人亡政息

Chinese

		man; person; people	to die; to perish	political; politics; government	rest; news; interest rest; news; interest; breath
trad. (人亡政息)		人	亡	政	息
simp. #(人亡政息)		人	亡	政	息

Etymology

From the Doctrine of the Mean (《中庸》) in the Book of Rites:

哀公問政。子曰：「文、武之政，布在方策，其人存，則其政舉；其人亡，則其政息。…… [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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哀公问政。子曰：「文、武之政，布在方策，其人存，则其政举；其人亡，则其政息。…… [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

Āi Gōng wèn zhèng. Zǐyuē: “Wén, Wǔ zhī zhèng, bù zài fāng cè, qí rén cún, zé qí zhèng jǔ; qí rén wáng, zé qí zhèng xī....... [Pinyin]

The Duke Ai asked about government. The Master said, "The government of Wen and Wu is displayed in the records - the tablets of wood and bamboo. Let there be the men and the government will flourish; but without the men, their government decays and ceases. […]

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rénwángzhèngxī, rénwángzhèngxí

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˊ ㄨㄤˊ ㄓㄥˋ ㄒㄧ, ㄖㄣˊ ㄨㄤˊ ㄓㄥˋ ㄒㄧˊ

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rénwángzhèngxī
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄨㄤˊ ㄓㄥˋ ㄒㄧ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rénwángjhèngsi
    • Wade–Giles: jên²-wang²-chêng⁴-hsi¹
    • Yale: rén-wáng-jèng-syī
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: renwangjenqshi
    • Palladius: жэньванчжэнси (žɛnʹvančžɛnsi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ wɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ ɕi⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rénwángzhèngxí
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄨㄤˊ ㄓㄥˋ ㄒㄧˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rénwángjhèngsí
    • Wade–Giles: jên²-wang²-chêng⁴-hsi²
    • Yale: rén-wáng-jèng-syí
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: renwangjenqshyi
    • Palladius: жэньванчжэнси (žɛnʹvančžɛnsi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ wɑŋ³⁵ ʈ͡ʂɤŋ⁵¹ ɕi³⁵/

Idiom

人亡政息

1. a person in power dies or leaves office and his or her policies are abandoned