Mencius 4A.6
Mencius (孟子), Book 4, Part I: Li Lou I 離婁上
孟子曰：「為政不難，不得罪於巨室。巨室之所慕，一國慕之；一國之所慕，天下慕之；故沛然德教溢乎四海。」
Mencius said, 'The administration of government is not difficult - it lies in not offending the great families. He whom the great families affect, will be affected by the whole State; and he whom any one State affects, will be affected by the whole kingdom. When this is the case, such an one's virtue and teachings will spread over all within the four seas like the rush of water.'
James Legge (1861), The Works of Mencius, The Chinese Classics vol. 2 (1861; 2nd ed. 1895); romanization modernized on Wikisource — public domain.
Character glossary
- 孟mèngfirst in a series; great, eminent
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 曰yuēto speak; to say
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 政zhènggovernment, politics
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 難nánhard, difficult, arduous; unable
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 罪zuìsin, vice; fault, guilt; crime
- 於yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 巨jùlarge, huge, gigantic; chief
- 室shìhouse, home; room, chamber
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 慕mùto admire, to desire, to long for
- 一yīone; a, an; alone
- 國guócountry, nation, state; national
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 故gùreason, cause; happening, instance
- 沛pèiabundant, copious, full
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 德déethics, morality; compassion, kindness
- 教jiàoschool, education
- 溢yìfull; overflowing
- 乎hūinterrogative or exclamatory final parti
- 四sìfour
- 海hǎisea, ocean; maritime
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi Hsü Wu Kuei
- Zhuangzi Perfect Happiness
- Zhuangzi The Circling Sky
- Mencius 4B.30
- Mencius 1B.9
- Mencius 2A.2
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.