Men Tze Said .......

Men Tze Said: When Heaven Going To...
Originally uploaded by CharlieBrown8989.

I just like the meaning of these words. Perhaps the stress-filled week is finally taking its toil.

天將降大任于是人也﹐ 必先苦其心志﹐ 勞其筋骨﹐ 餓其體膚﹐ 空乏其身﹐ 行拂亂其所為﹐所以動心忍性﹐ 會益其所不能﹐ 人?過﹐ 然後能改﹐ 困于心﹐衡于慮﹐ 而後作﹐ 征于色﹐ 發于聲﹐ 而後喻。入則無法家拂士﹐ 出則無敵國外患者﹐ 國?亡。然後知生于懮患﹐而死于安樂也。

This is the full translation of that paragraph of James Legge(James Legge,Mencius,Chapter 24,1895).

2. 'Thus, when Heaven is about to confer a great office on any man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty. It confounds his undertakings. By all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and supplies his incompetencies.

3. 'Men for the most part err, and are afterwards able to reform. They are distressed in mind and perplexed in their thoughts, and then they arise to vigorous reformation. When things have been evidenced in men's looks, and set forth in their words, then they understand them.

4. 'If a prince have not about his court families attached to the laws and worthy counsellors, and if abroad there are not hostile States or other external calamities, his kingdom will generally come to ruin.

5. 'From these things we see how life springs from sorrow and calamity, and death from ease and pleasure.'