中國傳統文化 第31期:孟母三遷

Three Moves by Mencius’Mother

孟母三遷

In Biographies of Outstanding Women ·The Biography of Mencius’Mother, Liu Xiang recorded：

據漢劉向《列女傳·母儀·鄒孟軻母》記載:

Meng Ke’s mother, also known as Mencius, mother, is a great mother of Zou State.

鄒國孟軻的母親很了不起.人稱孟母。

Meng Ke, later known as Mencius, lived near a graveyard in his childhood.

開始的時候，孟軻的家靠近墓地，

Therefore, as he played, he amused himself by imitating the others’ digging tombs.

當時孟軻還很小，整天在墳墓之間玩耍，蹦蹦跳跳地玩一些築墳埋葬之類的遊戲。

His mother said，“It’s not good for a child to live in this kind of place. ”

孟母說:“這裏不是我們可以居住教子的地方。”

They moved to a house near a market.

於是就搬走了，在市場旁邊找了間房子住了下來。

Then the son took pleasure in imitating the peddler’s hawking.

孟軻又開始玩一些商人叫賣之類的遊戲。

Again the mother said “It’s not good for a child to live here. ”

孟母又說：“這裏也不是我們可以居住教子的地 方。”

She changed their residence a second time and housed themselves near a school.

於是第二次搬家，住到了學宮旁邊。

There her son played imitating the sacrificial rites on ceremony and formalities of courtesy.

孟子便開始玩一些設供祭禮、揖讓進退之類的遊戲。

The mother said, “This is the right place for a child.”

孟母說:“這個地方真的可以讓我的兒子住下來了。”

They settled there.

於是就住了下來。

After Meng Ke grew up, he acquired six classical arts (rites，music, archery, riding, writing and arithmetic) and became a scholar well-known for his erudition and one of the representatives of Confucianism.

孟子長大成人後，精通六藝，成了一位博學鴻儒。

Since then this idiom has been used to eulogize mothers’ inculcation.

後人因此將“孟母三遷”用作頌揚母教之詞。