Ruler as parent of the people

confucian

• The Four Books: Confucian Analects, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, and The Works of Mencius BIJ T / W JHI / THE WORKS OF MENGIUS / THE WORKS OF MENCTUS; lines 23940-24135 confidence: high

  Mencius says beasts devour one another and asks where the parental relation to the people is when a prince administers government so as to lead beasts to devour men.

  Mencius explicitly calls the prince the parent of his people and questions whether that relation remains when people are effectively devoured under his government.

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• The Four Books: Confucian Analects, The Great Learning, The Doctrine of the Mean, and The Works of Mencius COXFUCIAN ANALECTS / THE GEEAT LEARNING / COMMENTARY OF THE PHILOSOPHER TSANG / THK GREAT LEARNING; lines 18670-18841 confidence: high

  "When a prince loves what the people love, and hates what the people hate, then is he what is called the parent of the people."

  A prince who loves and hates in accord with the people is explicitly called the parent of the people.

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• The Li Ki, Books XI-XLVI (The Sacred Books of China: The Texts of Confucianism, Part IV; Sacred Books of the East, Vol. 28) BOOK XXV. KUNG-NI YEN KU / BOOK XXVII. FANG At / BOOK XXVIII. AUNG YUNG / BOOK XXIX. PIAO At; lines 13914-14066 confidence: high

  The ruler who loves the people as sons, binds them by good faith, and presides with courtesy receives parental feeling, constancy, and docility from them.

  The ruler is twice told to love the people as sons, and the people are said to feel toward such a ruler as toward a parent.

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