孟子•公孙丑上（人有四端）
Four Essentials in Humanities
[春秋]孟子
By Mencius
人皆有不忍人之心。…
All men have a mind which cannot bear (to see the sufferings of) others...
今人乍见孺子将入于井，皆有怵惕恻隐之心。非所以内交于孺子之父母也，非所以要誉于乡党朋友也，非恶其声而然也。
If today men suddenly see a child ^bout to fail into a well, they will without exception experience a feeling of alarm and distress. This will not be as a way whereby to gain the favor of the child's parents, nor whereby they may seek ihc praise of their neighbors and friends, nor that they are so because they dislike the reputation (of being unvirtiicms).
由是观之，无側隐之心，非人也；无羞恶之心，非人也；无辞让之心，非人也；无是非之心，非人也。恻隐之心，仁之端也；羞恶之心.义之端也；辞让之心，礼之端也；是非之心，智之端也。人之有是四端也，犹其有四体也。有是四端而 自谓不能者，自贼者也：谓其君不能者.贼其君者也。
From this case we may perceive that he who lacks the feeling of commiseration (ts'e ym 恻隐）is not a man; that he who lacks a feeling of shame and dislike (hiu wu 羞恶） is not a man; that he who lacks a feeling of modesty and of yielding (tz'u jang 辞让.) is not a man; anti that he who lacks a sense of right and wrong (shi fei 是非）is not a man. The feeling of commiseration is the beginning of human-lieartedness (jen 仁).The feeling of shame and dislike is the beginning of righteousness (yi 义). The feeling of modesty and yielding is the beginning of propriety（li 礼), The sense of right and wrong is the beginning of wisdom (chih 智).“ Man has these four beginnings just as he has his four limbs. When,having these four beginnings, he says of himself that he is incapahle (of developing them), he is injuring himself. And when he says of his sovereign that he is incapable, he is injuring his sovereign.
凡有铒端于我者，知皆扩而充之矣，若火之始然，泉之始达。苟能充之，足以保四海；苟不充之，不足以事父母。
Since all men have these four beginnings in themselves, let them know to give them their full development and completion, and the result will be like fire that begins to bum, or of a spring which has begun to find vent.Let them have their complete development, and they will suffice to protect all within the four seas. Lei; them be denied that development, and they will not suffice to serve his parents with.