Which Confucian principle is known as the “rectification of names”?

The Confucian principle known as the “rectification of names” is zhengming.

Zhengming holds that social titles and words should correspond to real responsibilities and conduct. In the Analects, Confucius argues that when names are confused, language becomes unreliable, actions become disordered, and government cannot function properly. A ruler, parent, or official should therefore behave according to the role named.

The idea is not merely a demand for dictionary accuracy. It links language to ethics and political order. If an official claims authority without fulfilling official duties, the title has been emptied of meaning. Correcting names means restoring the connection between social position, expected behavior, and accountability.

Later Chinese thinkers interpreted the principle in different ways, and it also influenced debates about law and administration. It remains distinct from ren, humaneness, and li, ritual propriety, even though those virtues support the same ordered society.