Li Lou I · Passage 06 / 28 · 孟子 4A.6
Mencius 4A.6: great families set the tone of rule
Mencius argues that government is not only about issuing commands. It also depends on whether the most influential social nodes are aligned.
孟子曰：「爲政不難，不得罪於巨室。巨室之所慕，一國慕之；一國之所慕，天下慕之。故沛然德教，溢乎四海。」
Mencius said, 'The administration of government is not difficult - it lies in not offending the great families. He whom the great families affect, will be affected by the whole State; and he whom any one State affects, will be affected by the whole kingdom. When this is the case, such an one's virtue and teachings will spread over all within the four seas like the rush of water.'
Priority note
A human-edited reading layer
Central question
Why does Mencius say that governing is not difficult if one does not offend the great families?
Direct answer
Because political order never moves in isolation. The most influential houses and groups amplify what they admire and reject into the wider public atmosphere. If they are turned by virtue, the effect spreads outward; if mishandled, resistance also multiplies.
First principle
Rule is not judged only by what is ordered from above, but by what key influence nodes will keep transmitting through the rest of society.
Why it matters
This passage fits searches around governance, elites, social influence, and Mencius on how political force actually spreads.
Further reading
What this passage is doing
This is passage 6 of 28 in Li Lou I. The cleanest entry point is "The administration of government is not difficult -…". In context, it works as part of Mencius's argument about self-examination, disorder, and keeping the way and can be read alongside Humane government / kingly way.
Broader search routes
If you came here with a wider question, start from the right hub page
Humane government: political order begins with livelihood
If your real query is broader than one citation, start from the theme page and use this passage as proof text.
Open humane government / kingly wayWho is Mencius?
If you first need the person, the aliases, and why he matters, start from the about page.
Open About MenciusMencius quotes and sayings
If you arrived through a famous line, start from the quotes hub and then return to the exact passage.
Open Mencius quotesMencius full text and works of Mencius
If you need the book structure, the works of Mencius, or where to read the text, start from the full-text hub.
Open the full-text hubBook context
Li Lou I often approaches disorder through self-examination and the standards for keeping the way.
Related principles
Citation note
Do not read it as flattery toward oligarchs. Mencius is not telling rulers to surrender to the great families, but to understand that ungoverned influence centers will swallow public policy from within.