Analects 2.3
The Analects (論語), BOOK II. WEI CHANG 爲政第二
子曰、道之以政、齊之以刑、民免而無恥。道之以德、齊之以禮、有恥且格。
1. The Master said, "If the people be led by laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame.
2. "If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good."
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
- 道dàomethod, way; path, road
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 政zhènggovernment, politics
- 齊qíeven, uniform, of equal length
- 刑xíngpunishment, penalty; law
- 民míncitizens, subjects; a nation's people
- 免miǎnto spare, to excuse from; to evade
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 無wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 恥chǐshame, humiliation; ashamed
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 禮lǐcourtesy, manners, social customs
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 且qiěmoreover, also (post-subject); about to,
- 格géform, pattern, standard
Passages with shared wording
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.