名不正则言不顺

名不正則言不順

Míng bú zhèng zé yán bú shùn

quotation

Meanings

1 if names are not correct, speech will not flow
2 if titles are wrong, words have no authority
3 without proper designation, nothing can be properly said

Characters

correct / proper

smooth / flowing

Examples

HSK 6

公司合并后要先确定新的职务，否则名不正则言不顺。

Gōngsī hébìng hòu yào xiān quèdìng xīn de zhíwù, fǒuzé míngbúzhèngzéyánbúshùn.

After the merger, new titles must be confirmed first - otherwise nothing can be done with proper authority.

HSK 7-9

名不正则言不顺，言不顺则事不成。

Míngbúzhèngzéyánbúshùn, yánbúshùnzéshìbùchéng.

If names are not correct, speech will not flow; if speech does not flow, affairs cannot succeed.

Tips

history

From 论语·子路. When asked by Zilu what he would do first if given government, Confucius replied: 必也正名乎 - 'The rectification of names.' He then explained: 名不正则言不顺，言不顺则事不成，事不成则礼乐不兴… This doctrine of 正名 (rectification of names) became foundational to Confucian statecraft.

usage

正 here is read zhèng (correct / proper). The phrase is the 'rectification of names' argument - used when debating titles, job descriptions, or political legitimacy.

Stroke Order

名 míng

不 bù

正 zhèng

则 zé

言 yán

顺 shùn