小國寡民

Chinese

		small country; small nation	with a small population; sparsely populated
trad. (小國寡民)		小國	寡民
simp. (小国寡民)		小国	寡民

Etymology

From Tao Te Ching:

小國寡民，使有什伯之器而不用，使民重死而不遠徙。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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小国寡民，使有什伯之器而不用，使民重死而不远徙。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Tao Te Ching, 4^th century BCE

Xiǎoguóguǎmín, shǐ yǒu shíbó zhī qì ér bù yòng, shǐ mín zhòng sǐ ér bù yuǎn xǐ. [Pinyin]

In a little state with a small population, I would so order it, that, though there were individuals with the abilities of ten or a hundred men, there should be no employment of them; I would make the people, while looking on death as a grievous thing, yet not remove elsewhere (to avoid it).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xiǎoguóguǎmín

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄇㄧㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): siu² gwok³ gwaa² man⁴

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xiǎoguóguǎmín
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄍㄨㄛˊ ㄍㄨㄚˇ ㄇㄧㄣˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siǎoguóguǎmín
    • Wade–Giles: hsiao³-kuo²-kua³-min²
    • Yale: syǎu-gwó-gwǎ-mín
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sheaugwogoamin
    • Palladius: сяогогуаминь (sjaogoguaminʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ɔ³⁵ ku̯ä²¹⁴⁻²¹ min³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: siu² gwok³ gwaa² man⁴
    • Yale: síu gwok gwá màhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: siu² gwok⁸ gwaa² man⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: xiu² guog³ gua² men⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯³⁵ kʷɔːk̚³ kʷaː³⁵ mɐn²¹/

Idiom

小國寡民

1. a small country with a small population