Mencius presents a vision of human beings as originally oriented toward goodness, grounded in what he calls the “sprouts” or “beginnings” of virtue. He identifies four innate moral tendencies present in every person: compassion, which is the root of benevolence; a sense of shame and dislike for wrong, which underlies righteousness; respect and deference, which give rise to propriety; and a sense of right and wrong, which forms the basis of wisdom. These are not acquired from outside but arise spontaneously, much like limbs grow from the body or plants emerge from the soil. For Mencius, such inborn tendencies reveal that the heart-mind is not a blank slate, but already gently inclined toward the good.

To make this claim vivid, Mencius turns to the famous image of a child about to fall into a well. He argues that anyone who suddenly sees this scene will feel an immediate surge of alarm and compassion, prior to any calculation of advantage, reputation, or reward. This spontaneous reaction is not a product of deliberate moral training or social pressure; it wells up from the depths of human nature itself. The example serves as a mirror, inviting reflection on one’s own immediate responses and revealing an underlying benevolent disposition that is ordinarily taken for granted.

At the same time, Mencius is acutely aware that human conduct often falls short of this original goodness. He explains this discrepancy by distinguishing between the inherent nature and its actual expression in life. External conditions—harsh environments, corrupt customs, poor governance, and neglect of self-cultivation—can obscure, distort, or stunt the growth of the moral sprouts. Just as water naturally flows downward yet can be diverted, or a once-lush mountain can be stripped bare by repeated cutting, so too can a good nature be damaged without being fundamentally altered in its tendency. Education, ritual, and humane social structures therefore do not create virtue from nothing; they protect, nurture, and guide what is already there.

From this perspective, the task of spiritual and ethical life is not to manufacture goodness ex nihilo, but to recover and develop what is innately present. The four beginnings are like seeds that require careful tending through reflection, practice, and appropriate surroundings. When these seeds are nourished, the distinctively human capacity for benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom can fully unfold, marking the difference between a life driven merely by appetite and one shaped by moral discernment. Mencius thus offers a deeply hopeful anthropology: despite the reality of moral failure, the roots of goodness remain accessible within every person, awaiting cultivation.