Section 2: Mencius on Mandate and Innate Nature: What is Sought Within and What is Sought Without

Mencius pushed the relationship between "ming" and "xing" to an unprecedented depth. In the Mencius, "Jin Xin Shang," he proposed an extremely important argument:

"To exhaust one's mind is to know one's innate nature. To know one's innate nature is to know Heaven. To preserve one's mind and nourish one's innate nature is the way to serve Heaven. To be unwavering regardless of whether one dies young or lives long, and to cultivate oneself to await it—this is the way to establish one's fate."(《孟子·尽心上》)(尽其心者，知其性也。知其性，则知天矣。存其心，养其性，所以事天也。殀寿不贰，修身以俟之，所以立命也。 Jin qi xin zhe, zhi qi xing ye. Zhi qi xing, ze zhi tian yi. Cun qi xin, yang qi xing, suo yi shi tian ye. Yao shou bu er, xiu shen yi si zhi, suo yi li ming ye.)

The structure of this passage is extremely precise:

Exhaust mind → Know innate nature → Know Heaven: This is a cognitive path from the inside out. Exhausting one's mind allows one to know one's innate nature; knowing one's innate nature allows one to know Heaven.
Preserve mind → Nourish innate nature → Serve Heaven: This is a practical path from the inside out. Preserving one's mind and nourishing one's innate nature is how one serves Heaven.
Unwavering regardless of young death or long life → Cultivate oneself to await → Establish fate: This is the ultimate life posture. Regardless of lifespan, consistently cultivate oneself and await (rather than pursue) the unfolding of fate—this is "establishing fate" (立命, li ming).

Please note this "establish fate" (立命). "Li" (立, establish) is an active verb. It is not "receiving fate" (受命, passive acceptance), not "following fate" (顺命, Shun ming, passive compliance), but "establishing fate"—to stand up one's fate. Fate is not a predetermined outcome given by Heaven, but a life posture actively established through self-cultivation.

This completely subverts the logic of fatalism. In fatalism, fate is given, and humans are passive. But in Mencius's view, fate is "established," and humans are active. Heaven gives you innate nature, and you respond to this nature through exhausting your mind, knowing your nature, preserving your mind, and nourishing your nature. In this process, you establish your own fate.

What power this is!

Mencius further distinguishes the boundaries of "ming" and "xing" in the Mencius, "Jin Xin Xia":

"The mouth's desire for taste, the eyes' desire for color, the ears' desire for sound, the nose's desire for fragrance, the limbs' desire for comfort and ease—these are innate nature, but they have their limitations (命, ming). A gentleman does not call them innate nature. Benevolence towards father and son, righteousness towards ruler and minister, propriety towards guest and host, wisdom towards the worthy, the sage's relationship with the Way of Heaven—these are fate (命, ming), but they have innate nature (性, xing). A gentleman does not call them fate."(《孟子·尽心下》)(口之于味也，目之于色也，耳之于声也，鼻之于臭也，四肢之于安佚也，性也，有命焉，君子不谓性也。仁之于父子也，义之于君臣也，礼之于宾主也，智之于贤者也，圣人之于天道也，命也，有性焉，君子不谓命也。 Kou zhi yu wei ye, mu zhi yu se ye, er zhi yu sheng ye, bi zhi yu chou ye, si zhi yu an yi ye, xing ye, you ming yan, jun zi bu wei xing ye. Ren zhi yu fu zi ye, yi zhi yu jun chen ye, li zhi yu bin zhu ye, zhi zhi yu xian zhe ye, sheng ren zhi yu tian dao ye, ming ye, you xing yan, jun zi bu wei ming ye.)

This passage is extremely subtle. The preference of the mouth and tongue for delicious tastes, the eyes for beautiful colors, the ears for sounds—these are certainly "xing" (innate nature), but whether they can be satisfied depends on external conditions, and there are "ming" (limitations) involved, so a gentleman does not consider the pursuit of these as the entirety of "xing." Conversely, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and the sage's relationship with the Way of Heaven—these appear to be "ming" (bestowed by Heaven), but they are actually rooted in human innate nature, so a gentleman does not view them as external "ming" but as matters within himself to undertake.

What is Mencius doing$35 He is teaching us to distinguish: what are the "things sought within," and what are the "things sought without"$36

The Mencius, "Jin Xin Shang," clearly states:

"If you seek, you will obtain; if you let go, you will lose. This seeking is beneficial to obtaining; it is what is sought within. If you seek by the Way and obtain by fate, this seeking is not beneficial to obtaining; it is what is sought without."(《孟子·尽心上》)(求则得之，舍则失之，是求有益于得也，求在我者也。求之有道，得之有命，是求无益于得也，求在外者也。 Qiu ze de zhi, she ze shi zhi, shi qiu you yi yu de ye, qiu zai wo zhe ye. Qiu zhi you dao, de zhi you ming, shi qiu wu yi yu de ye, qiu zai wai zhe ye.)

Some things, if you seek them, you will obtain them; if you let go, you will lose them. These are "things sought within," over which you have control, mainly moral cultivation of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. Other things, even if you seek them, you may not obtain them; obtaining them depends on external conditions. These are "things sought without," mainly external circumstances like wealth and status.

Mencius's view of "ming" can therefore be summarized as: "Ming" is the limitation of external conditions, while "xing" is the source of internal strength. A gentleman does not use the limitations of "ming" as an excuse to abandon the cultivation of "xing"; on the contrary, within the limitations of "ming," he more firmly develops the strength of "xing."

Where is the fatalism in this$37 This is clearly a profound theory of moral autonomy.