During the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius, the renowned thinker and educator, traveled through various states with his students to promote his political ideas.
He first traveled through the states of Wei, Cao, Song, Zheng, Chen, and Cai, then made his way to Ye, a city then under the jurisdiction of Chu.
Shen Zhuliang, a senior official of the Chu state, was granted the fiefdom of Ye City. Taking his courtesy name Zigao, he styled himself the Duke of Ye, known to history as Lord Ye.
Lord of She, who had long admired Confucius, warmly welcomed him and hosted him for many days, earnestly asking, 'How should I govern my fiefdom, and by extension, how should I govern an entire state?'
Confucius thought for a moment and replied, "Those near are delighted; those far away come."
"Those near are pleased, those far come," Confucius meant that one should make the people nearby and within the borders happy and without resentment, and make those far away and beyond the borders yearn to come. To achieve this, one must care for the hardships of the common people, winning their heartfelt submission.
Lord Ye listened and found Confucius's words concise yet profound, feeling greatly enlightened by the lesson.
Later, the idiom "Those Nearby Rejoice, Those Far Away Come" came to describe a well-governed state or region where people from near and far all welcome it.
Source: *The Analects*, Chapter "Zilu"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "近悦远来" came to describe a well-governed state or region where people from near and far all welcome it.