An In-depth Interpretation of Mencius' 'The Trees of Ox Mountain' Chapter: The Core of Innate Goodness and Cultivation of Mind and Nature

Chapter 11: "If the night energy is insufficient to be preserved, then one will not be far from birds and beasts" — Distinguishing Man from Beast

Section 11.1 "Not Far from Birds and Beasts": How Man Degenerates into Beast

"If the night energy is insufficient to be preserved, then one will not be far from birds and beasts" (Ye qi bu zu yi cun, ze qi wei qin shou bu yuan yi). If the clear energy of the night is insufficient to preserve the sprouts of goodness, then this person is not far different from beasts.

"Wei" means distant. "Not far from birds and beasts" (Wei qin shou bu yuan) means "not far separated from birds and beasts."

Why does the failure to preserve the sprouts of goodness (yeqi bu zu yi cun) lead to being "not far from beasts"$42 Because in Mencius's system, the fundamental thing that distinguishes man from beasts is the "heart of Benevolence and Righteousness"—the sprouts of alarm/compassion, shame/aversion, yielding/deferring, and right/wrong discernment. If these sprouts are completely lost, man loses the fundamental characteristic that makes him human, and in behavior and psychology, he becomes no different from beasts.

This "distinction between man and beast" (ren qin zhi bian) is a crucial theme throughout Mencius’s thought. Mencius (Li Lou II) records:

Mencius said: "The difference between man and beast is slight; the common people cast it away, but the superior man preserves it. Shun was enlightened about the myriad things and perceptive about human relationships; he acted from benevolence and righteousness, rather than acting to practice benevolence and righteousness."

"The difference between man and beast is slight" (Ren zhi suo yi yi yu qin shou zhe ji xi)—the difference is small. This "slightness" (ji xi) echoes the "slightness" from the previous chapter ("how close their likes and dislikes are to those of other people, is but slight"). This creates a profound correspondence:

• The difference between man and beast is originally "slight" (ji xi).
• A person who loses their conscience has only a "slight" (ji xi) capacity for liking good and disliking evil compared to a normal person.
• When the second "slightness" tends toward zero, the first "slightness" also tends toward zero—man truly degenerates into a beast.

"The common people cast it away, but the superior man preserves it" (Shu min qu zhi, junzi cun zhi)—The common people discard this "slight" difference, while the superior man preserves it. This "discarding" (qu) is similar to the "abandonment" (fang) of the good heart, and this "preserving" (cun) is similar to the "holding onto" (cao) in "holding onto it, it exists."

"Shun was enlightened about the myriad things... he acted from benevolence and righteousness, rather than acting to practice benevolence and righteousness" (You ren yi xing, fei xing ren yi ye)—Shun understood all things and discerned human relationships; his actions naturally conformed to benevolence and righteousness, rather than being a forced practice of them. This passage reveals the highest state of cultivation: not forcing oneself to do good, but allowing goodness to flow forth naturally after the sprouts of goodness have been fully expanded. This is analogous to the Ox Mountain wood—after obtaining full nourishment, it grows luxuriantly without needing artificial urging.

Section 11.2 The Intellectual History of "Distinguishing Man from Beast" in Pre-Qin Thought

The "distinction between man and beast" is one of the core issues in pre-Qin philosophy.

(A) Distinction in the Book of Documents

The Book of Documents (Taishi Shang) records King Wu’s words:

"Heaven and Earth are the parents of the myriad things; Man is the most spirit (ling) among the myriad things."

"Man is the most spirit" (Ren, wan wu zhi ling)—Man is the most perceptive among all things. This "Ling" (spirit/perceptive) refers not only to intellectual cleverness but also to moral perception—man can discern good and evil, right and wrong, which beasts cannot. This aligns perfectly with Mencius’s "heart of discerning right and wrong is the sprout of Wisdom."

(B) Distinction in the Analects

The Analects (Chapter 18, 7th chapter) records:

Changju and Jieni were plowing together. Confucius passed by and asked Zilu to inquire about the way. Changju said: "Who is that holding the reins$43" Zilu replied: "It is Kong Qiu." He asked: "Is that Kong Qiu of Lu$44" He replied: "Yes." He said: "He knows the way!" Zilu inquired of Jieni. Jieni asked: "Who are you$45" He replied: "I am Zhong You." He asked: "Are you a disciple of Kong Qiu of Lu$46" He replied: "Yes." He said: "The whole world is overflowing with such people who meddle in politics, who would exchange with them$47 Rather than follow a man who avoids people, why not follow a man who avoids the world$48" Jieni continued plowing without stopping. Zilu went and reported this to the Master. The Master was displeased and said: "Birds and beasts cannot be associated with. If I do not associate with the people of this age, with whom shall I associate$49 If the Dao prevailed in the world, I would not be one to change it!"

"Birds and beasts cannot be associated with" (Niao shou bu ke yu tong qun)—Confucius flatly refused to associate with birds and beasts. He chose to remain among men, even if the world was "overflowing" (chaotic), he would strive to change it. This expresses Confucius’s adherence to the identity of "man"—man ought to associate with men and do what men ought to do.

This echoes Mencius’s warning about being "not far from birds and beasts": if one loses their conscience, they "are not far from birds and beasts"—meaning they lose the fundamental characteristic of being human because they have lost the foundation of humanity. Confucius says "birds and beasts cannot be associated with," while Mencius says a person who loses their conscience "is not far from birds and beasts"—their concerns are identical: upholding the dignity and standard of being human.

(C) Distinction in the Book of Rites

The Book of Rites (Quli I) states:

"Parrots can speak but do not leave the category of flying birds; apes can speak but do not leave the category of beasts. If a man speaks but lacks propriety (li), is he not a beast in heart, though his speech is human$50"

Parrots and apes can mimic human speech but remain beasts because they lack li (propriety, broadly interpreted as benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, and propriety). Similarly, if a person lacks li, though outwardly human, his heart is essentially that of a beast. This fully aligns with Mencius’s statement that people "see him as a beast."

(D) Distinction in Xunzi

Xunzi (Wang Zhi chapter) states:

"Water and fire have qi but no life; grass and trees have life but no awareness; birds and beasts have awareness but no righteousness (yi); man has qi, has life, has awareness, and moreover has righteousness. Therefore, man is the most precious thing under Heaven."

Xunzi asserts that "righteousness" (yi) is the key distinction between man and beast—beasts have senses (can feel pain and pleasure) but lack "yi" (the capacity for moral judgment). Man has senses and also yi, thus "man is the most precious thing under Heaven."

Although Xunzi advocates "innate evil," claiming righteousness is an acquired artificiality, on the point that "yi" is the key distinction between man and beast, Xunzi agrees with Mencius. The difference is: Mencius believes the sprouts of righteousness are innate (yi is the sprout of the heart of shame/aversion), while Xunzi believes yi is acquired through practice (its goodness is artificiality).

Section 11.3 Why "When people see him as a beast, they assume there was never any talent": Re-criticism of Cognitive Error

"When people see him as a beast and assume there was never any talent, is this the true disposition of man$51" (Ren jian qi qin shou ye, er yi wei wei chang you cai ye zhe, shi qi ren zhi qing ye zai$52)

This sentence structurally parallels the earlier one: "When people see it barren and assume there was never any timber, is this the nature of the mountain$53" (Ren jian qi zhuo zhuo ye, yi wei wei chang you cai ye, ci qi shan zhi xing ye zai$54)

The characters "Cai" (timber) and "Cai" (talent) share the same pronunciation but different meanings, forming a subtle echo.

"Xing" (Nature) and "Qing" (Disposition/True State)—"Qing" here means "true state" or "original face," not "emotion." The Zhuangzi (Qiwulun) asks: "Is this true$57 Is this not true$58" This "zhen" (true) is analogous to "Qing" here.

Mencius again criticizes the fallacy of deducing inherent nature from phenomenal results. People see a person behaving like a beast and conclude that this person "never had any sprouts of goodness"—this is just like seeing a barren mountain and concluding "this mountain never grew trees." Both commit the same error: inferring nature from results while ignoring the process that led to those results.

"Is this the true disposition of man$59" (Shi qi ren zhi qing ye zai$60)—Is this the true disposition of man$61 Certainly not! Man's true disposition possesses the sprouts of goodness, the heart of benevolence and righteousness. Beast-like behavior is not a manifestation of true nature, but a state of degeneration following the loss of conscience.