Sacrifice and Its Meaning

In most people’s minds, the word sacrifice equals self-giving actions and explains selflessness. Under certain conditions, people voluntarily choose to sacrifice their benefits or even lives to achieve other goals. Through Meng Zi’s “Fish and Bear’s Paw”, we know that for most of time, people can only choose one between the two significant events, especially when they are sharply contradictory with each other. Everyone has his or her own value system about the world, and what someone considers the most significant may not worth a lot in others’ value system. Which one should people sacrifice for achieving the other is a question that has no consistent answer. Therefore, sometimes people’s sacrifices are not helpful or even hurt who they originally want to save.
Prince Shengsheng illustrates this theme in his sacrifice for achieving filiality to his father, the duke Hsien. Shengsheng was first heir apparent to the throne after the current duke retired or passed away. The honorable position brought Shengsheng danger because Lady Li, who was the duke’s another wife, wished to advocate her own son to replace Shengsheng. In order to make Shengsheng lose the duke‘s trust, Lady Li framed up Shengsheng by poisoning food that Shengsheng offered to the duke. The duke was tricked by Lady Li and gave order to kill Shengsheng. Shengsheng certainly knew Lady’s Li’s conspiracy, but he neither told the truth to his countrymen nor escaped to wait for an opportunity to defend him. Finally, he chose to suicide in order to hide the fact that his father is tricked by a woman. What he wished is that his death could prevent the duke from becoming “laughingstock” (Brich, 38) in front of other lords and countrymen. In this case, Shengsheng considered fil...

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...owledged by the final success. If Hsiang Yu chose to live, maybe he would be famous being a great emperor but not for his death. I understand that Hsiang Yu had no other choices at that time, or he would lose his dignity and responsibility to the eight thousands soldiers. He chose to die because he deeply knew that Hsiang Yu is always a conqueror but never a loser. Nonetheless, I question that did rest of people living in east of river and the eight thousand soldiers expect this kind of decision? Maybe they preferred Hsiang Yu to live, albeit in humiliation, and to lead people to wash off the humiliation of him and also of them.
Sacrifice is always bold and respectful; however, it is not always helpful and expected. Since people all value the same thing using various methods and acquire different solutions on evaluating, it is possible that sacrifice does not work.