"Governing a big country is like cooking small delicacies" (freshness: delicious food, delicious food) literally means that governing a big country is like cooking delicious side dishes.

if the word "head" governs a big country, if you cook small and fresh

explain [fresh] delicious food; Delicious food. The literal meaning of this sentence is "governing the country (the local administrative unit in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period) is like cooking delicious side dishes".

statement 1: governing a big country is like cooking a small fish, and the oil, salt, sauce and vinegar should be just right, not too much, and not absent.

statement 2: governing a big country should be as difficult as cooking, and it should be as meticulous as cooking. Both of them should master the temperature and pay attention to the seasoning.

statement 3: "Xiaoxian" is like a small fish or a piece of meat. Governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. Boil small fish, don't stir it too much, it will rot easily, which means that governing a big country should be inaction. Later, it is often used to describe how easy it is.

statement 4: since ancient times, many politicians like to quote this sentence to remind the rulers. For the meaning of this sentence, the popular understanding in ancient and modern times is that governing a big country is like cooking a small fish, and the seasonings such as oil, salt, sauce and vinegar should be put just right, not more or less. Is this understanding right? In fact, there has been great controversy in ancient academic circles.

As far as the sentence itself is concerned, there are different sayings about how to treat a big country if it is thick and fishy, and how to treat a big country if it is small and scaly. In fact, small fishy and scaly are both different sayings that small freshness is small fish. Even the traditional saying that governing a big country is like cooking a little fresh food, which is generally recognized in modern times, has differences in words in ancient times.

Original content

To govern a big country, if you cook a little fresh food, you will reach the world with the Tao, and its ghosts will not be gods. Unless its ghost is not god, its god does not hurt people. A saint doesn't hurt people unless his god doesn't hurt them. The husband and wife don't hurt each other, so the morality is returned. Selected from Chapter 6 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching

The origin of words

In Chapter 6 of Laozi's Tao Te Ching, it is said: "If you govern a big country, if you cook small and fresh".

attitude towards governing the country

"Governing a big country is like cooking a little fresh food" comes from Laozi's Tao Te Ching, which has been quoted by many scholars and politicians.

so what does "governing a big country is like cooking a little fresh food" mean? That is, governing a big country is like cooking a fresh dish. Don't flip it at will, neither too salty nor too light. You can neither rush nor neglect; Oil, salt, sauce and vinegar should be just right; The temperature should also be appropriate. This undoubtedly poses a great challenge to the professional ability of the "cooks".