Mencius's Mother Moves Three Times

About this story

Mencius's Mother Moves Three Times comes from Biographies of Exemplary Women (Lienü zhuan), compiled by Liu Xiang in the 1st century BC, in its account of the mother of Meng Ke of Zou. The family first lived by a graveyard, where little Meng Ke played at funerals; then by a market, where he played at selling; and finally by a school, where he copied the scholars' bows and ceremonies, and his mother said this was truly a place for her son to live. Strictly, the original has three homes and two moves: the phrase 'three moves' comes from Zhao Qi's 2nd-century preface to the Mencius. This version adds a graveyard keeper, a cloth seller and a teacher, so each home becomes its own little scene.

Tips for telling it

• Before each move, pause and ask: what do you think Meng Ke will copy this time?
• Ask your child what they have picked up lately from someone around them, and talk about choosing good friends and good examples.
• Don't make the market the villain: Mencius's mother wasn't looking down on traders; she wanted her young son to learn manners and books first.

Questions people ask

What is the story of Mencius's mother moving three times?

To give her son the right surroundings, Mencius's mother moved from beside a graveyard to beside a market, and then to beside a school. There the boy began copying the scholars' manners, and he grew up to be the great Confucian thinker Mencius.

Where does the story of Mencius's mother come from?

From Liu Xiang's Biographies of Exemplary Women (Lienü zhuan), written in the Western Han dynasty in the 1st century BC. The phrase 'three moves' (三迁, sān qiān) appears in Zhao Qi's Eastern Han preface to the Mencius.

What is the moral of Mencius's mother moving three times?

Surroundings shape who we become, especially for children, who copy what they see. That is why the Three Character Classic says 昔孟母，择邻处: 'Long ago, Mencius's mother chose her neighbours.'

Who was Mencius?

Mencius (Meng Ke, traditionally dated about 372–289 BC) was a Warring States philosopher and the most influential follower of Confucius's teaching. He is honoured as the Second Sage, and the book Mencius records his ideas.