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

Chapter 24: The Mystery of the Heart — "It Appears and Disappears Without Fixed Timing, No One Knows Its Whereabouts"

Section 24.1 The Ungraspable 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 the most perplexing characteristic of the heart: it is ungraspable and unpredictable.

Why does the heart have this characteristic$22

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).

Section 24.2 Pre-Qin Discourse on the Unknowable Heart

The Zhuangzi, Chapter on "The Emperor of the South Sea" (Ying Di Wang), records:

"The Emperor of the South Sea was called Shù; the Emperor of the North Sea was called Hū; the Emperor of the Center was called Hùndùn (Chaos). Shù and Hū occasionally met in Hùndùn’s domain, and Hùndùn treated them extremely well. Shù and Hū planned to repay Hùndùn’s kindness, saying: 'Everyone has seven orifices to see, hear, eat, and breathe; this one alone has none. Let us try to carve them for him!' They carved one orifice a day; after seven days, Hùndùn died."

Hùndùn (Chaos) had no seven orifices—his heart was not "opened" by the senses, thus he was complete and pure. Shù and Hū carved seven orifices for him, and Hùndùn died. This allegory explains: once the heart is opened to the senses (contact with external things), it loses its original purity. This aligns with Mencius’s view that "the organs of sight and hearing do not think, but are obscured by things"—the senses introduce external things into the heart, obscuring its original clarity. "It appears and disappears without fixed timing, no one knows its whereabouts"—the heart is ungraspable precisely because it is constantly being influenced and changed by external information flowing in through the senses.

The Guanzi (Xin Shu Shang):

"The position of the heart in the body is that of a ruler. The functions of the nine orifices are like those of officials. When the heart abides in its Way, the nine orifices follow the principles. If lust and desire are fully indulged, the eye cannot see colors, and the ear cannot hear sounds. Therefore, it is said: if the ruler strays from the Way, the subordinates lose their functions."

The heart is like a ruler, the nine orifices like officials. When the ruler follows the Way, the officials follow the principles; when the ruler is filled with lust and desire, the ears and eyes lose their proper function. This reiterates that the state of the heart depends on whether it is obscured by lust and desire.