諺語 · a single proverb
修身齊家，治國平天下
Simplified: 修身齐家，治国平天下
What does 修身齊家，治國平天下 (xiū shēn qí jiā zhì guó píng tiān xià) mean?
修身齊家，治國平天下 (xiū shēn qí jiā zhì guó píng tiān xià) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞). Word for word it reads "cultivate yourself, align your family, govern the state, bring peace to all under heaven." In use it means: Everything starts with self-improvement; personal development radiates outward through family to community to the world. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Earth note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dragon.
Literally: "cultivate yourself, align your family, govern the state, bring peace to all under heaven."
The reading
The sequence is the message. You cannot govern a state if your household is in chaos. You cannot align your household if you are in chaos. The work starts closest to the center, at the person level, and expands outward only as fast as the foundation can support it.
What kind of proverb it is
Source Great Learning 大學 (Da Xue), Confucian canonical text
Sits beside
Keep reading
Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Harmony, Virtue & Balance, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dragon, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.
Questions
Is 修身齊家，治國平天下 a real Chinese proverb?
Yes. 修身齊家，治國平天下 (xiū shēn qí jiā zhì guó píng tiān xià) is a line of classical verse (shīcí 詩詞), and it comes from Great Learning 大學 (Da Xue), Confucian canonical text. It is living Chinese heritage, given here with per-character pinyin and its source so you can trust the line, not a phrase invented in English.
How do you pronounce 修身齊家，治國平天下?
In Mandarin it is xiū shēn qí jiā zhì guó píng tiān xià. Read the pinyin above each character to follow the tones, or press the speaker beside the calligraphy to hear your browser read 修身齊家，治國平天下 aloud in Mandarin.