治大国若烹小鲜

治大國若烹小鮮
zhìdàguóruòpēngxiǎoxiān
  1. ruling a large nation is like cooking a small delicacy (idiom)
  2. effective government requires minimal intervention

CEDICT

Entry Composition

1 治 zhì
  1. to rule
  2. to govern
  3. to manage
  4. to control
  5. to harness (a river)
  6. to treat (a disease)
  7. to wipe out (a pest)
  8. to punish
  9. to research
2 大国 dàguó a power (i.e. a dominant country)
3 若 ruò
  1. to seem
  2. like
  3. as
  4. if
4 烹 pēng
  1. to boil; to brew (tea)
  2. to cook by briefly stir-frying and then mixing in sauce
  3. (old) to boil to death (judicial punishment in ancient times)
5 小 xiǎo
  1. small
  2. tiny
  3. few
  4. young
=6 鲜 xiān
  1. fresh
  2. bright (in color)
  3. delicious
  4. tasty
  5. delicacy
  6. aquatic foods
=6 鲜 xiān
  1. fish
  2. old variant of 鲜 xiān