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Mencius

Historical Figure
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Chinese Confucian philosopher who argued for the innate goodness of human nature and the moral duties of rulers.

Detailed Definition
Mencius appears in poetry as a figure of ethical conviction, humane government, and the belief that virtue is rooted in the heart. His teachings on compassion, righteous rule, and moral cultivation give poets a language for conscience and public duty. He may be invoked wherever verse reflects on education, kingship, justice, or the hidden goodness struggling within human beings.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poet might invoke Mencius to suggest moral goodness and humane government; His teaching that compassion begins naturally can shape poems about conscience; A poem might use Mencius beside a child in danger to dramatise instinctive pity; His name may stand for Confucian ethics softened by human feeling
Additional Notes
Mencius is useful in poetry when ethical and political questions meet. His belief in the innate goodness of human nature and the moral responsibility of rulers can turn a poem towards conscience, education, and humane government. A reference to Mencius may contrast natural compassion with corrupt institutions, or suggest that political order begins in the cultivation of the heart.
Also Known As
Mengzi Master Meng Meng Ke
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