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MENTAL MODEL · M8833

Justice Overrides Kinship

Justice Overrides Kinship
CultureHigh supportChinese History and Classics
Included
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-28

CORE DEFINITION

Justice Overrides Kinship is a four-character idiom meaning to uphold justice by not showing favoritism to relatives who have committed crimes, ensuring they receive due punishment. Originally, it referred to severing the private bond between father and son for the greater good of the ruler and subjects. Now, it means disregarding personal feelings for relatives in order to maintain justice.

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Justice Overrides Kinship is a four-character idiom meaning to uphold justice by not showing favoritism to relatives who have committed crimes, ensuring they receive due punishment. Originally, it referred to severing the private bond between father and son for the greater good of the ruler and subjects. Now, it means disregarding personal feelings for relatives in order to maintain justice.

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Originally, it referred to dealing with a criminal relative for the sake of national justice, as recorded in the Zuo Zhuan. The mechanism is to override private family affection with higher public interest or legal principles, thereby establishing the authority of rules and institutional credibility.

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Source support: Explicit

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    zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E4%B9%89%E7%81%AD%E4%BA%B2ZH · Explicit
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