







道不拾遗,夜不闭户 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Lost articles are not picked up on the street”. And doors are not locked at night. This describes a society with excellent public order, strong moral integrity, and a sense of security. Literally, “Lost items are not picked up on the road, and doors are not locked at night”.
During the Warring States period, Shang Yang, a native of the State of Wey, fled to the State of Qin. Advocating for a rule-of-law state, he was highly valued by Duke Xiao of Qin.
He successively introduced a series of new laws, abolishing old laws that protected aristocratic privileges. He insisted on equality before the law for everyone, strict enforcement of laws, and no favoritism.
After a period, Qin society became stable, people did not need to lock their doors at night, and lost articles were not picked up from the streets, leading to the strengthening of its national power.

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Open the tool →道不拾遗,夜不闭户 (dào bù shí yí , yè bù bì hù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Lost articles are not picked up on the street”.
道不拾遗,夜不闭户 is pronounced dào bù shí yí , yè bù bì hù in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 道不拾遗,夜不闭户 means “Lost items are not picked up on the road, and doors are not locked at night”. It is used to mean “Lost articles are not picked up on the street”.
道不拾遗,夜不闭户 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
遗:遗失的东西;户:门。东西丢在路上没有人拾走,夜里睡觉都不需要关门防盗。形容社会风气好