Analects 13.13 · Zi Lu
“If you can set yourself right, what difficulty is there in governing? If you cannot set yourself right, how can you set others right?”
Meaning, context, and how to apply it today
苟正其身矣 於從政乎何有 不能正其身 如正人何 (gǒu zhèng qí shēn yǐ, yú cóng zhèng hū hé yǒu, bù néng zhèng qí shēn, rú zhèng rén hé) means “If you can set yourself right, what difficulty is there in governing? If you cannot set yourself right, how can you set others right?” It is a passage from the Analects of Confucius, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 13.
苟正其身矣 於從政乎何有 不能正其身 如正人何
- Pinyin
- gǒu zhèng qí shēn yǐ, yú cóng zhèng hū hé yǒu, bù néng zhèng qí shēn, rú zhèng rén hé
- Translation
- If you can set yourself right, what difficulty is there in governing? If you cannot set yourself right, how can you set others right?
- Source
- Analects, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 13
What does this passage mean?
This passage from the Zilu chapter clearly expresses the Confucian ideal of cultivating oneself before governing others. 正 means to make upright and shares its root with 政, government. Confucius regarded the essence of government not as controlling other people but as correcting oneself. His rhetorical question—how can someone who cannot correct the self correct anyone else?—contains a fundamental principle not only of politics but of all leadership.
How can we apply it today?
The truth that we must change ourselves before demanding change from others is simple but difficult to practice. A leader demands punctuality from team members while always arriving late; a parent tells a child to study while watching television all day. Such inconsistency destroys trust. A leader who quietly sets an example, by contrast, guides a team naturally without creating rules. If we want to change the world, we must begin with the person facing us in the mirror.
Questions to reflect on
- ·What do I demand from others but fail to practice myself?
- ·Have I experienced the people around me changing after I changed?
- ·What am I doing to correct myself?
Character-by-character breakdown
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning | Strokes | Radical |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 苟 | gǒu | truly | 8 | 艸 (grass) |
| 正 | zhèng | upright | 5 | 止 (stop) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 身 | shēn | body | 7 | 身 (body) |
| 矣 | yǐ | grammatical particle | 7 | 矢 (arrow) |
| 於 | yú | at; in | 8 | 方 (square) |
| 從 | cóng | follow | 11 | 彳 (step) |
| 政 | zhèng | government affairs | 9 | 攴 (tap) |
| 乎 | hū | grammatical particle | 5 | 丿 (slash) |
| 何 | hé | how | 7 | 人 (person) |
| 有 | yǒu | exist | 6 | 月 (moon) |
| 不 | bù | not | 4 | 一 (one) |
| 能 | néng | capable | 10 | 肉 (meat) |
| 正 | zhèng | upright | 5 | 止 (stop) |
| 其 | qí | that; he | 8 | 八 (eight) |
| 身 | shēn | body | 7 | 身 (body) |
| 如 | rú | same; like | 6 | 女 (woman) |
| 正 | zhèng | upright | 5 | 止 (stop) |
| 人 | rén | person | 2 | 人 (person) |
| 何 | hé | how | 7 | 人 (person) |
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does “If you can set yourself right, what…” mean?
苟正其身矣 於從政乎何有 不能正其身 如正人何 (gǒu zhèng qí shēn yǐ, yú cóng zhèng hū hé yǒu, bù néng zhèng qí shēn, rú zhèng rén hé) means “If you can set yourself right, what difficulty is there in governing? If you cannot set yourself right, how can you set others right?” It comes from the Analects, Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 13.
Q. Where does this passage appear in the Analects?
It is Analects 13.13: Book 13 (Zi Lu), Chapter 13.
Q. How can this teaching be applied today?
The truth that we must change ourselves before demanding change from others is simple but difficult to practice.