lìyòng-hòushēng 利用厚生
Make Full Use of Resources to Enrich the People
充分发挥物力的效用，使民众生活富裕。古人认为，良好的政治在于“养民”，让民众生活富足。“利用”讲的是统治者应当节俭而不奢靡浪费，使物尽其用；“厚生”讲的是减轻徭役赋税，使民众生活安宁、富裕、幸福。它是中国近代民生主义、社会主义的思想渊源之一。
The ancient Chinese believed that good governance allowed people to lead a life of plenty. The ruler should be frugal, not extravagant or wasteful. He should make good use of the country’s material resources, reduce the corvée and tax burdens on the people so that they could live peaceful, prosperous, and happy lives. This belief was one of the sources of advocation for the people’s livelihood and socialist thinking in modern China.
引例 Citation：
◎德惟善政，政在养民……正德、利用、厚生，惟和。（《尚书·大禹谟》）
（帝王的德行要体现为良好的施政，施政要以养育民众为目的……端正德行、物尽其用、使民众富裕，这三项工作要兼顾协调，配合得当。）
A ruler should manifest his virtue in good governance, and the goal of governance is to bring a good life to the people … The ruler should act in an upright and virtuous manner, and ensure that the country’s resources are put to good use and that the people live a prosperous life. These three goals complement one another. (The Book of History)
