政贵有恒 – Chinese philosophy and culture

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zhèng guì yŏu héng 政贵有恒

Stability Is the Key to Governance.

国家大政贵在稳定持久。“政”指国家根本性的制度、法令、政策;“贵”即崇尚;“有恒”即保持稳定。一个国家,尤其是大国,一定要保持其根本制度、根本大法的稳定性、持久性,不能朝令夕改,反复无常,否则会引起政局动荡、社会混乱;尤其在根本性问题上不能出现颠覆性变化,否则难以挽回和弥补。这个道理和“治大国若烹小鲜”有相通之处。

It’s the key to governance to ensure sustained stability. Zheng (政) refers to the fundamental systems, laws, and policies of a state. Gui (贵) means the most valuable thing. Youheng (有恒) means to ensure stability. A country, especially a large country, must preserve the constancy of its basic systems and fundamental laws. Laws, especially fundamental ones, must not be changed from time to time at random. Otherwise, the country will land into political turmoil and social chaos, resulting in irreversible and irreparable damages. This is the same notion as embodied in the saying “Governing a big country is like cooking small fish.”

引例 Citation:

◎政贵有恒,辞尚体要,不惟好异。(《尚书·毕命》)

(国家的大政贵在稳定持久,国家的话语贵在切实简要,不能一味追求标新立异。)

What is most valuable for governance lies in its sustained stability, advocating clear and straight wording, not seeking novelty. (The Book of History)

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