Governing a large state is like cooking a small fish: it must be handled with great care.

Governing a large state is like cooking a small fish: it must be handled with great care.

The adage "governing a large state is like cooking a small fish" came from Daodejing by Lao Zi, an ancient Chinese thinker. Just as cooking a small fish requires careful heat control, right seasoning, and a minimal amount of stirring, so governing a large state is a delicate balancing act that must be performed with the highest level of care. Responding to a question from a Brazilian reporter in March 2013, President Xi Jinping said that leaders must develop a clear understanding of the complexity of their country’s realities and the diversified needs of their people. They must, he continued, be aware that governing a country is like “treading on thin ice or standing upon the edge of an abyss.” It was essential, he added, to exercise extreme care and due diligence all the time in performing government functions in the same manner as we cook a small fish.

治大国若烹小鲜

“治大国若烹小鲜”一语出自中国古代思想家老子所著的《道德经》。意思是说治理大国，如同烹煮小鱼，关键在掌握好火候、调和好味道，而不可以不断翻搅。习近平主席2013年3月在接受巴西媒体采访时提出，领导者要深入了解复杂的国情和人民的多元需求，要有“如履薄冰，如临深渊”的自觉，以烹小鲜的态度治理社会，丝毫不敢懈怠，丝毫不敢马虎，必须夙夜在公、勤勉工作。