徒法不能以自行

túfǎbùnéngyǐzìxíng
phrase

Meanings

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

Examples

Tú fǎ bùnéng yǐ zìxíng, zài hǎo de fǎlǜ yě xūyào rén qù zhíxíng.
Laws cannot enforce themselves — even the best legislation needs people to execute it.
Zhìlǐ fǔbài, tú fǎ bùnéng yǐ zìxíng, guānjiàn zài zhìdù luòshí.
To combat corruption, laws alone cannot enforce themselves — the key is institutional implementation.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·》: 不足以不能自行。(Mere goodness is insufficient to govern; mere law cannot execute itself.) Mencius argues that good character () and institutions () must combine — neither alone is enough. A cornerstone line in Chinese discussions of (rule of law) vs (rule of virtue).
usage
here is classical for 'merely / only' (not 'disciple'). Paired with 不足以. Frequently cited in legal and policy commentary.

Stroke Order

néng
xíng