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

Chapter 13: "If held, it exists; if released, it perishes; it appears and disappears without fixed timing, and no one knows its whereabouts." — Citing Confucius to Affirm the Doctrine of the Heart

Section 13.1 The Source and Meaning of Confucius’s Statement

At the end of this chapter, Mencius quotes a saying attributed to Confucius: "If held, it exists (cao ze cun); if released, it perishes (she ze wang); it appears and disappears without fixed timing (chu ru wu shi), and no one knows its whereabouts (mo zhi qi xiang)." He concludes with, "Is this not what refers to the Heart (xin)$1"

This statement is not found in the extant version of the Analects; it might stem from an alternate version known to Mencius, or from oral tradition passed down from the Confucians. Zhao Qi annotates: "Confucius speaks of the heart."

The meaning of these four lines is:

• "If held, it exists" (Cao ze cun)—Grasp it (the heart/conscience), and it exists.
• "If released, it perishes" (She ze wang)—Let it go, and it vanishes.
• "It appears and disappears without fixed timing" (Chu ru wu shi)—Its emergence and disappearance have no set schedule.
• "No one knows its whereabouts" (Mo zhi qi xiang)—No one knows where it has gone.

These four lines precisely describe the characteristics of the Heart (Xin):

First, the existence or perishing of the heart depends on "holding" (cao) or "releasing" (she). "Cao" means to grasp or hold firmly. "She" means to abandon or let go. The heart is not a fixed, unchanging entity—it can exist at any moment and vanish at any moment. The key lies in whether one actively "holds" it. This is completely consistent with the overall theme of the chapter: the existence or perishing of the conscience does not depend on innate possession (everyone has sprouts of goodness), but on subsequent "holding" or "releasing" (whether one nurtures it).

Second, the emergence and disappearance of the heart have no fixed timing. "Emergence" (ru) is like "existence" (cun), and "disappearance" (chu) is like "perishing" (wang). The presence or loss of conscience follows no fixed schedule—it can be awakened at any moment, and it can be lost at any moment. This characteristic makes cultivation extremely difficult: you cannot say, "I only need to cultivate my conscience for a fixed time each day."

Third, where the heart goes when lost is unknowable. "Xiang" means direction or destination. Once the conscience is lost, where did it go$2 Unknown. Unlike a chicken or dog that can be tracked by footprints, when the conscience "runs away," you don't even know where it went.

Section 13.2 "Holding, it Exists" and Pre-Qin Cultivation Practice

"If held, it exists" (Cao ze cun)—This implies that maintaining moral cultivation is not a one-time achievement but a continuous effort requiring vigilance at all times. You cannot say, "I have cultivated myself to a certain level, so I will never lose my conscience again"—because "if released, it perishes," and relaxation at any time can cause the conscience to vanish.

This idea resonates widely in pre-Qin texts:

The Analects (Book 1, 4th chapter) records:

Zengzi said: "I examine myself daily on three points—in transacting business for others, have I been unfaithful$3 In intercourse with friends, have I been untrustworthy$4 Have I not practiced what is taught$5"

Zengzi examined himself three times a day—this is the concrete practice of "Cao." The fact that he examined himself "daily" implies cultivation must be a daily endeavor, not a one-time event.

The Analects (Book 7, 22nd chapter) records:

The Master said: "If virtue is not cultivated, learning is not put into practice, hearing of righteousness and not being moved by it, having faults and not correcting them—these are my worries."

The Master’s worries are the failure to cultivate virtue, the failure to practice learning, the inability to follow righteousness when heard, and the failure to correct faults. The root of these worries lies in "releasing" (she ze wang)—once cultivation slackens, virtue regresses.

The Analects (Book 9, 28th chapter) records:

The Master said: "It passes on like flowing water! It never stops, day or night."

Time flows like water, ceaselessly day and night. While often interpreted as a lament on the passage of time, from the perspective of cultivation, it can also be understood as: moral cultivation must be continuous, like flowing water, "without stopping day or night." This aligns with the spirit of "If held, it exists."

The Great Learning states:

"The inscription on the washing basin of Tang said: 'If you can renew yourself each day, then renew yourself daily; yea, let there be daily renewal.'"

Shang Tang inscribed on his basin: "If today is new, then tomorrow should also be new, and the day after tomorrow should still be new." This meaning of "daily renewal" (ri xin) implies that moral cultivation must be constantly renewed and elevated daily, never slackening for a single day.

Section 13.3 "It Appears and Disappears Without Fixed Timing, No One Knows Its Whereabouts": The Unfathomable Nature of the Heart

"It appears and disappears without fixed timing, and no one knows its whereabouts" (Chu ru wu shi, mo zhi qi xiang) describes another crucial characteristic of the heart: its unpredictability.

Why does the heart have this characteristic$6

From the perspective of pre-Qin philosophy, the heart lies between the metaphysical and the physical—it is not purely material (like the body), nor is it purely an idea (like the Heavenly Dao). It is the specific manifestation of the Heavenly Dao within man, yet it is constrained and influenced by material conditions. This "in-between" position grants the heart transcendence (it can grasp the Heavenly Dao and discern good and evil), but also limitation (it is easily obscured by external objects and influenced by passions and desires).

Because of this, the heart's behavior is not entirely predictable—you cannot be certain when it will "disappear" (be lost) or when it will "appear" (exist). Sometimes you think you have cultivated yourself to a high level, but suddenly a temptation arises, and the conscience wavers; other times, you think you have completely fallen, but a certain event touches your heart of compassion, and the conscience revives.

This unpredictability is both a difficulty and a hope in cultivation. The difficulty is: you can never relax your vigilance ("No one knows its whereabouts"—you don't know when the conscience might "run away" from what place). The hope is: even in the most desperate moments, the conscience might suddenly return ("It appears and disappears without fixed timing"—the return of conscience also follows no fixed schedule).

This idea closely relates to the doctrine of "Cautious Solitude" (Shen Du) in the Doctrine of the Mean:

"The Way, indeed, cannot be left for a moment. If it could be left, it would not be the Way. Therefore, the superior man is cautious and fearful when he is unseen, and fearful when he is unheard. Nothing is more visible than what is hidden, and nothing is more manifest than what is minute. Therefore, the superior man is careful about his solitude."

Why must one be "cautious in solitude"$7 Because the heart's "appearance and disappearance have no fixed timing"—the conscience might quietly slip away when one is alone, when no one is supervising, in the most subtle moments. Therefore, the superior man must cultivate virtue not only in public but also maintain vigilance when alone and in hidden places—this is the deep reason for "Shen Du."

Furthermore, the I Ching (Kun Hexagram, Wenyan):

"The family that accumulates goodness will surely have overflowing blessings; the family that accumulates non-goodness will surely have overflowing calamities. A minister murdering his ruler, or a son murdering his father—this is not the result of a single day or a single night; the origin has been gradual, resulting from not distinguishing it early. The I Ching says: 'Stepping on frost, the hard ice arrives.' This speaks of the flow of things."

"The origin has been gradual" (Qi suo you lai zhe jian yi)—Great disasters do not happen suddenly, but accumulate gradually, resulting from "not distinguishing it early." This is entirely consistent with Mencius: the loss of conscience is not an overnight event but the result of "cutting day after day" and "repeatedly restraining." If one had been vigilant and cultivated their virtue early on—when the new shoots were first nibbled, or when the night energy first began to wane—it would not have come to the point of being "not far from birds and beasts."