sufficient to reach to animals, and yet no benefits are extended from it
to the people. How is this? Is an exception to be made here?

"By weighing we know what things are light, and what heavy. By measuring
we know what things are long, and what short. All things are so dealt
with, and the mind requires specially to be so. I beg your Majesty to
measure it.--Your Majesty collects your equipments of war, endangers
your soldiers and officers and excites the resentment of the various
princes--do these things cause you pleasure in your mind?"

The king said, "No. How should I derive pleasure from these things? My
object in them is to seek for what I greatly desire."

Mencius said, "May I hear from you what it is that your Majesty greatly
desires?" The king laughed, and did not speak. Mencius resumed, "Are you
led to desire it because you have not enough of rich and sweet food for
your mouth? or because you have not enough of light and warm clothing
for your body? or because you have not enough of beautifully colored
objects to satisfy your eyes? or because there are not voices and sounds
enough to fill your ears? or because you have not enough of attendants
and favorites to stand before you and receive your orders? Your
Majesty's various officers are sufficient to supply you with all these
things. How can your Majesty have such a desire on account of them?"
"No," said the king, "my desire is not on account of them." Mencius
observed, "Then what your Majesty greatly desires can be known. You
desire to enlarge your territories, to have Ts'in and Ts'oo coming to
your court, to rule the Middle States, and to attract to you the
barbarous tribes that surround them. But to do what you do in order to
seek for what you desire is like climbing a tree to seek for fish."