When Mencius was young, his family lived near a cemetery, fully exposed to funeral ceremonies. He and his playmates imitated burying and mourning proceedings. Mencius’ mother thought the surroundings were not good for his education so she decided to move. They moved to a place next to a fair, and Mencius began to learn the ways of business people, bargaining and haggling. His mother didn’t want her son to become a businessman so she moved again. This time they moved into the house near a school, and Mencius began to learn the Classics and etiquette along with the students. His mother thought this was the right place for him and decided to stay there for good. This shows that Mencius’ mother realized the importance of environment for children’s growing up. These are the stories about how “Mencius’ mother moved three times.”

 

    One day, Mencius came back home before school let out. His mother called him to the loom side and let him watch her weaving. After a long time, she suddenly cut the cloth she had woven with a knife, much to Mencius’ bewilderment. When Mencius asked, his mother explained, “If you quit school half way, it’s like my cutting the cloth before it is completed.” Mother’s words were firmly branded in the son’s mind. From then on, he studied assiduously and became a great thinker and educator of the Warring States Period and he has been remembered as such throughout Chinese history.