The Lexicon · Genealogy · Antiquity
MENCIUS (孟子)
372–289 BCE
The Four Sprouts (The Doctrine of Reverence)
Mencius: human nature contains four sprouts — compassion, shame, deference, judgment — that grow into the four virtues with cultivation. CoCA's Doctrine of Reverence (§1.3) is a Mencian cultivation program at the institutional scale. The Provisional Collective is the garden. The sprouts are real but undeveloped. The Liturgy is the watering. The Vow of Calm is the patience required.