国之本在家

國之本在家

guózhīběnzàijiā

phrase

Meanings

1 the root of the state lies in the family
2 (Confucian governance) the well-ordered household is the foundation of the well-ordered state
3 (lit.) the state's root is in the family

Characters

(classical possessive particle: 's)

Examples

孟子说国之本在家，家风不正，国风也难正。

Mèngzǐ shuō guó zhī běn zài jiā, jiāfēng bù zhèng, guófēng yě nán zhèng.

Mencius said 'the root of the state is in the family' — if family ethos is crooked, the national ethos won't straighten either.

重视家庭教育，正因为国之本在家。

Zhòngshì jiātíng jiàoyù, zhèng yīnwèi guó zhī běn zài jiā.

We value family education precisely because 'the root of the nation is in the family.'

Tips

history

From 《孟子·离娄上》: 天下之本在国，国之本在家，家之本在身 (The root of the world lies in the state; the root of the state lies in the family; the root of the family lies in the self). Mencius's ladder from individual cultivation up to global order — echoed by the 修身齐家治国平天下 formula in the 《大学》. A classic citation in modern Chinese family-values discourse.

usage

Best quoted in the full three-step 天下之本在国，国之本在家，家之本在身. The principle that private virtue undergirds public order is foundational to Confucian political thought.

Stroke Order

国 guó

之 zhī

本 běn

在 zài

家 jiā