Analects 13.6
The Analects (論語), BOOK XIII. TSZE-LU 子路第十三
子曰、其身正、不令而行、其身不正、雖令不從。
The Master said, "When a prince's personal conduct is correct, his government is effective without the issuing of orders. If his personal conduct is not correct, he may issue orders, but they will not be followed."
James Legge (1861), Confucian Analects, The Chinese Classics vol. 1 (1861; 2nd ed. 1893) — public domain.
Character glossary
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 身shēnbody, torso; person; pregnancy
- 正zhèngstraight, right, proper, correct, just,
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 令lìngcommand, decree, order; magistrate; to a
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 雖suīalthough, even though
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.