8 moments

1. Birth in Zou

   0371-01-01 BC · Zoucheng, Shandong, China

   

   Traditional birth of Meng Ke, later known as Mencius, in the state of Zou, corresponding to modern Zoucheng in Shandong. The traditional birth year is approximate; modern reconstructions of Mencius's dates are disputed.

2. Audience with King Hui of Liang

   0325-01-01 BC · Daliang (modern Kaifeng), Henan, China

   

   Mencius began his documented career as a travelling political adviser with an audience before King Hui of Liang, ruler of Wei. Liang was the capital later called Daliang. The source dates the meeting "about 325 B.C."; the coordinate represents ancient Liang/Daliang at modern Kaifeng.

3. Jixia Academy service

   0319-01-01 BC · Jixia Academy site, Linzi District, Zibo, Shandong, China

   Mencius served as an official and scholar at the Jixia Academy in Qi, a major center of Warring States intellectual life, from 319 to 312 BC. The card date marks the beginning of the stated 319–312 BC period. Coordinates represent the Jixia/Linzi area rather than an individually identified academy building.

4. Burial journey to Lu

   0315-01-01 BC · Lu (modern Qufu area), Shandong, China

   

   While connected with the Qi court, Mencius travelled to Lu to attend a burial, providing a directly attested journey into the Lu region. The journey follows a passage placed by the source's reconstruction around Mencius's Qi appointment, "about 315" BC; the coordinate represents the Lu capital area at modern Qufu.

5. Overnight at Zhou after leaving Qi

   0314-01-01 BC · Zhou, outside the capital district of Qi, Shandong, China

   

   After departing Qi, Mencius lodged overnight at Zhou, a town outside Qi's capital district, where an emissary tried to persuade him to remain in Qi. Zhou is identified by the source as a town outside Qi's capital district, but its precise modern site is uncertain; coordinates are a representative point for the Linzi capital area. Date is approximate.

6. Resignation from the Qi court

   0314-01-01 BC · Linzi, Qi (modern Zibo), Shandong, China

   

   Mencius resigned his court position in Qi after his efforts to influence Qi's ruler failed. His departure formed part of his final withdrawal from the Qi court. The event belongs to the Qi-Yan war and its aftermath; 314 BC is an approximate chronological anchor, not a securely dated day or year.

7. Settlement at Xiu

   0314-01-01 BC · Xiu, southern Shandong, China

   

   Following his completed departure from Qi, Mencius was dwelling at Xiu in southern Shandong, near the small states of Zou and Teng. The exact site of ancient Xiu is uncertain. Coordinates are a representative point in the documented southern-Shandong area between Zou and Teng. Date is approximate.

8. Death in Zou

   0289-01-01 BC · Zoucheng, Shandong, China

   

   Traditional accounts place Mencius's death in Zou, his native state, corresponding to the Zoucheng area of Shandong. The traditional death year and the broader chronology of Mencius's life are approximate and debated.