Book I, Part A begins by introducing the core concern of Mencius—namely, the pursuit of benevolence and “rightness” over self-interest as a way to avoid social conflict. In the first section, Mencius goes to see King Hui of Liang. The king says that, given how far he has traveled, he “must surely have some way of profiting my state” (3). In response, Mencius says that “profit,” or the advantage of a certain state, ruler, or individual, is of no importance, and what matters is benevolence. Moreover, Mencius uses an argument that appeals to enlightened self-interest to justify his claim. He claims that if everyone is looking out for a particular interest, whether of family, self, or the power of the state, then “the state will be imperilled” (3). In other words, if everyone is only attending to specific profit, rather than the common good, then all people will be in perpetual conflict with each other. In such a situation, even the very existence of the state, and ordered society, will be under threat.

The rest of the sections in this part flesh out what must be done to avoid this predicament and to practice benevolence. In the case of the ruler, he must ensure that he pursues “benevolent government.