善为国者不欺其民 – Chinese philosophy and culture

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shàn wéi guó zhě bù qī qí mín 善为国者不欺其民

A Good Ruler Does Not Cheat the People.

好的治国者不会欺骗民众。民众的信任是国家政权建立与巩固的基础和保障。这并不是说国家对民众无秘密可言,而是说治国者应坚守诚信,依法施政,正大光明,取信于民,不可滥用公权力,弄虚作假,欺骗民众,以致失去民众信任,离心背德。这和“民无信不立”是一个道理,是“民本”思想的延伸。

Public trust is the foundation underlying state power. A good ruler does not cheat the people. This does not mean that the state has no secrets from the public. Rather, it means the ruler should keep his promise, govern the state by law, maintain moral integrity, and have the trust of the people. He must not abuse his power, be deceitful and cheat the people. These acts can only cost him popular support. This notion resonates with the principle that “without people’s trust the state will not survive,” and it is an extension of the principle of putting the people first.

引例 Citations:

◎不行不可复者,不欺其民也。……不欺其民,则下亲其上。(《管子·牧民》)

(所谓不做不可重复的事情,就是不可欺骗自己的百姓。……国君不欺骗自己的百姓,百姓就会拥戴国君了。)

Not doing what cannot be done again means not cheating one’s people… If the ruler does not cheat the people, he will win their support. (Guanzi)

◎信,所以不欺其民也。(《韩非子·难一》)

(守诚信是为了不欺骗自己的百姓。)

Trustworthiness means not cheating the people. (Hanfeizi)

◎善为国者不欺其民,善为家者不欺其亲。不善者反之……上不信下,下不信上,上下离心,以至于败。(《资治通鉴·周纪二·显王十年》)

(善于治国的人不会欺骗自己的百姓,善于治家的人不会欺骗自己的亲人。不好的治理者与此相反……治理者与被治理者互不信任,上下离心,最终导致了败亡。)

A ruler who conducts good governance does not cheat the people; just as one who keeps his house in order does not cheat his family. A bad ruler does the opposite… If the ruler does not trust his subordinates, they will not trust him. Loss of mutual trust between a ruler and his subordinates will eventually lead to the disintegration of the state. (History as a Mirror)

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