Mencius 4B.16
Mencius (孟子), Book 4, Part II: Li Lou II 離婁下
孟子曰：「以善服人者，未有能服人者也；以善養人，然後能服天下。天下不心服而王者，未之有也。」
Mencius said, 'Never has he who would by his excellence subdue men been able to subdue them. Let a prince seek by his excellence to nourish men, and he will be able to subdue the whole kingdom. It is impossible that any one should become ruler of the people to whom they have not yielded the subjection of the heart.'
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
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 善shàngood, virtuous, charitable, kind
- 服fúclothes; to dress, to wear; to take medi
- 人rénman, person; people
- 者zhěthat which; they who; those who
- 未wèinot yet; 8th terrestrial branch
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 也yěalso, too
- 養yǎngto raise, to rear, to bring up; to suppo
- 然ráncertainly; naturally; suddenly
- 後hòuafter; behind, rear; descendants
- 天tiānsky, heaven; god, celestial
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 心xīnheart; mind; soul
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
Passages with shared wording
- Zhuangzi The Empire
- Zhuangzi Language
- Mencius 2A.3
- Mencius 2A.2
- Zhuangzi Transcendental Bliss
- Zhuangzi The Great Supreme
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.