Three Moves by Mencius’Mother

孟母三迁

In Biographies of Outstanding Women ·The Biography of Mencius’Mother, Liu Xiang recorded：

据汉刘向《列女传·母仪·邹孟轲母》记载:

Meng Ke’s mother, also known as Mencius, mother, is a great mother of Zou State.

邹国孟轲的母亲很了不起.人称孟母。

Meng Ke, later known as Mencius, lived near a graveyard in his childhood.

开始的时候，孟轲的家靠近墓地，

Therefore, as he played, he amused himself by imitating the others’ digging tombs.

当时孟轲还很小，整天在坟墓之间玩耍，蹦蹦跳跳地玩一些筑坟埋葬之类的游戏。

His mother said，“It’s not good for a child to live in this kind of place. ”

孟母说:“这里不是我们可以居住教子的地方。”

They moved to a house near a market.

于是就搬走了，在市场旁边找了间房子住了下来。

Then the son took pleasure in imitating the peddler’s hawking.

孟轲又开始玩一些商人叫卖之类的游戏。

Again the mother said “It’s not good for a child to live here. ”

孟母又说：“这里也不是我们可以居住教子的地 方。”

She changed their residence a second time and housed themselves near a school.

于是第二次搬家，住到了学宫旁边。

There her son played imitating the sacrificial rites on ceremony and formalities of courtesy.

孟子便开始玩一些设供祭礼、揖让进退之类的游戏。

The mother said, “This is the right place for a child.”

孟母说:“这个地方真的可以让我的儿子住下来了。”

They settled there.

于是就住了下来。

After Meng Ke grew up, he acquired six classical arts (rites，music, archery, riding, writing and arithmetic) and became a scholar well-known for his erudition and one of the representatives of Confucianism.

孟子长大成人后，精通六艺，成了一位博学鸿儒。

Since then this idiom has been used to eulogize mothers’ inculcation.

后人因此将“孟母三迁”用作颂扬母教之词。