Abstract
Meng Mu of China is arguably the first well-known Confucian woman philosopher whose views on education and on ethics within marriage and the family were first taught by her to her son, Mengzi (Mencius). Her views are captured in brief surviving quotations concerning the duty to develop one’s own character, duties of married men to their spouses, and the duty to maximize the benefits of one’s own education.
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Notes
- 1.
Ban Zhao is the first woman historian in China. She lived during the first century CE. For her philosophy, see Chap. 8 Ban Zhao by Therese Boos Dykeman in this volume.
- 2.
See Ann A. Pang-White (2018), 231, 233, n. 6.
- 3.
See, for example, Record of Mengzi’s Genealogy (Mengzi Shijia Pu 《孟子世家譜》), ed. Meng Guangjun 孟廣均, published in 1824.
- 4.
All English translations of the Chinese texts in this chapter are by Ann A. Pang-White.
- 5.
For an alternative translation, see Di and McEwan (2016), 10.
- 6.
For an excellent discussion on the Confucian view on material welfare and the government’s moral responsibility to its people, see Bell (2003), 218–235.
- 7.
The Quli Shang chapter mentions unethical consequences of incest, “For only beasts are without rules of ritual propriety, therefore father- and son- bucks having intercourse with the same doe.” The Jiaote Sheng chapter explains the importance of ritual distinction between male and female as the foundation for family integrity: “When this distinction between man and woman is exhibited, affection will prevail between father and son. When there is this affection between father and son, the idea of righteousness will arise in the mind. … The absence of such distinction and righteousness is characteristic of the way of beasts.”
- 8.
See the last section of the Neize chapter in the Liji.
- 9.
For an emphasis on women’s education and proper methods, see Pang-White (2018), 132, 134, n.9.
- 10.
- 11.
See Liu Xiang, Biographies of Women, Volume 1 (Model Motherhood), chapter eleven (Mother of Meng Ke of the State of Zou). For Chinese text, see https://ctext.org/lie-nv-zhuan or Huang Qingquan 黃清泉, Xinyi leinü zhuan 《新譯列女傳》, 2nd ed. (2008), 54–62. For alternative translation, see Kinney (2014), 18–20.
- 12.
See also Pang-White (2023), “Mencius and Augustine: A Feminine Face in the Personal, the Social, and the Political” in Dao Companion to the philosophy of Mencius, ed. Yang Xiao & Kim-Chong Chong (pp. 615–634).
- 13.
See, Zhao Qi趙岐, Mengzi tici《孟子题辭》 (Inscriptions of Mencius), cited in Mengzi 《孟子》, ed. with commentary by Yan Xinglin 顏興林 (2019), 2, also Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mencius/ (accessed June 17, 2020).
- 14.
See the Jiao Te Sheng chapter in the Liji.
- 15.
See the Hun Yi chapter in the Liji.
- 16.
For Han Ying’s account, see https://ctext.org/han-shi-wai-zhuan/juan-jiu/zh, Volume 9 (accessed June 6, 2020).
- 17.
In Han Ying’s account, Meng Mu cutting her weaving to teach Mencius about the importance of diligence and concentration in learning because Mencius forgot lines when reciting an important text, whereas Liu Xiang’s account described Mencius as not making progress in learning at school. Similarly, both Han Ying and Liu Xiang mentioned that once Mencius intended to divorce his wife because he perceived her behavior to be contrary to ritual propriety. While Han Ying described that Mencius’ wife was squatting on the floor (ju 踞) in their bedroom, Liu Xiang described that she was not dressed in full attire (tan 袒). The Hanshi Weizhuan was also more direct in depicting how Mencius did not abide in ritual propriety when he entered the private bedroom without giving his wife advanced warning. See https://ctext.org/han-shi-wai-zhuan/juan-jiu/zh (accessed June 6, 2020): “孟子妻獨居, 踞, 孟子入戶視之。白其母曰: 「婦無禮, 請去之。」母曰: 「何也?」曰: 「踞。」其母曰: 「何知之?」孟子曰: 「我親見之。」母曰: 「乃汝無禮也, 非婦無禮。禮不云乎: 『將入門, 〔問孰存; 〕將上堂, 聲必揚; 將入戶, 視必下。』不掩人不備也。今汝往燕私之處, 入戶不有聲, 令人踞而視之, 是汝之無禮也, 非婦無禮也。」於是孟子自責, 不敢出婦。”
- 18.
English translation is based on Chinese text from the Chinese Text Project, https://ctext.org/han-shi-wai-zhuan/juan-jiu/zh (accessed June 6, 2020), paragraph one.
- 19.
See, e.g., Cheng (2016): 49–53. Prenatal education has been an important element in Confucian philosophy of education since antiquity. Liu Xiang’s Biographies of Women (c. 1st century BCE), Volume 1, mentions numerous maternal models. Most notably, Tairen, the mother of King Wen of Zhou (c. 1112–1050 BCE), was praised for her prenatal fetal education, which was credited for the birth of a sage king (King Wen). Henceforth, Tairen became a legendary figure for prenatal education and was cited in numerous later works, including Madame Zheng’s Classic of Filial Piety for Women, Empress Renxiaowen’s Teachings for the Inner Court, (see my Chap. 16 in this volume), and Madame Liu’s Short Records of Models for Women, among others.
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Pang-White, A.A. (2023). Meng Mu of China 孟母 Circa 4th Century BCE. In: Waithe, M.E., Boos Dykeman, T. (eds) Women Philosophers from Non-western Traditions: The First Four Thousand Years. Women in the History of Philosophy and Sciences, vol 19. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28563-9_7
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