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.]

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

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

a small country with a small population