Volume 2 · Issue 5 (2025)
Wang and Ba's Distinguishing: An Exploration of the Three Elements of Leadership Power, Profit and Virtue
Yuzhou Zou1, Yuanyuan Zeng2
1 Philosophy and Religious Studies, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
2 School of Law and Intellectual Property, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, Guangzhou, China
Abstract: Since ancient times, the combination of hegemonic and benevolent ways has been the practical inevitable orientation of the "distinction between Wang and Ba governance," yet the fundamental elements constituting this concept and their interrelationships have remained absent. Through analyzing and comparing multiple leadership models spanning ancient and modern times across different cultures—including both hegemonic way and royal way—this study reveals that nearly all leadership models can be decomposed into three core elements: power, interest, and virtue. Further analysis demonstrates that both isolated application and pairwise combination of these elements face insurmountable limitations, necessitating their inevitable integration into a sequential leadership model—prioritizing power as the foundation, followed by interest as the motivator, culminating in virtue as the transformative force. The discovery of this universal leadership tool not only provides a concise and innovative interpretation of the combination of hegemonic and benevolent ways, but also offers a new theoretical perspective for understanding China's traditional wisdom.
Keywords: The distinction between Wang and Ba governance; The integration of benevolent and hegemonic principles; power-interest-virtue theory; Chinese-style governance
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