原文
《孟子·梁惠王上》
齐宣王问曰：“齐桓、晋文之事，可得闻乎？”
孟子对曰：“仲尼之徒无道桓文之事者，是以后世无传焉，臣未之闻也。无以，则王乎？”
曰：“德何如则可以王矣？”
曰：“保民而王，莫之能御也。”
曰：“若寡人者，可以保民乎哉？”
曰：“可。”
曰：“何由知吾可也？”
曰：“臣闻之胡龁曰：王坐于堂上，有牵牛而过堂下者。王见之，曰：‘牛何之？’对曰：‘将以衅钟。’王曰：‘舍之！吾不忍其觳觫，若无罪而就死地。’对曰：‘然则废衅钟与？’曰：‘何可废也？以羊易之！’不识有诸？”
曰：“有之。”
曰：“是心足以王矣。百姓皆以王为爱也，臣固知王之不忍也。”
王曰：“然，诚有百姓者。齐国虽褊小，吾何爱一牛？即不忍其觳觫，若无罪而就死地，故以羊易之也。”
曰：“王无异于百姓之以王为爱也。以小易大，彼恶知之？王若隐其无罪而就死地，则牛羊何择焉？”
王笑曰：“是诚何心哉？我非爱其财而易之以羊也，宜乎百姓之谓我爱也。”
曰：“无伤也，是乃仁术也，见牛未见羊也。君子之于禽兽也，见其生，不忍见其死；闻其声，不忍食其肉。是以君子远庖厨也。”
中文翻译
《孟子·梁惠王上》
齐宣王问道：“齐桓公、晋文公称霸的事迹，可以讲给我听听吗？”
孟子回答：“孔子门下从不谈论齐桓公、晋文公的霸业，因此后世没有流传，我也没有听说过。如果一定要说，那就谈谈王道吧？”
宣王问：“怎样的德行才能称王天下？”
孟子答：“保民而王，无人能阻挡。”
宣王问：“像我这样的人，能保民吗？”
孟子答：“可以。”
宣王问：“凭什么知道我可以？”
孟子答：“我听胡龁说：您坐在殿上，有人牵牛经过殿下。您问：‘牛要去哪？’对方答：‘准备衅钟（祭祀用）。’您说：‘放了它！我不忍心看它恐惧发抖，像无罪之人被处死。’对方问：‘那废除衅钟吗？’您说：‘怎么废除？用羊代替吧！’不知可有此事？”
宣王答：“有。”
孟子说：“这颗仁心足以称王了！百姓都以为大王吝啬，但我知道您是不忍心。”
宣王说：“确实如此！齐国虽小，我怎会吝惜一头牛？只是不忍它无辜赴死，才用羊替换。”
孟子说：“大王不要怪百姓误解您吝啬。用羊换牛，他们怎知您的本心？若您怜悯无辜之牛，牛羊又有何区别？”
宣王笑：“这究竟是什么心理？我并非吝啬财物，而是于心不忍，难怪百姓误会。”
孟子说：“无妨！这是仁心的体现。君子对禽兽，见其生不忍见其死，闻其声不忍食其肉，所以远离厨房。”
英文翻译
"King Xuan of Qi and the Matter of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin" (From Mencius, Book 1)
King Xuan of Qi asked, “May I hear about the deeds of Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin?”
Mencius replied, “The disciples of Confucius never spoke of the hegemony of Duke Huan or Duke Wen, so later generations have no records. I, too, know nothing of them. If you insist, let us speak of kingship instead.”
The king asked, “What virtues are needed to rule as a true king?”
Mencius answered, “To protect the people and rule—they cannot be opposed.”
The king said, “Can I, in my position, protect the people?”
Mencius replied, “Yes.”
The king asked, “How do you know?”
Mencius said, “I heard from Hu He: You were sitting in court when a man led an ox past the steps. You asked, ‘Where is the ox going?’ He replied, ‘To be sacrificed for the bell’s consecration.’ You said, ‘Release it! I cannot bear to see its trembling fear, as if it were innocent and facing death.’ The man asked, ‘Shall we abandon the ritual?’ You said, ‘How can we? Replace the ox with a sheep!’ Do I hear this correctly?”
The king confirmed, “Yes.”
Mencius said, “This compassion is enough to rule as a king! The people think you are stingy, but I know your reluctance to harm the innocent.”
The king sighed, “Indeed! Though Qi is small, how could I begrudge one ox? It was its innocent face that moved me.”
Mencius replied, “Your Majesty, the people mistake your pity for stinginess. Replacing a large ox with a small sheep—they cannot see your heart. If you grieve for the innocent, what difference is there between ox and sheep?”
The king laughed, “What twisted logic! I did not spare the ox for its value, yet the people think me miserly!”
Mencius said, “No harm! This is the ‘Way of Benevolence’—seeing the ox but not the sheep. A noble person sees life in beasts and cannot bear to see them die; hears their cries and cannot eat their flesh. Thus, refined souls avoid the kitchen.”
背景补充
《齐桓晋文之事》是《孟子》中阐述“王道”与“仁政”的核心篇章：
- 对话核心：孟子以齐宣王“以羊易牛”的典故，揭示其潜在的仁心，进而论证“保民而王”的可行性，反对以武力称霸（齐桓、晋文之道）。
- 思想精髓：
- 仁术：通过“见牛未见羊”的心理，强调统治者需对生命怀有恻隐之心。
- 民本逻辑：提出“保民”是称王的唯一途径，与孔子“仁者爱人”一脉相承。
- 历史意义：此篇批判了春秋战国时期以暴力争霸的乱象，主张以德化民，成为儒家“仁政”思想的典范文本。
- 现代启示：孟子将政治伦理与人性本善结合，对现代社会治理中“以人为本”的价值观仍具深远影响。
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