Mencius (book)

Mencius

Early 13th-century Mencius print held by the National Palace Museum in Taipei
Author	Mencius
Language	Classical Chinese
Subject	Philosophy
Publication date	4th-century BC
Publication place	China
Chinese name
Chinese	孟子
Literal meaning	"[The Writings of] Master Meng"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mèngzǐ Bopomofo ㄇㄥˋ ㄗˇ Wade–Giles Mêng4 Tzŭ3 Yale Romanization Mèngdž IPA [mə̂ŋ.tsɹ̩̀] Wu Romanization Man-tsy Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Maahngjí Jyutping Maang6zi2 IPA [maŋ˨.tsi˧˥] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Bēng-chú Tâi-lô Bīng-tsú Middle Chinese Middle Chinese mæ̀ng dzí Old Chinese Baxter–Sagart (2014) *mˤraŋ-s tsəʔ
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	Mạnh Tử
Korean name
Hangul	맹자
Transcriptions Revised Romanization Maengja

Part of a series on
Confucianism
Early history Spring and Autumn period Confucius Warring States period Mencius Xunzi Western Han Dong Zhongshu Gongsun Hong
Fundamental concepts Tian Ganying Zhengming Xiao Sangang Wuchang Li Ren Xin Yi
Schools Neo-Confucianism Han Learning Taigu school Lingnan Confucianism New Confucianism Progressive Confucianism Confucian fascism Hermeneutic schools Old Text New Text
Confucianism by country Korea Japan Vietnam Indonesia United States
Confucian texts Ruzang Five Classics Classic of Poetry Book of Documents Book of Rites Book of Changes Spring and Autumn Annals Four Books Analects Mencius Doctrine of the Mean Great Learning Other texts Three Commentaries Rites of Zhou Ceremonial Rites Classic of Filial Piety Erya
Organization Confucian ritual religion Confucian royal ancestral shrine Temple of Confucius Confucian churches and sects Holy Confucian Church Indonesian Confucian Church Universal Church of the Way and its Virtue Phoenix churches Xuanyuanism Shengdao
v t e

The Mencius is an anthology of conversations and anecdotes attributed to the Confucian philosopher Mencius (c. 371 – c. 289 BC).^[1] The book is one of the Chinese Thirteen Classics, and explores Mencius's views on the topics of moral and political philosophy, often as a dialogue with the ideas presented by Confucianism.^[2][1] The interviews and conversations are depicted as being either between Mencius and the various rulers of the Warring States period (c. 475 – 221 BC), or with his students and other contemporaries. The book documents Mencius's travel across the states, and his philosophical conversations and debates with those he meets on his journey.^[2] A number of scholars suggest that the text was not written by Mencius himself, but rather by his disciples.^[3] The text is believed to have been written during the late 4th century BC.^[3]