天下为公

天下為公

tiānxià-wéigōng

idiom

Meanings

1 the world belongs to all (not to any individual)
2 a just society is one held in common

Characters

below; under heaven = the world

to be; serves as

public; shared by all

Examples

HSK 7-9

孙中山提倡天下为公的理想。

Sūnzhōngshān tíchàng tiānxiàwéigōng de lǐxiǎng.

Sun Yat-sen championed the ideal of 'the world belongs to all.'

HSK 7-9

真正的领导者应该有天下为公的胸怀。

Zhēnzhèng de lǐngdǎozhě yīnggāi yǒu tiānxiàwéigōng de xiōnghuái.

A true leader should have the spirit of 'the world belongs to all.'

HSK 7-9

天下为公，选贤与能，是儒家的政治理想。

Tiānxiàwéigōng, xuǎn xián yǔ néng, shì Rújiā de zhèngzhì lǐxiǎng.

'The world belongs to all, and the worthy are chosen to govern' - this is the Confucian political ideal.

Tips

history

From 《礼记·礼运》 describing the 大同 (Great Unity) utopia: 大道之行也，天下为公 - 'when the Great Way prevails, the world is shared by all.' One of the most-quoted political ideals in Chinese tradition.

culture

Sun Yat-sen (孙中山) adopted 天下为公 as his personal motto and wrote it in calligraphy for many supporters; it remains closely associated with him and with the republican/democratic ideal. Contrast with 家天下 ('the realm as a family property'), the dynastic opposite.

Stroke Order

天 tiān

下 xià

为 wéi

公 gōng