alternate leniency with severity(kuān měng xiāng jì)

alternate leniency with severity

In Chinese, the Pinyin is Ku ā nm ě ngxi ā NGJ ì, which means that political measures should be lenient and strict to complement each other. From Zuo Zhuan, twenty years of Zhao Gong.

The origin of Idioms

In the 20th year of Zhaogong in Zuozhuan, it is said that "when the government is lenient, the people will be slow; when the government is slow, the people will correct it fiercely; when the government is fierce, the people will be disabled; when the government is disabled, the people will be lenient. Leniency helps violence, violence helps leniency, and politics is peace. "

Idioms and allusions

original text

When Zheng Zi was ill, he said to Uncle Yu, "if I die, I will be in charge. Only the virtuous can subdue the people with leniency, and the second is fierce (1). If a man's fire is strong, he will be feared by the people, so he will die fresh; if a man's water is weak, he will play with the people when they have sex with him (2), he will die more, so he will be forgiven. " He died after several months of illness. uncle is in charge of politics. He can't bear to be fierce and lenient. Zheng Guoduo steals many people from Cui fuze (3). The uncle regretted it and said, "I have learned from my master earlier, but I can't do that." The bandits of Cui Fu (4) should be killed and the number of robbers should be reduced. Zhongni said: "good! If the government is lenient, the people will be slow; if the government is slow, the correction will be fierce (5); if the government is fierce, the people will be disabled; if the government is disabled, the punishment will be lenient. Leniency helps violence (6), violence helps leniency, and politics is peace. The book of songs says: "the people work hard, and they can be well-off; they benefit China and appease the four directions." Give it leniently. "The mother follows the cunning, but is sincere and unscrupulous; the style suppresses the aggressor's cruelty, but does not fear the bright (8)" Correct it with violence. "If you are flexible and far sighted, you will be king." Peace means peace. He also said, "no, no Qiu, no hardness, no softness, excellent politics. Bailu is Qiu (10)" It's the same When he heard of his son's birth and death, Zhong Ni said (11): "ancient love (12)" Selected from Zuozhuan · Zichan's theory of political leniency and ferocity

translate

The son of the state of Zheng was ill. He said to his uncle, "when I die, you will surely be in power. Only those who are virtuous can use lenient methods to make the people obey, while those who are inferior should use severe methods. Fire is characterized by violence. People are afraid when they see it, so few people die in the fire. Water is characterized by weakness. People despise it and play with it, and many people die in the water. Therefore, it is very difficult to use the lenient administrative method. " Zichan fell ill and died a few months later. Uncle Tzu was in power. He didn't have the heart to be severe, but he used a lenient and peaceful method. There were many thieves in the state of Zheng, who gathered in a lake called Cui Fu. Uncle Zi was very sorry and said, "if I had listened to his old man's words, I would not have come to this stage." So he sent infantry to attack Cui Fu's thieves and killed them all, so that the thieves would be restrained. Confucius said, "good! If the government is lenient, the people will neglect, and the people's neglect will be corrected by severe measures; if the government is strict, the people will be hurt, and the people will be harmed by lenient measures. Leniency and harshness are used to regulate harshness, and harshness and harshness are used to regulate leniency and harshness, so political affairs are harmonious. It is said in Shi Da Ya min Lao that "the people are hard-working and industrious, hoping for a little well-being; the benevolent government in the capital can pacify the four princes." This is the policy of leniency and harmony. "They can't indulge those who cheat, they can't control those who have a bad heart, and they don't fear the law to stop those who rob and brute." This is corrected in a severe way. "To pacify our distant and near neighbors, to stabilize our royal family." This is to stabilize the country with harmony. He added: "it's neither impatient nor slow, neither hard nor soft. It's gentle and generous. All kinds of good fortune are gathered." It's wide and it's peaked When Zichan died, Confucius got the news and said with tears, "he is a kind man handed down from ancient times.

Interpretation

All things have two sides. The ancients recognized this very early, and always paid attention to and advocated seeking a balance between the two opposite aspects. According to the traditional view, things will go wrong if we lose balance, focus on one hand and ignore the other. If Yin and yang are in harmony and hardness and softness are combined, things will develop and prosper. Some people may think that this view is out of date and always talks about the middle way of seeking balance. Why not be extreme? Why not overcorrect? Of course. But don't forget, extreme in the end, will cause a strong reaction. Just like a spring, the greater the pressure, the higher the rebound and the greater the reaction. Seriously, the reason for this phenomenon is still dominated by the law of balance. Because the law of equilibrium is a universal law in the universe. leniency does not mean weakness. In fact, it embodies not only the mind and tolerance, but also the self-restraint and wisdom. Magnanimous, is to conquer people's hearts, make people convinced, but also the performance of self-confidence, can be used as a "carrot" to win people's hearts. being fierce and severe doesn't mean being cruel. It embodies the determination and strength, in order to force the deviant and the lawless to follow the rules, abide by the law and compete on an equal footing. Excessive leniency and mercy can easily make people think that they are weak, and then they can make more progress; excessive ferocity and harshness can easily lead to brutality, which can lead to strong resistance and disorder of law and discipline. Therefore, leniency and harshness complement and regulate each other, which can avoid the adverse consequences caused by going to extremes, and let people be convinced to abide by the law.

Idiom usage

Political measures should be lenient and severe. example: the way to govern must be in ~. The ninth chapter of a brief history of civilization by Li Baojia in Qing Dynasty

Idiom story

Wang Zichan of Zheng Guoguo has been in power for more than ten years. He praised "loyalty and Thrift" and opposed "extravagance". He reformed the land system and the military tax system, promulgated the provisions of the criminal law, restricted the privileges of the nobility, and strictly enforced the law and discipline of the Imperial court. Zichan said to the Prince: "to govern the country, we should adopt the method of Combining Leniency with violence, and we should master the degree of leniency, so that the country can be strong.

Analysis of Idioms

Synonym: both favor and authority, both soft and hard antonym: severe punishment and severe law

Chinese PinYin : kuān měng xiāng jì