📖 Meaning
This idiom describes the policy of reducing corvée labor obligations and lowering tax burdens on the common people. It reflects a classical Confucian ideal of benevolent governance in which rulers minimize demands placed on the peasantry to promote social stability and prosperity.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase embodies a core principle of benevolent governance advocated throughout Chinese political philosophy by Confucian thinkers. The practice of lightening labor and tax burdens was championed by enlightened rulers such as Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Taizong of Tang, whose reigns were marked by prosperity and low taxation. It became a standard formula in imperial edicts advocating reduced hardship on the common people, appearing repeatedly in historical policy discussions.
💡 Example Usage
新帝即位后推行轻繇薄赋，百姓的生活渐渐好转。
After the new emperor ascended the throne, he implemented policies of lightened corvée and reduced taxes, and the people's lives gradually improved.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 轻繇薄赋
- Pinyin: qīng yáo báo fù
- Literal Translation: lighten, corvée labor, reduce, taxes
- Category: Leadership
- Characters: 4