On The "Four Sprouts" In Mencius

As the foundation of Mencius’s theory of good human natural tendency."Four Sprouts"(siduan) can be understood as four particular moral emotions, which are different from moral feelings on the one hand and moral affections or sentiments discussed in the Western philosophy on the other. Four Sprouts are internally transcendental in the sense that they have get rid of desire and perception so that moral judgment absolutely can be deduced from mind-heart which is independent of experiences.However, Four Sprouts do have their empirical aspects in mental forms, which have been come into being over thousands of years in the history of human beings. It is a unity of reason, emotion and desire as a result of common life practice of human beings.Therefore,all people from different districts and cultural backgrounds can experience Four Sprouts.In this sense, Four sprouts possess the universality and objectivity, which is required by a moral agent. Moreover, it is Four Sprouts rather than reason only that can achieve moral motivation and the peacefulness of mind-heart.