民可使由之

mínkěshǐyóuzhī
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 the people may be made to follow it
  2. 2 the common folk can be led along a course
  3. 3 first half of a controversial line from the Analects

Examples

'Mín kě shǐ yóu zhī, bù kě shǐ zhī zhī' — zhè jù huà lìlái zhēngyì hěn dà.
'The people can be led to follow, but cannot be made to understand' — this line has always been controversial.
Tǎolùn gǔdài zhèngzhì sīxiǎng, rào bù kāi 'mín kě shǐ yóu zhī' de duànjù wèntí.
Any discussion of ancient political thought must address the punctuation debate over 'the people can be led to follow.'

Stroke Order

mín
使 shǐ
yóu
zhī