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.

治大國若烹小鮮

“治大國若烹小鮮”一語出自中國古代思想家老子所著的《道德經》。意思是說治理大國，如同烹煮小魚，關鍵在掌握好火候、調和好味道，而不可以不斷翻攪。習近平主席2013年3月在接受巴西媒體采訪時提出，領導者要深入了解復雜的國情和人民的多元需求，要有“如履薄冰，如臨深淵”的自覺，以烹小鮮的態度治理社會，絲毫不敢懈怠，絲毫不敢馬虎，必須夙夜在公、勤勉工作。