What is meant by “bringing peace to the world depends on governing one’s state well” is this:
When those in high positions honor the elderly, the people are inspired to practice filial piety;
when they respect their elders, the people are inspired to practice fraternal duty;
when they show compassion for orphans, the people will not abandon moral principles.
Thus, the gentleman follows the “Xie-Ju Principle” (the rule of reciprocity and empathetic measurement).
Specifically:
What you dislike in how your superiors treat you, do not inflict upon your subordinates;
what you dislike in how your subordinates treat you, do not use in serving your superiors;
what you resent from those ahead of you, do not impose on those behind you;
what you resent from those behind you, do not repay to those ahead of you;
what you dislike from those on your right, do not direct toward those on your left;
what you dislike from those on your left, do not direct toward those on your right.
This is called the Xie-Ju Principle.
The Book of Odes says:
“Joyful is that noble person – he is the parent of the people!”
To love what the people love and hate what the people hate – this is what it means to be the parent of the people.
Another verse says:
“Lofty is that Southern Mountain, its rocks towering and firm.
Illustrious is Master Yin – the people all look up to you!”
Therefore, those who hold power over a state must act with utmost caution!
If they deviate from righteousness, they will be condemned – or even punished – by all under heaven.
所謂平天下在治其國者：
上老老而民興孝，上長長而民興弟，上恤孤而民不倍，
是以君子有絜矩之道也。
所惡於上，毋以使下；
所惡於下，毋以事上；
所惡於前，毋以先後；
所惡於後，毋以從前；
所惡於右，毋以交於左；
所惡於左，毋以交於右。
此之謂絜矩之道。
《詩》云：「樂只君子，民之父母。」
民之所好好之，民之所惡惡之，此之謂民之父母。
《詩》云：「節彼南山，維石巖巖。赫赫師尹，民具爾瞻。」
有國者不可以不慎，辟則為天下戮矣。
Note
This passage centers on the Xie-Ju Principle – the core mechanism through which The Great Learning envisions “bringing peace to the world.” This principle represents the most universal ethical standard in Confucian political thought and can be understood as the institutionalized expression of the “doctrine of loyalty and reciprocity” (zhong shu) at the level of governance.
“Xie” means to measure; “Ju” refers to the carpenter’s square. Together, “Xie-Ju” symbolizes “measuring others’ hearts by one’s own,” just as one uses a square to ensure straight lines. It demands that rulers empathize with others and, in all relational directions – superior-subordinate, past-future, left-right – refrain from imposing on others what they themselves would find intolerable. This “negative Golden Rule” (“Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire”) is thus elevated from personal ethics to the foundational norm of statecraft.
The text stresses that world peace does not arise from coercion, but from the ruler’s moral exemplarity and empathetic leadership. The phrase “parent of the people” is not a symbol of authority, but of responsibility: true leaders must share the people’s likes and dislikes, embodying the Confucian spirit of people-centered governance. The quotation “the people all look up to you” serves as a solemn warning: political power is intensely visible. Every action of the ruler is watched by the masses; any deviation into partiality or injustice risks loss of legitimacy – and may even invite collective condemnation or overthrow.
Zhu Xi, in his Collected Commentaries on The Great Learning, identifies the Xie-Ju Principle as “the essential way to pacify the world,” because it translates the abstract virtue of benevolence into an actionable ethic of mutual consideration. In doing so, it grounds political order in shared human nature and moral consensus. This principle functions both as a moral constraint on rulers and as a vision for good governance: only through impartiality and empathetic reciprocity can a leader win the hearts of the people and achieve lasting peace throughout the realm.
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