Duke Ding asked, “Is there really a single saying that can bring prosperity to a state?”
Confucius replied, “Words cannot be taken so absolutely. Yet people often say, ‘It is difficult to be a ruler; it is not easy to be a minister.’ If a ruler truly understands the difficulty of rulership and remains cautious and self-disciplined, isn’t that nearly equivalent to ‘a single saying bringing prosperity to the state’?”
The Duke then asked, “Is there a single saying that can ruin a state?”
Confucius answered, “Words cannot be taken so absolutely. But people also say, ‘I find no joy in being a ruler except that whatever I say, no one dares oppose me.’ If what he says is good and no one opposes it, that is fine. But if what he says is wrong and still no one dares oppose him, isn’t that nearly equivalent to ‘a single saying ruining the state’?”
Note
This dialogue from The Analects of Confucius reveals his nuanced view on the relationship between speech and governance. He rejects magical thinking—no literal “one sentence” automatically saves or destroys a nation. Yet he shows how certain attitudes, if genuinely embraced by a ruler, carry transformative power.
First, the awareness that “rulership is difficult” reflects humility, moral responsibility, and self-restraint – foundations of virtuous rule. Such consciousness alone can steer a state toward order.
Second, taking pleasure in absolute obedience (“no one dares oppose me”) exposes autocratic arrogance and rejection of remonstrance. When flawed decisions go unchallenged, disaster follows. This underscores Confucian emphasis on open counsel, mutual accountability between ruler and ministers, and institutional checks through moral discourse.
Overall, Confucius uses the “one-sentence” question to argue that national fate hinges not on words themselves, but on whether leaders possess ethical self-awareness and openness to correction. The true “nation-building saying” is one that awakens responsibility; the “nation-destroying saying” is one that celebrates unchecked power.
定公問：「一言而可以興邦，有諸？」孔子對曰：「言不可以若是其幾也。人之言曰：『為君難，為臣不易。』如知為君之難也，不幾乎一言而興邦乎？」曰：「一言而喪邦，有諸？」孔子對曰：「言不可以若是其幾也。人之言曰：『予無樂乎為君，唯其言而莫予違也。』如其善而莫之違也，不亦善乎？如不善而莫之違也，不幾乎一言而喪邦乎？」
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