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失道者寡助

shīdàozhěguǎzhù
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 one who loses the Way gets little help
  2. 2 (fig.) an unjust cause attracts few supporters
  3. 3 (lit.) lose-the-Way one few-help

Examples

得道多助，失道者寡助，这是古今政治铁律。
Dé dào duō zhù, shī dào zhě guǎ zhù, zhè shì gǔjīn zhèngzhì tiě lǜ.
'Who holds the Way gets many helpers; who loses it gets few' — a political iron law from antiquity to now.
公司失去员工信任就是失道者寡助，终将难以为继。
Gōngsī shīqù yuángōng xìnrèn jiùshì shī dào zhě guǎ zhù, zhōng jiāng nányǐ wéi jì.
A company that loses employee trust has 'lost the Way and gets little help' — it cannot last.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·公孙丑下》(Mencius, Gongsun Chou Part 2, 4th c. BCE): 得道者多助，失道者寡助。寡助之至，亲戚畔之；多助之至，天下顺之 (He who has the Way gets many helpers; he who loses it gets few. When help thins to its extreme, even kin rebel; when help multiplies to its fullest, All-Under-Heaven submits). Mencius's argument that political legitimacy rests on moral standing, not military might — one of the most quoted lines in Chinese political discourse, foundational to the 'Mandate of Heaven' concept.
usage
Always paired with 得道多助 (or 得道者多助). In modern Chinese the two-phrase pair has hardened into a proverb — quoted in editorials on diplomacy, leadership, and corporate governance.

Stroke Order

失 shī
道 dào
者 zhě
寡 guǎ
助 zhù