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治大國若烹小鮮

简治大国若烹小鲜 · 繁治大國若烹小鮮

Mandarin · pinyin zhì dà guó ruò pēng xiǎo xiān

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

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Characters in this entry

治: zhì · govern, regulate, administer
大: dà · big, great, vast, large, high
國: Look up this written character
若: ruò · if, supposing, assuming; similar
烹: pēng · boil, cook; quick fry, stir fry
小: xiǎo · small, tiny, insignificant
鮮: Look up this written character
国: guó · nation, country, nation-state
鲜: xiān · fresh; delicious; attractive

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–4–1–3–1 · zhi4 da4 guo2 ruo4 peng1 xiao3 xian1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

治大國若烹小鮮 · find source passages ↗ · 治大国若烹小鲜 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ci4 daai6 gwok3 joek6 paang1 siu2 sin1

Cantonese word readings for 治大國若烹小鮮. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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