王子犯法，与庶民同罪

古代法谚。即便是皇帝的子孙违反了法律，也要受到与常人同样的处罚。“王子犯法，与庶民同罪”体现了古代百姓对“法律面前人人平等”的美好期盼，与现代法精神有互通之处。

This is an ancient Chinese legal proverb， meaning that even the descendants of the emperor shall be subject to the same punishments as common people for breaking the law. It embodies the ancients’ wish for “equality before the law” and is in line with the spirit of modern law to some extent.

引例 Citation：

◎ 众人都道：“说那里话，王子犯法，庶民同罪，这是因奸杀命的事，既犯到官，还有活命的吗？”（夏敬渠《野叟曝言》第六十七回）

The by-standers all said， “What nonsense！ All offenders shall be punished by law equally， be they princes or commoners. It’s a case involving murder. Nobody can be exempt from death penalty at a court trial.” （Xia jingqu： Humble Words of a Rustic Elder）