Water: tendency or exemplary conduct?
The image selects different features: direction in one argument, benefit and non-contention in the other.
人性之善也，猶水之就下也The selected feature is a directional tendency.
tls · CC BY-SA 4.0 · KR1h0001_011.txt, lines 44–50上善若水，水善利萬物而不爭The water image highlights benefit and absence of contention.
tls · CC BY-SA 4.0 · KR5c0057_008.txt, lines 14–27Make the comparison explicit
The image selects different features: direction in one argument, benefit and non-contention in the other.
孟子: The selected feature is a directional tendency.
老子: The water image highlights benefit and absence of contention.
What should be compared first when two passages both mention water?
The feature selected in each passage—such as downward movement, benefit, or lack of contention—and the conclusion each speaker tries to draw from it.
Shared words, images, or constructions do not by themselves establish common meaning, authorship, or origin. An explicit citation is identified only where the wording itself supports it.
zimai · AI-assisted editorial notes · Editorial pilot · not independently reviewed. Original learning material: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source text, scholarly reference, and editorial interpretation remain separately attributed.