Analects 13.16
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIII. TSZE-LU 子路第十三
葉公問政。子曰、近者說、遠者來。
1. The Duke of Sheh asked about government.
2. The Master said, "Good government obtains, when those who are near are made happy, and those who are far off are attracted."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 葉yèleaf, page; surname
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 問wènto ask about, to inquire after
- 政zhènggovernment, politics
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 近jìnto approach; near, close; intimate
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 說shuōto speak, to say; to scold, to upbraid
- 遠yuǎndistant, remote, far; profound
- 來láito arrive, to come, to return; in the fu
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.