浩然之气

　　盛大而充盈于生命之中的正直之气。孟子认为“浩然之气”是与道义相匹配的，由内而生，非得自于外。个人能够坚守善道，反省自身行事能无愧于心，“浩然之气”就会自然发生并逐渐充盈。一旦养成“浩然之气”，行正义之事便能果决勇敢而无所疑虑。

　　Noble Spirit

　　Noble spirit is a powerful source of cultivating integrity in one’s life. In Mencius’ view, it goes hand in hand with morality and justice and originates from within rather than from without. If one lives an ethical life and regularly conducts soul searching, he will be imbued with noble spirit and will willingly stand up for what is right.

　　引例

　　“敢问何谓浩然之气？”曰：“难言也。其为气也，至大至刚，以直养而无害，则塞于天地之间。其为气也，配义与道。无是，馁也。”（《孟子·公孙丑上》）（“请问什么叫浩然之气呢？”孟子回答说：“难以言说。浩然之气极其强大、极其刚正，用正义去培养它而不去伤害它，它就会充满于天地之间。作为一种气，它是与义和道相匹配的。没有义和道的相配，气就会疲弱无力。”）

　　"May I ask what noble spirit is?" "It is something hard to describe", Mencius answered," As a vital force, it is immensely powerful and just. Cultivate it with rectitude and keep it unharmed, and it will fill all the space between heaven and earth. Being a vital force, noble spirit becomes powerful with the accompaniment of righteousness and Dao. Without righteousness and Dao, noble spirit will be weak and frail." (Mencius)