失道者寡助

shī dào zhě guǎ zhù
quotation

Meanings

  1. 1 one who loses the Way gets little help
  2. 2 (fig.) an unjust cause attracts few supporters
  3. 3 (lit.) lose-the-Way one few-help

Examples

HSK 6
Dé dào duō zhù, shīdàozhěguǎzhù, zhè shì gǔ jīn zhèngzhì tiě lǜ.
'Who holds the Way gets many helpers; who loses it gets few' - a political iron law from antiquity to now.
HSK 7-9
Gōngsī shīqù yuángōng xìnrèn jiùshì shīdàozhěguǎzhù, zhōngjiāng nányǐwéijì.
A company that loses employee trust has 'lost the Way and gets little help' - it cannot last.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·公孙丑下》 (Mencius, Gongsun Chou Part 2, 4th c. BCE): 得道者多助,失道者寡助。寡助之至,亲戚畔之;多助之至,天下顺之 (He who has the Way gets many helpers; he who loses it gets few. When help thins to its extreme, even kin rebel; when help multiplies to its fullest, All-Under-Heaven submits). Mencius's argument that political legitimacy rests on moral standing, not military might. One of the most quoted lines in Chinese political discourse, foundational to the "Mandate of Heaven" concept.
usage
Always paired with 得道多助 (or 得道者多助). In modern Chinese the two-phrase pair has hardened into a proverb, quoted in editorials on diplomacy, leadership, and corporate governance.

Stroke Order

shī
dào
zhě
guǎ
zhù