徒法不能以自行

Tú fǎ bùnéng yǐ zìxíng

quotation

Meanings

1 laws alone cannot enforce themselves
2 legal rules require virtuous people to carry them out
3 mere law cannot, by itself, act

Characters

Examples

HSK 5

徒法不能以自行，再好的法律也需要人去执行。

Túfǎbùnéngyǐzìxíng, zài hǎo de fǎlǜ yě xūyào rén qù zhíxíng.

Laws cannot enforce themselves - even the best legislation needs people to execute it.

HSK 7-9

治理腐败，徒法不能以自行，关键在制度落实。

Zhìlǐ fǔbài, túfǎbùnéngyǐzìxíng, guānjiàn zài zhìdù luòshí.

To combat corruption, laws alone cannot enforce themselves - the key is institutional implementation.

Tips

history

From 孟子, Lilou I: 徒善不足以为政，徒法不能以自行. (Mere goodness is insufficient to govern; mere law cannot execute itself.) Mencius argues that good character 善 and institutions 法 must combine - neither alone is enough. A cornerstone line in Chinese discussions of 法治 (rule of law) vs 德治 (rule of virtue).

usage

徒 here is classical for 'merely / only' (not 'disciple'). Paired with 徒善不足以为政. Frequently cited in legal and policy commentary.

Stroke Order

徒 tú

法 fǎ

不 bù

能 néng

以 yǐ

自 zì

行 xíng