Mencius (372-289 BCE) was the second great Confucian philosopher. His most famous teaching: human nature is inherently good.
Mencius argued that everyone has four innate moral "sprouts":
• Compassion — the seed of ren (humanity). See a child about to fall into a well — anyone feels alarm.
• Shame — the seed of yi (righteousness).
• Modesty — the seed of li (ritual).
• Right and wrong — the seed of zhi (wisdom).
Mencius compared human nature to a sprout. A sprout can wither if weather and soil are bad — but its nature is to grow. Bad environment, not bad nature, causes bad behavior.
Mencius' ideal: "The greater man does not lose his child's heart." The goal isn't to become something new — it's to recover what you originally had.