天下为公

天下為公

tiānxià-wéigōng

idiom

Meanings

1 the world belongs to all (not to any individual)
2 a just society is one held in common

Characters

below; under heaven = the world

to be; serves as

public; shared by all

Examples

孙中山提倡天下为公的理想。

Sūnzhōngshān tíchàng tiānxiàwéigōng de lǐxiǎng.

Sun Yat-sen championed the ideal of 'the world belongs to all.'

真正的领导者应该有天下为公的胸怀。

Zhēnzhèng de lǐngdǎozhě yīnggāi yǒu tiānxiàwéigōng de xiōnghuái.

A true leader should have the spirit of 'the world belongs to all.'

天下为公，选贤与能，是儒家的政治理想。

Tiānxiàwéigōng, xuǎn xián yǔ néng, shì Rújiā de zhèngzhì lǐxiǎng.

'The world belongs to all, and the worthy are chosen to govern' — this is the Confucian political ideal.

Tips

history

From 《礼记·礼运》 describing the 大同 (Great Unity) utopia: '大道之行也，天下为公' — 'when the Great Way prevails, the world is shared by all.' One of the most-quoted political ideals in Chinese tradition.

culture

Sun Yat-sen (孙中山) adopted 天下为公 as his personal motto and wrote it in calligraphy for many supporters; it remains closely associated with him and with the republican/democratic ideal. Contrast with 家天下 ('the realm as a family property'), the dynastic opposite.

Stroke Order

天 tiān

下 xià

为 wéi

公 gōng