Analects 12.17
The Analects (論語), BOOK XII. YEN YUAN 顏淵第十二
季康子問政於孔子。孔子對曰、政者正也、子帥以正、孰敢不正。
Chi K'ang asked Confucius about government. Confucius replied, "To govern means to rectify. If you lead on the people with correctness, who will dare not to be correct?"
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 季jìa quarter-year, a season; surname
- 康kānghealth; peace, quiet
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 政zhènggovernment, politics
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 孔kǒngopening, hole, orifice; great
- 對duìcorrect, right; facing, opposed
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 正zhèngstraight, right, proper, correct, just,
- 也yěalso, too
- 帥shuàicommander; commander-in-chief; handsome,
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 孰shúwho? which? what? which one?
- 敢gǎnbold, brave; to dare, to venture
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.