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左右皆曰可杀

左右皆曰可殺
zuǒyòujiēyuēkěshā
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 all those around him say he may be put to death
  2. 2 even when the attendants all call for his death (don't take it as verdict)
  3. 3 (lit.) left and right all say — can kill

Examples

左右皆曰可杀也不能轻信，孟子讲究层层民意。
Zuǒyòu jiē yuē kě shā yě bù néng qīngxìn, Mèngzǐ jiǎngjiu céngcéng mínyì.
Even if all the attendants call for death, one mustn't trust it lightly — Mencius emphasized layered popular consent.
他引用左右皆曰可杀，警告不要偏听偏信。
Tā yǐnyòng zuǒyòu jiē yuē kě shā, jǐnggào bùyào piāntīng piānxìn.
He quoted 'all the attendants say to kill him' to warn against one-sided judgment.

Tips

history
From 《孟子·梁惠王下》 (Mencius: King Hui of Liang II). Mencius's graduated test of a death-penalty case runs: 『左右皆曰可杀，勿听；诸大夫皆曰可杀，勿听；国人皆曰可杀，然后察之，见可杀焉，然后杀之』— even if attendants, then ministers, then all the people agree, the ruler must personally verify before acting. 左右 ('left-and-right') means the inner circle of courtiers.
usage
The weakest tier of the three-step Mencian procedure — don't trust court gossip even when everyone in the room agrees. Often quoted to warn leaders against being echo-chambered by staff.

Stroke Order

左 zuǒ
右 yòu
皆 jiē
曰 yuē
可 kě
杀 shā