ChinesePod

1 to use an opponent's own methods to obtain retribution (idiom, from Song dynasty neo-Confucianist Zhu Xi 朱熹); to get revenge by playing sb back at his own game
2 to give sb a taste of his own medicine

文治武功

wén zhì wǔ gōng

1 political and military achievements (idiom)

治丧从俭

zhì sàng cóng jiǎn

1 to be frugal in attending to funeral rites (idiom)

治大国若烹小鲜

zhì dà guó ruò pēng xiǎo xiān

1 ruling a large nation is like cooking a small delicacy (idiom)
2 effective government requires minimal intervention

臻于郅治

zhēn yú zhì zhì

1 to attain a state of perfect governance (idiom)

Sample Sentences

班门弄斧，见笑了，我觉得，中国古人觉得人生最高的理想就是四个步骤：修身、齐家、治国、平天下。

bānménnòngfǔ ，jiànxiào le ，wǒ juéde ，Zhōngguó gǔrén juéde rénshēng zuì gāo de lǐxiǎng jiùshì sì gè bùzhòu ：xiūshēn 、qíjiā 、zhìguó 、píng tiānxià 。

I'd be teaching my grandma to suck eggs if I did that, how embarrassing. I think that for ancient Chinese people, the ultimate ideal in life comprised four stages: cultivating one's moral character, managing one's household, ruling a state and pacifying the country.

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说到这个科举制度，那可说是以前穷书生要实现“治国”理想的唯一管道，不过当时的教育方式跟现在不一样，学生跟着老师研读思辨历史古籍，可不是背背书就行了的。

shuōdào zhè ge kējǔ zhìdù ，nà kě shuō shì yǐqián qióng shūsheng yào shíxiàn “zhìguó ”lǐxiǎng de wéiyī guǎndào ，bùguò dāngshí de jiàoyù fāngshì gēn xiànzài bù yīyàng ，xuésheng gēn zhe lǎoshī yándú sībiàn lìshǐ gǔjí ，kěbushì bèi bèi shū jiù xíng le de 。

Speaking of the imperial examination system, that was the only channel through which impoverished scholars could realize their ideals for governing the country. However, the education system at the time was different from the one today, the students had to study and debate on classical texts, it wasn't as easy as just learning the texts off by heart.

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同样，如果君主推举贤人做官，那么人民就学会了竞争，君主爱惜金银财宝，那么人民就懂得了偷盗。所以要想治理好国家，就应该让人民头脑空，肚子饱，身体强壮，但没有欲望。这叫做“无为而治”，就是什么都不需要做的、顺其自然的治国方法。

tóngyàng ，rúguǒ jūnzhǔ tuījǔ xiánrén zuòguān ，nàme rénmín jiù xuéhuì le jìngzhēng ，jūnzhǔ àixī jīnyíncáibǎo ，nàme rénmín jiù dǒngde le tōudào 。suǒyǐ yào xiǎng zhìlǐ hǎo guójiā ，jiù yīnggāi ràng rénmín tóunǎo kōng ，dùzi bǎo ，shēntǐ qiángzhuàng ，dàn méiyǒu yùwàng 。zhè jiàozuò “wúwéi \'érzhì ”，jiùshì shénme dōu bù xūyào zuò de 、shùnqízìrán de zhìguó fāngfǎ 。

By the same token, if a monarch selects wise men to become officials, the people will become competitive; if he covets wealth and treasure, the people will learn to steal. Therefore, in order to properly administer a country, the peoples' minds should be empty, their bellies full, and their bodies strong, but they should have no desires. This is called "governing by doing nothing;" using it, you need not do anything. It's a method of governance that follows the natural course of nature.

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粗粗地读过了，不过......我周游各国，宣传我的治国思想，可那些君主都不采纳。哎！是那些君主难以说通呢，还是“道”难以说清呢？

cū cū de dú guo le ，bùguò ......wǒ zhōuyóu gèguó ，xuānchuán wǒ de zhìguó sīxiǎng ，kě nàxiē jūnzhǔ dōu bù cǎinà 。ài ！shì nàxiē zhǔ nányǐ shuōtōng ne ，háishì “dào ”nányǐ shuōqīng ne ？

I've skimmed through them, but...I've traveled far and wide to every nation preaching my ideology on how to run a country, but no king is willing to adopt it. Ah! Is it that the monarchs are difficult to convince or that the Dao is difficult to explain?

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它引进了西方民主科学的先进治国理念，抛弃了阻碍中国社会发展的落后的封建思想。

tā yǐnjìn le xīfāng mínzhǔ kēxué de xiānjìn zhìguó lǐniàn ，pāoqì le zǔài Zhōngguó shèhuì fāzhǎn de luòhòu de fēngjiàn sīxiǎng 。

It introduced advanced Western political concepts about democracy and science, and cast aside outdated feudalistic ideas that were keeping China from developing.

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