Q0363
“That whereby humans differ from birds and beasts is slight; ordinary people…” — Mencius (Mencius, Jinxin II)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: Mencius, Jinxin II. Theme: human nature.
English
That whereby humans differ from birds and beasts is slight; ordinary people discard it, the noble person preserves it.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to Mencius, Jinxin II and files it under Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Mencius
Mencius (Meng Ke, c. 371–c.
Interpretation
Mencius holds that what separates humans from animals is small in extent — a set of incipient responses — and therefore easily lost. That is why he says ordinary people discard it while the noble person preserves it: the difference is not in what one is born with but in what one keeps. The claim is a demand rather than a compliment. His whole account of cultivation follows from treating this slight difference as something requiring deliberate maintenance.
Why it matters
It reframes the gap between people as a matter of what has been kept up rather than of what was there to begin with.
Concepts in this quote
- Human Nature
- Human Nature appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat human nature as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Cultivation
- Cultivation appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat cultivation as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Mencius. (n.d.). That whereby humans differ from birds and beasts is slight; ordinary people discard it, the noble person preserves it. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0363
MLA: Mencius. “That whereby humans differ from birds and beasts….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0363.
Chicago: Mencius. “That whereby humans differ from birds and beasts….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0363.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “That whereby humans differ from birds and beasts…”?
The passage is attributed to Mencius, Mencius, Jinxin II. The archive attributes this English wording to Mencius, Jinxin II and files it under Confucianism. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Mencius mean by human nature?
Across 4 recurring voices here (notably Aristotle and Blaise Pascal), human nature is framed through Peripatetic School and Christian Existential Precursor. Some passages define human nature; others warn how it fails; still others relocate it inside habit, community, or language. This passage enters that discussion through human nature, cultivation.