(Translation) 以五十步笑一百步
| Primary Source | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
Title | |
| English | One who retreated fifty paces mocks another who retreated one hundred paces | |
| Chinese | 以五十步笑一百步(Yi wushibu xiao yibaibu) | |
| Korean(RR) | 이오십보소일백보 | |
| Text Details | ||
| Genre | ||
| Type | ||
| Author(s) | Mencius 孟子 | |
| Year | ||
| Source | ||
| Key Concepts | ||
| Translation Info | ||
| Translator(s) | Participants of 2018 Hanmun Summer Workshop (Intermediate Training Group) | |
| Editor(s) | ||
| Year | 2018 | |
Original Script
孟子對曰：「王好戰，請以戰喻。填然鼓之，兵刃既接，棄甲曳兵而走。或百步而後止，或五十步而後止。以五十步笑百步，則何如？」
曰：「不可，直不百步耳，是亦走也。」
Translation
Student Translation : Julian Butterfield
King Hui of Liang said: "As for my [way of] being in the state, I wholly exert my heart therein, that is all. If Henei is threatened [by drought], I move its people to Hedong, and [Hedong's] grain to Henei. If Hedong is threatened, I do likewise [unto it]. Examining the bordering state's government, there is not one there who uses their heart as I do. [Yet] the bordering state's people do not grow few and my people do not grow many—why [is this]?"
Mengzi replied: "The king is skilled in warfare; let us make a comparison to battle. Drums sound [the soldiers] on in great scale, [yet] just as weapons touch, they abandon their armour, drag their weapons, and run away. Some retreat one hundred paces and then halt, the others retreat fifty paces and then halt. If those who retreated fifty paces laughed at those who retreated one hundred, how then?"
[The king] said: "Impermissible! It is only that they did not retreat one hundred paces, that is all—they also ran away."
[Mengzi] said: "If the king knows this, he should not wish for the people's being more numerous than the neighbouring state's."
- Discussion Questions:
- I'm assuming here that what's meant is that some of Henei's people are sent to Hedong, and some of Hedong's grain is sent to Henei, so that food can be evenly shared. Did anyone understand this differently?
- In what ways does translating 心 as "heart" here affect our reading of King Hui's character, as opposed to using "mind"? Is it a significant difference? What do others prefer?
