p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Discord

小人之德草

xiǎorénzhīdécǎo
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 the virtue of the common people is like grass
  2. 2 ordinary people bend like grass to the wind of their rulers
  3. 3 lit. the small man's virtue is grass

Examples

孔子说君子之德风，小人之德草，强调上行下效。
Kǒngzǐ shuō jūnzǐ zhī dé fēng, xiǎorén zhī dé cǎo, qiángdiào shàngxíng-xiàxiào.
Confucius said the gentleman's virtue is wind, the common man's virtue is grass — stressing that subordinates follow the example of those above.
这句小人之德草常被用来讲领导以身作则的重要性。
Zhè jù xiǎorén zhī dé cǎo cháng bèi yòng lái jiǎng lǐngdǎo yǐshēn-zuòzé de zhòngyàoxìng.
The line "the common man's virtue is grass" is often cited to argue that leaders must lead by example.

Tips

history
From 《论语·颜渊》 (Analects, Book 12). When Ji Kangzi asked about governance, Confucius replied: 君子之德风，小人之德草，草上之风，必偃 — 'The virtue of the gentleman is wind; the virtue of the common man is grass. When wind blows across the grass, the grass must bend.' A foundational Confucian claim that rulers transform the people by moral example.
usage
In this classical usage 小人 means 'common people / those of low station', NOT the modern pejorative 'petty person'. The line is the second half of a couplet — almost always quoted together with 君子之德风.

Stroke Order

小 xiǎo
人 rén
之 zhī
德 dé
草 cǎo