民无信不立

民無信不立

mínwúxìnbùlì

phrase

Meanings

1 without the people's trust, a state cannot stand
2 a government loses its foundation when the people lose faith in it
3 trust is the basis of political legitimacy

Characters

to stand / be established

Examples

政府施政要讲诚信，民无信不立。

Zhèngfǔ shīzhèng yào jiǎng chéngxìn, mín wú xìn bù lì.

Governance must uphold integrity — without the people's trust, it cannot stand.

企业也一样，民无信不立，诚信是根本。

Qǐyè yě yíyàng, mín wú xìn bù lì, chéngxìn shì gēnběn.

Businesses are the same — without trust, nothing stands; integrity is the foundation.

Tips

history

From 《论语·颜渊》: 子贡问政。子曰：'足食，足兵，民信之矣。'……曰：'自古皆有死，民无信不立。' — When Zigong asked about government, Confucius listed three essentials: sufficient food, sufficient arms, and the people's trust. Forced to drop one, he would drop arms, then food — 'since ancient times all must die, but without the people's trust the state cannot stand.'

usage

Extremely common in speeches on governance, public administration, and business ethics. The classical 信 means 'trust / good faith,' not just 'belief.'

Stroke Order

民 mín

无 wú

信 xìn

不 bù

立 lì