Mencius, a renowned thinker, politician, and educator of the Warring States period, once engaged in a lively debate with his disciples, pressing them with a sharp question: "If plucking a single hair from your body could bring peace to the entire world, would you do it?" When one disciple hesitated, Mencius pressed further, "Then what if sacrificing a single limb could save all of humanity?" The disciple, flustered, replied, "That seems too extreme." Mencius laughed and said, "You see, even the smallest act of selflessness is a step toward virtue—yet you cling to your hair as if it were your very soul!" This story, from *Mencius*, Chapter "Jin Xin," illustrates the tension between personal sacrifice and collective good, reminding us that even the smallest choices reveal our deepest values.
One day, while discussing the rise and fall of kingdoms with his disciples, Mencius said, "King Jie of Xia and King Zhou of Shang lost their empires because they lost the people's hearts. The secret to winning the world is simple: win the people's support, and the world follows. To win their support, you must win their hearts. Do what they love, and never force what they hate. The people flock to benevolent rule like water flowing downhill or beasts running to the wild. You know how otters drive fish into deep waters, and hawks drive birds into dense forests? In the same way, Jie and Zhou drove the people to Tang and King Wu, who overthrew them. If a ruler today practices benevolence, all nations will rally to him—even if he doesn't seek power, he'll gain it. But those who hope to unite the world without virtue are like a man sick for seven years trying to cure himself with three-year-old mugwort. Without building virtue daily, they'll never succeed. If they refuse to commit to benevolent rule, they'll live in fear and shame, and ultimately face destruction."
Later, the idiom "driving fish into deep waters and sparrows into thickets" came to describe someone who fails to unite people, driving potential allies toward the opposition.
Source: *Mencius*, Chapter "Li Lou I"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "为渊驱鱼，为丛驱雀" came to describe how someone who fails to unite people drives potential allies toward the opposition.