said Zou Yan was all about big ideas, Gongsun Si was a master of elegant prose, and Chunyu Kun had the sharpest tongue around. People like Tian Pian had all passed away during the reign of King Xiang of Qi, and Xunzi was the best teacher in the land at that time. Qi lacked the position of high-ranking officials, and Xunzi served as the Master of Ceremonies three times. Later, someone badmouthed Xunzi in Qi, so he went to the state of Chu, where Chunshen appointed him as the magistrate of Lanling County. After Chunshen's death, Xunzi was dismissed and settled in Lanling. Li Si was once his student and later became the prime minister of the state of Qin.
Xunzi could not stand the chaotic political situation at that time, with countries being destroyed, monarchs being killed one after another, everyone not following the right path, but instead believing in superstitions, fortune-telling, and those Confucian scholars who were stuck on the small stuff, as well as zany guys like Zhuangzi who turned the world upside down. So he wrote tons about the rise and fall of Confucianism, Mohism, and Daoism, then passed away and was buried in Lanling.
The state of Zhao also had Gongsun Long, who excelled in debates on "the sameness and difference of hardness and whiteness," and Juzi offered some perspectives; the state of Wei had Li Kui, who advocated for maximizing agricultural output; the state of Chu had Shi Jiao and Changlu, including A Zhiyuzi and others. Many thinkers from Mencius' time to Yuzi's left behind writings, so we won't detail their lives here. Mozi, a high-ranking official of the state of Song, was very skilled in defense and warfare and advocated frugality. Some say he was a contemporary of Confucius; others claim he lived later.
