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战国战国 · 文 Prose

生于忧患，死于安乐

In Hardship One Lives; in Comfort One Perishes

孟子

Mencius

名篇Masterpiece 忧患Hardship and Vigilance 励志Inspiration

舜发于畎亩之中，傅说举于版筑之间，胶鬲举于鱼盐之中，管夷吾举于士，孙叔敖举于海，百里奚举于市。
故天将降大任于是人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为，所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能。

Shun rose from the midst of the fields; Fu Yue was raised from among the builders of walls; Jiao Ge was raised from among the fish and salt traders; Guan Yiwu was raised from the prison officers; Sun Shu'ao was raised from the sea; Bai Li Xi was raised from the market. Therefore, when Heaven is about to lay a great responsibility upon a man, it will first torment his heart and mind, weary his sinews and bones, starve his body and skin, empty and exhaust his person, and thwart and overturn whatever he undertakes—so that his heart is stirred and his nature tempered, and what he could not do before is increased in him.

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Meaning

A celebrated passage from the Mencius (Gaozi, Part II), arguing that Heaven's great responsibilities fall on those who have been tempered by hardship. Mencius cites six sages and ministers who rose from the humblest origins—Shun from the fields, Fu Yue from building walls, Jiao Ge from selling fish and salt, Guan Yiwu from prison, Sun Shu'ao from the sea, Bai Li Xi from the market—all of whom became great through suffering. He then concludes that Heaven, about to lay a great charge on a person, first torments his heart, wearies his body, starves him, impoverishes him, and thwarts his undertakings, in order to stir his heart, temper his nature, and increase his powers. 'In hardship one lives; in comfort one perishes' became the fountainhead of the Chinese spirit of vigilance in times of peace.

舜从田野耕作之中被起用，傅说从筑墙的劳作中被举拔，胶鬲从贩卖鱼盐的行业中脱颖而出，管夷吾从狱官手里被释放任用，孙叔敖从海边隐居之地被推举，百里奚从市井买卖之中被赎回起用。所以上天要把重大的使命降临到这个人身上，一定先要使他的内心痛苦，使他的筋骨劳累，使他忍饥挨饿，使他身受贫困，使他做事颠倒错乱，用这些来震动他的内心、坚韧他的性格，增加他原本不具备的才能。

Appreciation

The passage is a model of 'parallelism building momentum, narrative joined to argument.' The first half is narrative: six parallel clauses enumerate the origins of the six worthies in even, hammering cadence—one sage per clause, one humble origin per line, repeatedly proclaiming that poverty and distress refine a man. The second half turns to argument: 'Therefore, when Heaven is about to lay a great responsibility upon a man' bridges from history to doctrine; then five causative verbs—torment, weary, starve, impoverish, thwart—spread across the five dimensions of heart, body, skin, circumstances, and deeds; and the close, 'so that his heart is stirred and his nature tempered, and what he could not do before is increased in him,' reveals the purpose of suffering: not destruction but completion. The narrative is not redundant, the argument not empty; history and doctrine fit seamlessly, and the dense causative verbs give every sentence a sense of force.

【白话串讲】孟子写《生于忧患，死于安乐》：“舜发于畎亩之中，傅说举于版筑之间”——“故天将降大任于是人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤”——“所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能”——“然后知生于忧患而死于安乐也”——千古励志名篇。【意象与手法】全文以史为证、以排比蓄势：六句排比如连珠炮发，一气贯下；「苦」「劳」「饿」「空乏」「拂乱」五词使动用法连用，句式齐整而节奏铿锵；末以「所以」二字点出磨难的目的，由叙入议，逻辑严密，气势磅礴。【情感与主旨】本文是孟子「生于忧患，死于安乐」思想的核心表述，主张忧患、困苦能激发人的潜能、成就大业，安逸享乐反而使人败亡，体现儒家积极入世、自强不息的进取精神。【名句点睛】「天将降大任于是人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨」是传诵千古的名句，成为无数志士在困境中自勉的座右铭；「生于忧患，死于安乐」的标题更凝成民族精神中「居安思危」的核心训诫。

Background

Mencius (c. 372–289 BCE), surnamed Ke, was a native of Zou in the mid-Warring States period, the 'Second Sage' of Confucianism, who studied under the disciples of Zisi and is famed for the doctrine of human nature as good, benevolent government, and 'the people most important.' This passage is selected from the Mencius, Gaozi, Part II, a chapter of dialogues on the way of Heaven's great responsibility. In a world of ceaseless war among the states, where 'men fight over land until the fields are soaked with blood,' Mencius sought to show the gentleman the path to great achievement—not birth, not luck, but hardship and discipline. The six examples he cites all rose from the humblest origins to great ends, proving that 'one is stirred only after distress, and acts only after weighing things in the mind.'

孟子，名轲，战国中期邹国人，儒家「亚圣」，师承子思之门人，以「性善论」「仁政」「民贵君轻」著称。《生于忧患，死于安乐》节选自《孟子·告子下》，是孟子与弟子论「天降大任」之道的著名章节。战国乱世，列国征伐、民不聊生，孟子周游列国鼓吹仁政而不见用，晚年退而与弟子万章、公孙丑等「序《诗》《书》，述仲尼之意」，成《孟子》七篇，《告子》诸篇即其与门人辩难问对之实录。本文正是这一时代背景下的产物：孟子要在「争地以战，杀人盈野」的乱世中，为君子指出一条成就大任的路径——不是出身、不是机遇，而是忧患与磨炼。他举舜、傅说等六人为证，皆出身微贱（畎亩、版筑、鱼盐、士、海、市）而终成大事，以此证明「困于心衡于虑而后作」的道理。此章后世影响极大，「生于忧患，死于安乐」成为中华民族居安思危精神的源头，也是孟子性善论之外最具实践意义的人生哲学。生于忧患，死于安乐，此八字揭示了孟子对人生困境的深刻洞察。他主张人需在忧患中磨砺心志，方能担当重任，此思想影响了后世无数仁人志士，成为激励人们逆境奋进的精神力量，具有深远的历史与现实意义。

Art

The art lies in the arrangement of parallel clauses and the union of narrative and argument. The six parallel clauses of the first half stand in even, hammering cadence, each clause a worthy and an origin, ringing like six blows. The turning sentence 'when Heaven is about to lay a great responsibility' lifts the passage abruptly, opening the floodgate; the five causative verbs in short succession give every word force; and the long closing sentence 'so that his heart is stirred and his nature tempered, and what he could not do before is increased in him' relaxes the rhythm and lets the wave settle. The whole passage is short-sentence narrative followed by a long-sentence close, tense and relaxed in turn—the 'mighty breath' of Mencian prose at its best.

本文艺术上以「排比蓄势、叙议结合」见长。前半为叙：连用六句排比，历数舜、傅说、胶鬲、管夷吾、孙叔敖、百里奚之出身，「发于畎亩」「举于版筑」「举于鱼盐」「举于士」「举于海」「举于市」，句式齐整如一，如六次重锤敲击，一句一个圣贤，一层一种出身，反复昭示「贫贱忧戚，庸玉汝于成」之理。后半为议：「故天将降大任于是人也」一句承上启下，由史实转入论断；随即以「苦」「劳」「饿」「空乏」「拂乱」五个使动短语连排，从心、身、体、境、为五个维度写尽磨难之全，句式整饬而语势如潮；最后以「所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能」收束，点出磨难的目的——不是摧残，而是玉成。全文叙不冗、议不空，史与理严丝合缝；使动用法（苦、劳、饿、空乏、拂乱皆使动）的密集运用，更使句句有「施力」之感，读来虎虎有生气，是孟子散文「雄辩滔滔」的典型。尤可注意者，孟子不以抽象说理，而先举六人史实为证，再以排比句层层加压，最后以「所以」一句点破用意，是典型的「先纵后擒」之法；且行文全用使动与排比，字字落地有声，无一处虚设，故篇幅虽短而气力完足，正合韩愈所谓「气盛则言之短长与声之高下者皆宜」。

Allusions

The six worthies all come from the histories and form the prototypes of 'rising from humble birth to great responsibility' in Chinese culture. Shun, who plowed the fields of Lishan and was raised by Yao for his filial piety; Fu Yue, the criminal laborer at the walls of Fuyan whom King Wu Ding of Shang dreamed of and made his minister; Jiao Ge, a minister of the last Shang king who lived hidden among fish and salt traders until King Wen raised him; Guan Yiwu (Guan Zhong), who was imprisoned after serving Prince Jiu and, recommended by Bao Shuya, became the minister who made Duke Huan of Qi hegemon; Sun Shu'ao, who lived hidden by the Qi River and was raised by King Zhuang of Chu; Bai Li Xi, a minister of Yu whose state fell and who was ransomed from the Chu market for five sheepskins to become the minister who made Duke Mu of Qin master of the Western Rong. Their varied careers all prove the single truth: hardship makes great men. The phrase 'when Heaven is about to lay a great responsibility' became the classic consolation of every frustrated scholar after him.

本文六位历史人物皆出自史传，是中国文化中「出身微贱而终成大任」的原型。舜「发于畎亩」：舜本耕于历山，以孝闻而被尧举用；傅说「举于版筑」：殷高宗武丁夜梦圣人，于傅岩筑墙的刑徒中得傅说为相；胶鬲「举于鱼盐」：胶鬲本为商纣之臣，遭乱隐居贩卖鱼盐，周文王举而用之；管夷吾「举于士」：管仲曾辅公子纠，兵败被囚，经鲍叔牙举荐相齐桓公而成霸业；孙叔敖「举于海」：孙叔敖隐于期思之野，为楚庄王所举，治楚称霸；百里奚「举于市」：百里奚为虞国大夫，国亡被俘，以五羖羊皮赎于楚市，相秦穆公而霸西戎。六人经历各异，而「忧患成事」之理则一。孟子此章熔铸史事为论据，是「以史证论」的典范；「天将降大任于是人也」更成为后世文人处困自励的经典表述——范仲淹「先忧后乐」、苏轼「艰难困苦，玉汝于成」、欧阳修《五代史伶官传序》「忧劳可以兴国，逸豫可以亡身」，皆可视为孟子忧患思想的流裔。

Commentary

This is one of the most widely read passages of the Mencius. Its eight characters, 'in hardship one lives; in comfort one perishes,' have sunk deep into the spiritual blood of the Chinese people. In intellectual history it complements the doctrine that human nature is good: the doctrine of goodness answers 'why a person can achieve,' this passage answers 'how a person achieves'—the one charged by Heaven must be tempered, for precisely because human nature is good, hardship can 'stir the heart and temper the nature' and awaken its innate goodness. Confucians read it as moral philosophy, later critics praised the 'deep, strong, elegant' Mencian prose, and in modern times it has become the classic text of 'education through adversity' and 'vigilance in times of peace.' Fan Zhongyan's 'worry before all under heaven worries,' Su Shi's 'difficulty and hardship make a man,' and Ouyang Xiu's 'care and toil make a state prosper' are all descendants of Mencius' thought.

本节是《孟子》中流传最广的章节之一，「生于忧患，死于安乐」八字所凝成的忧患意识，已深深嵌入中华民族的精神血脉。在思想史上，它与《告子上》的「性善」互为表里：性善论回答「人为何能成」，本章回答「人如何成之」——天降大任者必经磨炼，正因人性本善，忧患方能「动心忍性」，唤醒本然之善而增益其能。后世评价极高：宋儒以「义理」解之，明人归有光评孟子文「雄深雅健」，今人则将其视为逆境成才、居安思危的经典教材。本章的影响力远超学宫：无数仁人志士在国难家仇中以「天将降大任于是人也」自勉，如文天祥狱中、林则徐谪戍、抗战军民转徙，皆以此为精神支柱；当代更成为中学语文必读，是「挫折教育」「忧患意识」的源头文本。就文论而言，六排比、五使动、一句论断的章法，简洁而雄浑，是先秦议论文「以气胜」的极致，千年传诵不衰。今人读之，犹觉其字字切中人心、句句直指肺腑，可见孟子之文跨越两千年的感染力，亦可见忧患意识作为民族精神底色的恒久价值。

Prosody

Form Pre-Qin prose essay (Mencian argument, prose with parallel and layered structure)先秦诸子散文·论说体（孟子散文，散体而有排偶）

Rhyme Unrhymed; the rhythm comes from parallelism and layering: six clauses of 'raised from...' in succession, then five clauses of 'torment... weary... starve... impoverish... thwart' in succession, each following the last like drumbeats全文不押韵，其节奏来自排比与层递：六句「……于……之中」排比、五句「苦／劳／饿／空乏／拂乱其……」排比，句句相承、字字相应，读来如鼓点齐发，铿然有节；「之中／之间」的微变、「发／举」的交替，更于齐整中见参差。

Tone pattern The force is stored up, then released. The six opening parallels gather like a rising flood; 'when Heaven is about to lay a great responsibility' lifts the passage as a sluice opens; the five causative phrases press with tightened rhythm; and the long close relaxes like a wave settling—short sentences to begin, a long sentence to end, tense and relaxed in turn语势先蓄后发。前半六排比，一气呵成，如蓄洪；「故天将降大任于是人也」一句陡然拔高，如闸启洪泻；五使动短句连排，字字用力，节奏紧促；末「所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能」以长句舒缓收束，如浪头回落、余波荡漾。全章短句为主、长句收尾，张弛有度，是孟子「雄辩」之气的节奏呈现。

Reading note The passage's sound is carried entirely by structure, not rhyme: the six 'raised from...' clauses strike like drumbeats, the five causative verbs press with tightened rhythm, and the long closing sentence relaxes like a wave settling—short sentences to begin, a long sentence to end, the 'mighty breath' of Mencian prose.孟子之文以「气盛」著称，本文之「气」正由句式节奏铸成。六例排比以「发」「举」领起，句句七至九字，如六次击鼓，先声夺人；中段「苦其心志」等五句，各四字起、六字承，短促有力，如连弩并发；末句以「所以」总束，转为舒缓长句，如万壑归流。这种「排比蓄势—短句发力—长句收束」的节奏设计，使全章诵读起来有起有伏、有张有弛，情绪被一步步推向高潮又从容收住。无韵而有律，正是先秦散文区别于汉赋骈文的独特音乐美。加之「必先」「所以」等虚词的贯穿，逻辑之链与节奏之流合而为一，故「天将降大任于是人也」一段传诵千年，成为汉语中铿锵有力、掷地有声的经典段落。

Line by line

舜发于畎亩之中，傅说举于版筑之间，胶鬲举于鱼盐之中，管夷吾举于士，孙叔敖举于海，百里奚举于市。

Shun rose from the midst of the fields; Fu Yue was raised from among the builders of walls; Jiao Ge from the fish and salt traders; Guan Yiwu from the prison officers; Sun Shu'ao from the sea; Bai Li Xi from the market. (The six opening parallels, like six blows: one worthy and one humble origin per clause, letting history itself prove that hardship is the rehearsal of great responsibility.)

舜从田间耕作中被起用，傅说从筑墙劳役中被举拔，胶鬲从贩卖鱼盐中被举荐，管夷吾从狱官手中被任用，孙叔敖从海边隐居中被推举，百里奚从市井买卖中被赎回重用。

Shun was raised up from the midst of the fields; Fu Yue from among the wall-builders; Jiao Ge from the fish-and-salt trade; Guan Zhong from the hands of the gaoler; Sun Shu'ao from the sea coast; Baili Xi from the marketplace.

开篇六句排比，如连珠炮发，为全章蓄足气势。六人皆出身微贱——畎亩（农田）、版筑（筑墙）、鱼盐（商贩）、士（狱吏）、海（海滨）、市（市井）——却皆成大业：舜为圣王、傅说为殷相、胶鬲为贤臣、管夷吾相齐称霸、孙叔敖相楚称霸、百里奚相秦称霸。孟子一一罗列而不加议论，让史实自己说话，正是「例证法」的极致运用。句式上「发于」「举于」交替，「之中」「之间」变换，齐整而不板滞，如六声惊雷渐次炸响；六种卑微的出身与六种辉煌的结局两相对照，雄辩地证明：困顿与磨炼不是成功的障碍，而是大任的预演。

The opening six parallel sentences, like a string of shells, charging the whole chapter's force. The six men all from lowliness - the fields (farmland), wall-building (building walls), fish and salt (peddling), jail (prisoner's officer), sea (seaside), market (the marketplace) - yet all achieved great things: Shun the sage-king, Fu Yue the minister of Yin, Jiao Ge the loyal minister, Guan Yiwu minister of Qi and hegemon, Sun Shu'ao minister of Chu and hegemon, Baili Xi minister of Qin and hegemon. Mencius lists them one by one without comment, letting the facts speak, the extreme use of 'example proof.' In syntax, 'rose from' and 'was raised from' alternating, 'the midst of' and 'among' varying, even yet not stiff, like six thunderclaps breaking in turn; the six lowly origins and six splendid ends set in contrast, proving with force: hardship and tempering are not the obstacle to success, but the rehearsal for the great burden.

故天将降大任于是人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为

Therefore, when Heaven is about to lay a great responsibility upon a man, it will first torment his heart and mind, weary his sinews and bones, starve his body and skin, empty and exhaust his person, and thwart and overturn whatever he undertakes. (The turning sentence lifts the passage from history to doctrine; the five causative verbs spread suffering across heart, body, and deeds, each one an act of pressure.)

所以上天要把重大使命降临到这个人身上，一定先要使他的内心痛苦，使他的筋骨劳累，使他忍饥挨饿，使他身受贫困，使他做事颠倒错乱。

Therefore, when Heaven is about to lay a great mission on this man, it must first bitter his heart, toil his sinews, starve his body, strip him of his livelihood, and confound all his doings.

这是全章的中心论断，由史入理，石破天惊。「故」字承六例而来，「天将降大任于是人也」一句，把个人苦难提升为天命安排，赋予磨难以神圣的必然性；「必先」二字斩钉截铁，不容置疑。随后「苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其体肤，空乏其身，行拂乱其所为」五句，全为使动用法（使心苦、使筋劳、使体饿、使身空乏、使所为拂乱），从精神、肉体、物质、境遇、行为五个层面写尽磨难之全，无微不至。五句连排、句式一律，如五记重锤，步步紧逼；「拂乱其所为」尤见深意——连「所做的事」都要被打乱，是让人的一切依恃尽失，逼出绝境中的奋起。

This is the chapter's central thesis, from history to principle, earth-shaking. The word 'therefore' taking up the six examples, the line 'Heaven is about to lay a great burden on this man' raising personal suffering to the arrangement of Heaven, giving the trials a sacred necessity; the words 'must first' clipped, beyond doubt. Then 'bitter his heart and will, toil his sinews and bones, starve his body and flesh, strip him of his being, and derange all that he undertakes' five sentences, all causative (make the heart bitter, the sinews toil, the body starve, the being stripped, the doings confounded), from spirit, flesh, matter, circumstance, conduct five layers writing the trials' fullness, all-pervading. Five sentences in parallel, the order uniform, like five heavy hammers, pressing step by step; 'derange all that he undertakes' especially deep - even 'the things he does' thrown into disorder, stripping away every reliance, forcing the uprising in the desperate pass.

所以动心忍性，曾益其所不能。

So that his heart is stirred and his nature tempered, and what he could not do before is increased in him. (The close reveals the purpose of suffering: not destruction but completion—hardship stirs the heart, tempers the nature, and increases a man's powers.)

用这些来震动他的内心、坚韧他的性格，增加他原本不具备的才能。

By these means it stirs his heart, hardens his nature, and increases what he was not able to do.

收束句点破磨难的目的，是全章的点睛之笔。「所以」二字上承五重磨难，明其用意；「动心忍性」四字最精——「动心」谓触动警醒其心，「忍性」谓坚忍锻炼其性，前者是心理的唤醒，后者是性格的铸炼，一内一外，正是「天将降大任」的全部程序；「曾益其所不能」中「曾」通「增」，言增加他本来不具备的才能，正面回答「磨难何用」——不是摧折，而是增益。此句一出，前文六例、五难皆有着落：舜、傅说诸人所以成其大任，正在于忧患「动心忍性」之功。全章由史而理、由因推果，逻辑严密，气势雄浑，而归宿于一个积极的命题：逆境育人。

The closing line revealing the purpose of the trials, the chapter's finishing stroke. The words 'by these' above taking up the fivefold trials, making the intent clear; 'stirs his heart, toughens his nature' four words finest - 'stirs the heart' meaning to touch and awaken the mind, 'toughens the nature' meaning to temper and strengthen the temper, the former the psychological awakening, the latter the character's forging, one within one without, the whole program of 'Heaven laying a great burden'; 'adds to what he cannot do,' the word 'adds' borrowed from 'increase,' meaning to increase the abilities he lacked, answering positively 'what use are the trials?' - not crushing, but adding. Once this line is spoken, the six examples and five trials above all have their place: why Shun, Fu Yue and the rest achieved their great burdens, precisely in the 'stirring the heart and toughening the nature' work of sorrow. The whole chapter, from history to principle, from cause to fruit, the logic tight, the force grand, resting at last on a positive proposition: adversity nurtures men.

Study

Word focus

举 To raise, to promote. Used five times in the passage for those raised from humble origins, against 'rose' (fa) for Shun—two paths to success: self-effort and being raised by another, both grounded in poverty and discipline. 「举」字在六句中凡五见（傅说、胶鬲、管夷吾、孙叔敖、百里奚皆用「举」），与「发」相对，是理解全章的关键动词。「发」训「起」，言舜自畎亩自奋而起；「举」训「选拔、起用」，言五人皆由外力推举而进用——或遇明主（武丁得傅说、文王举胶鬲、桓公任管仲、庄王用孙叔敖、穆公赎百里奚），或逢际会。二字之别，恰写出「成事」的两种路径：自奋与见用，而共同的前提都是出身微贱、历经忧患。孟子以「发」「举」交替出之，句式齐整而措辞有变，正见其炼字之精；「举」字的反复，更强化了「贤才出于困厄」的命意。

苦（使动） To make bitter, to torment. The first of the causative verbs: 'torment his heart and mind'—the deliberate infliction of hardship as the method of Heaven's tempering, the key that unlocks the whole argument. 「必先苦其心志」之「苦」，为使动用法，意为「使……痛苦」，是全章一组使动词的代表。孟子连用「苦」「劳」「饿」「空乏」「拂乱」五词，皆使动——心志使之苦、筋骨使之劳、体肤使之饿、其身使之空乏、其所为使拂乱，句句言「外力加于其身」，施受分明，读来有一种被锤炼的紧迫感。使动用法的密集，正是孟子雄辩之文的语言标记：他不停留在「忧患能锻炼人」的泛论，而以五个使动词把「锻炼」的过程具体化、施力化，如匠人锻铁，一锤一锤落在实处。由此，抽象的「天降大任」变成了可感的磨砺，说服力倍增。

曾益 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「曾益其所不能」之「曾」，通「增」，训「增加」；「益」亦「增加」，二字同义连用，加重语气。此词的意义在点明磨难的价值指向：「动心忍性」是过程，「曾益其所不能」是结果——磨难不是徒然的痛苦，而是才能的增长，与后世「艰难困苦，玉汝于成」同旨。孟子用「曾益」而非「增益」，取古字更见先秦之雅；「其所不能」四字尤精，言增加的是「本来不具备的才能」，暗示人之潜能无限，惟待忧患激活。一词收束，全章由「苦」转「能」，由「悲」转「壮」，忧患的积极意义至此豁然。