Rightness when in dire straits, the gentleman is able to keep a grasp on himself. Since he does not lose the Path when he becomes successful, the people are not disappointed in him." (7A9, tr. Muller) Hsien-ch'iû Mang asked Mencius, saying, 'There is the saying, "A scholar of complete virtue may not be employed as a minister by his sovereign, nor treated as a son by his father." ... Mencius replied, 'No. These are not the words of a superior man. They are the sayings of an uncultivated person of the east of Qi.' (5A4, tr. Legge) A third theme in Mencius is the connection between de and friendship. Wan Chang asked Mencius, saying, 'I venture to ask the principles of friendship.' Mencius replied, 'Friendship should be maintained without any presumption on the ground of one's superior age, or station, or the circumstances of his relatives. Friendship with a man is friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority.' (5B12, tr. Legge) During the frequent interviews of the duke Mû with Tsze-sze, he one day said to him, "Anciently, princes of a thousand chariots have yet been on terms of friendship with scholars — what do you think of such an intercourse?" Tsze-sze was displeased, and said, "The ancients have said, 'The scholar should be served:' how should they have merely said that he should be made a friend of?" When Tsze-sze was thus displeased, did he not say within himself, — "With regard to our stations, you are sovereign, and I am subject. How can I presume to be on terms of friendship with my sovereign! With regard to our virtue, you ought to make me your master. How can you be on terms of friendship with me?" Thus, when a ruler of a thousand chariots sought to be on terms of friendship with a scholar, he could not obtain his wish — how much less could he call him to his presence!' (5B16, tr. Legge) One final example of Confucian de usages is this context where the word has a markedly negative meaning, semantically opposed to moral "virtue". Mencius said, 'Qiu acted as chief officer to the head of the Ji family, whose [] evil ways he was unable to change, while he exacted from the people double the grain formerly paid.' (4A14, tr. Legge) In divination Several Mawangdui (before 168 BCE) texts named