King Hui of the State of Wei* said to Mencius**, “I have done my very best in dealing with state affairs. When there was a crop failure in Henei*** I moved my people to Hedong**** and brought back grain to Henei. When Hedong had a famine, I did likewise. But frim my observation I don’t see the administration of our neighbouring states any better cared for than mine. Why then does their population show no decrease and ours no increase?”
“Your Highness likes to fight wars,” Mencius answered. “So please allow me to take the battle as an example. Suppose the battle drum has already been beaten and the soldiers have taken up their arms, but instead of forging ahead, the men throw away their armour and flee with their weapons trailing behind, with some coming to a halt after retreating a hundred paces and others after fifty paces. If the latter try to mock at the former, what would you say about that?”
“They are wrong, of course. They have retreated just the same, whether a hundred paces or less than a hundred,” said the prince.
“Well, since Your Highness knows that, then you can’t expect to have a greater population than your neighboring states,” concluded Mencius.
The idiom derived from this story means that there is no difference in people who are behaving in the wrong.
*State of Wei, also called Liang, a powerful state during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).
** Mencius (372-289 BC) , a great thinker, politician and educationalist at the time
*** present day region north of the Huanghe (Yellow River) in Henan Province
**** present day southern part of Shanxi Province
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Mencius was stating from this story that there is no difference in people who are behaving in the wrong. The Pot Calling the Kettle Black. It makes absolutely no difference, there is seldom levels of wrong.
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