治大國若烹小鮮 zhì dà guó ruò pēng xiǎo xiān

DEFINITIONS

  1. ruling a large nation is like cooking a small delicacy (idiom)
  2. effective government requires minimal intervention

CHARACTERS

治 zhì
HSK 5
govern, regulate, administer
大 dà
HSK 1
big, great, vast, large, high
國 guó nation, country, nation-state
若 ruò
HSK 6
if, supposing, assuming; similar
烹 pēng
HSK 6
boil, cook; quick fry, stir fry
小 xiǎo
HSK 1
small, tiny, insignificant
鮮 xiān fresh, new, delicious; rare, few