Great truths are always simple.

This phrase is a summary of similar expressions from the Classic of the Way and Virtue and The Analects of Confucius. It means that great truths are often so simple that they can be explained in one or two sentences. In the Chinese philosophy, dao (literally, the Way) is an important idea, and da dao refers to the general laws of nature and society and the basic principles that people follow in dealing with nature and in managing society.

This idea has been applied in state governance and social management. It has two meanings: One, the more general and basic the principle is, the simpler and easier it is for people to understand and apply. Two, da dao is not isolated from the human world. Rather, it is embodied in daily affairs, and people can discern the essence of a matter and the relevant governing laws by looking below superficial phenomena and seeking root causes.

In his speech at the UN Office at Geneva in January 2017, Xi Jinping said: Great truths could be realized only through actions. Actions hold the key to building a global community of shared future. To achieve this goal, the international community should promote partnership, security, growth, inter-civilization exchanges, and the building of sound ecosystems.

大道至簡(jiǎn)

“大道至簡(jiǎn)”是從《道德經(jīng)》和《論語》的名句中凝煉而成的，意為大道理（基本原理、方法和規(guī)律）是極其簡(jiǎn)單的，簡(jiǎn)單到一兩句話就能說明白。“道”在中國(guó)哲學(xué)中，是一個(gè)重要的概念，“大道”即自然、社會(huì)的普遍法則以及人們對(duì)待自然、治理社會(huì)的根本原則；“簡(jiǎn)”即淺易、簡(jiǎn)明、便利。這一觀念被廣泛用于治國(guó)理政及社會(huì)管理等方面，主要有兩層含義：其一，越普遍、越根本的道理就應(yīng)該越簡(jiǎn)明淺易，便于人們掌握并付諸實(shí)施；其二，“大道”并不是遠(yuǎn)離人世間的高高在上的原理，相反，它的道理、功用就蘊(yùn)含在人們的倫常日用之中，只要透過紛繁的表層現(xiàn)象，尋流討源，就可以抓住事物的本質(zhì)和規(guī)律，以簡(jiǎn)馭繁。

2017年1月，習(xí)近平在聯(lián)合國(guó)日內(nèi)瓦總部的演講中引用“大道至簡(jiǎn)，實(shí)干為要”，指出構(gòu)建人類命運(yùn)共同體關(guān)鍵在行動(dòng)，國(guó)際社會(huì)要從伙伴關(guān)系、安全格局、經(jīng)濟(jì)發(fā)展、文明交流、生態(tài)建設(shè)等方面作出努力。