What does Lao Tzu mean by inaction?

Laozi believes that the origin of the world is nothingness, and only nothingness can conform to the principle of Tao. "Sages teach without doing anything." Governing by doing nothing is the basic political proposition of Taoism. Inaction, that is, "not doing things first, not doing things later", is governed by nature. Doing nothing is the premise and condition to achieve all-out, all-out and "governing by doing nothing". "Literature and History" said: Taoism's political view of inaction is "the monarch's skill in the south", which shows the basic spirit of inaction politics. The pre-Qin Taoists' political ideas of governing by doing nothing mainly include "Without Shang Xian, the people will not dispute", "Expensive and exotic goods will prevent the people from stealing", "Abandoning wisdom" and "Abandoning righteousness". Zhuangzi even advocated that the monarch should have nothing to want and nothing to do. "The world is at a loss, doing everything, being quiet is quiet, and the people are determined." . The thought of governing by doing nothing had a great influence in ancient China. Huang Lao Xue at the beginning of Han Dynasty absorbed the thought of pre-Qin Taoism's inaction, adapted to the situation of people's mind after the political turmoil at the end of Qin Dynasty, emphasized quietism, advocated paying taxes lightly and sharing interest with the people, and adopted non-interventionism or less interventionism in people's political life and economic life, so as to stabilize people's mind and develop social production. Huang Lao's thought of governing by doing nothing played a positive role at that time. In the early years of Tang and Song Dynasties, the rulers used the idea of governing by doing nothing to coordinate and deal with social contradictions at that time, and achieved certain results. Metaphysics scholars in Wei and Jin Dynasties led people to be passive, reclusive, nonsense and inaction by propagating inaction, which had a negative impact on society.

Laozi's inaction thought Laozi's philosophy is not a knowledge system in the western sense, but a kind of life wisdom and a pursuit of Tao. Laozi's theory of Tao is a metaphysical grasp of all things in the universe. Its purpose is not in the empty world, but in the practice of life. For individual life, it provides the basis for settling down; For a country, it is wisdom to realize good governance. Although Laozi's thought is known as "mysterious and mysterious", the feelings of salvation behind it are worth appreciating again and again. Laozi's philosophy is a kind of great wisdom, which has profound enlightenment significance to all human affairs, including management. Among them, inaction has the greatest influence. "Doing nothing" means "Tao is natural" in Laozi's mind, that is, "people abide by the law, the land abides by the law, the sky abides by the law, and the Tao is natural". "Governing by doing nothing" is the basic viewpoint of Laozi's philosophy. Laozi regards Tao as the foundation of the universe, and the essence of Tao is "always doing nothing and doing everything", that is, "Tao" is "born to serve all things in the universe without getting something for nothing, and clothing is not the first thing". As far as Tao generates all things and achieves all things, Tao is "everything in vain"; As far as Tao is diligent and nonexistent to all things, Tao is inaction. In essence, this is the organic unity of "inaction" and "inaction" The creation and existence of all things in the world are "doing nothing without doing anything". Based on this idea, Laozi believes that governing the country and the people should oppose "doing something" and advocate "doing nothing". In his view, "inaction leads to death", "saints do nothing, so there is no defeat, so there is no loss", and saints "inaction and inaction always take nothing from the world; And things happen for a reason, not enough to take the world. " Laozi regards "inaction" as a means for saints to "take the world" and "govern the world".

Laozi opposed the Confucian pursuit of "ruling the country by virtue" and "ruling the country by wisdom". Pointed out: "Abandoning the Tao is meaningful; Wisdom comes out with great fallacies; Six parents are not harmonious and have dutiful sons; When the country is in chaos, there are loyal ministers. " It is believed that "the goodness of ancient times is the Tao, not wisdom for the people, but fools for the people", and "people are difficult to treat because of wisdom." Therefore, governing the country with wisdom is a thief of the country; Governing the country without wisdom is the blessing of the country. "At the same time, Lao Tzu also opposed the military strategist's" ruling the country by force "and violent wars. He believes that "soldiers are ominous tools, not gentlemen's tools" and advocates that "the people should be assisted by Taoism, and the world should not be strengthened by soldiers". Only by doing nothing can we achieve the ideal society of "I do nothing and the people are the standard, I am quiet and the people are self-righteous, I do nothing and the people are rich, and I have no desire and the people are simple".

Do nothing, do everything.

The thought of "inaction" was put forward by Laozi in Tao Te Ching. Laozi lived in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the governors were in chaos, and the rulers were greedy and indulgent, which led to the poverty of the people. In this case, Laozi put forward the thought of inaction and called on the rulers to "govern by doing nothing". He said:

"I don't do anything, the people are self-made. I am quiet and the people are self-righteous. I have nothing to do and the people are rich. I want nothing, and the people are simple. "

"Good quietness" is put forward against the harassment of rulers, "inaction" is put forward against the tyranny of rulers, and "no desire" is put forward against the greed of rulers. Laozi believes that politicians should be able to "govern by doing nothing", manage without interference, and have a monarch without oppression. Let the people develop and improve themselves, the people will be peaceful and rich, and the society will naturally be harmonious and stable.

"Doing nothing" means not doing things that violate the laws of nature, moral norms, social laws and are harmful to all beings. But the "inaction" here is not doing nothing, not inaction, but not acting rashly, conforming to the objective situation and respecting the laws of nature. Laozi said "doing nothing without doing anything", which means not doing anything without doing it. Here, "inaction" is an attitude and method based on the world, and "inaction" refers to the effect of doing nothing. Laozi once said "die by doing nothing", which means to treat social life with an attitude of "doing nothing", and nothing can be done, nor can it be done well. Therefore, Lao Tzu's "inaction" is not passive waiting and inaction, but "inaction", "inaction" and "inaction", that is, inaction and giving full play to people's subjective initiative.

Do sth for sth.

When I say "governing by doing nothing" and "governing by doing nothing", I don't mean sitting there doing nothing but doing everything. Laozi lived in an era when the people were self-sufficient at sunrise. There is no need for rulers to organize production and exchange, and whoever "does" will naturally do what. Once the rulers "act", they urge heavy taxes to be used for the construction of luxury palaces or launch a war to annex other countries. If we do this, people will suffer and society will be in turmoil. If we do nothing, people will feel at ease and society will be at peace. So "inaction" means not acting rashly or fooling around. In other words, the behavior of rulers should conform to the laws of nature and social development, and formulate corresponding laws and systems according to the laws, which will not be easily changed. Under such laws and systems, people give full play to their talents and work hard.

"Doing nothing" pursues dedication, and the result of "doing nothing" just becomes "doing something" (having dedication).

It is indisputable.

Of all things in nature, Laozi respects water the most. He believes that "indisputable" is a quality of beautiful "water virtue". Laozi once said: "Water is good for everything, and there is no dispute." The "indisputable" here means selflessness. Water conservancy nourishes everything, but it does not strive for everything that is beneficial to itself. Second, it means that there is no struggle with the world, not only on things that have been moistened by oneself, but also on everything in the world.

"Because it is indisputable, the world can't compete with it."

"Standing without struggle is not troublesome, and standing without struggle is not successful."

"indisputable dispute" and inaction (Nanfang Daily)

Xiaoqing Liu

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Deng Sui, a nobleman, was favored by the emperor He, and Yin, a queen, was very jealous. However, Deng Sui is humble and obedient, and he has great respect for Yin. Contemporary with the Yin family, Deng Sui never sat up straight; And every time the emperor asked questions, Deng Sui always asked Yin Xian to talk and talked with Yin nonstop. Whenever I find that my clothes are the same or similar to Yin's, Deng Sui will change them immediately and never steal the limelight with Yin. Nevertheless, Yin still conspired with others to practise witchcraft in an attempt to kill Deng Sui. In view of the sharp contrast between Yin's domineering and sinister attitude and Deng Sui's humility and forbearance, she was imprisoned by the emperor and insisted on making her queen when Deng Sui resigned. This story is recognized by later historians as a typical "indisputable dispute".

The "indisputable dispute" here is similar to the "inaction" as a leadership method. The "uncontroversial" here is not really "uncontroversial", but a means of "uncontroversial"; The "inaction" in "governing by doing nothing" is not really "inaction", but is based on "inaction". The so-called "governing by doing nothing" is essentially taking "doing nothing" as the method and art of governing. Jiang Taigong, the founder of Sun Tzu's Art of War, said that the most enlightened politics is to govern by doing nothing. Governing by doing nothing is the core of Taoist thought and occupies an important position in the history of China's political thought. Taoism also regards inaction as the highest realm of governing the country. As for emperors and generals of past dynasties, there is probably no one who doesn't want to make the greatest achievements with the least effort. Just to do nothing, you really need to lead the art to perfection.

How can leaders reach the realm of inaction? Judging from historical experience, at least the following five points should be grasped:

1. Have fun with the people and be tolerant and generous. Jiang Taigong said that there are laws in the sky and people have their own laws. If the monarch can abide by the law of self-cultivation, the world will naturally be peaceful. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Liu Bang, the Emperor Gaozu, ruled Huang Lao according to the principle of inaction. On the surface, he is not diligent, but in fact, agriculture and industry and commerce have developed rapidly by letting people farm and live. Feng Menglong of the Ming Dynasty said that there is nothing in the world, much ado about nothing. Zhao Pu, the prime minister in the early Song Dynasty, always received official documents that were revealed to each other by the literati, and burned them without looking. On the surface, it seems irresponsible, but in fact, it was by curbing the unhealthy trend of intrigue that he maintained the "stability and unity" at that time.

2. Comply with nature and observe heaven. Ji Bo, the mother of Emperor Wendi, is just a concubine of Liu Bang. Although she was "spoiled" by Liu Bang only once, she was pregnant with "dragon species", but she still rarely saw Liu Bang after giving birth to her son. Later, Ji Bo not only rescued the mother and son from Lv Hou's imprisonment because she couldn't get Liu Bang's favor, but also became the empress dowager because her son was lucky to ascend to the throne. This shows that it is not necessarily a good thing to sharpen your head and gain something, but it is not necessarily a bad thing to adapt to nature even if you lose.

3. Pure and indifferent to fame and fortune. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Fu Zhao went through the Song and Qi Dynasties and served as a county official, a local governor and a court official. At that time, dynasties changed like lanterns, and the officialdom was chaotic and dangerous. Fu Zhao didn't suffer any setbacks and was able to preserve his position and reputation because he was indifferent to fame and fortune. According to historical records, he lived in the imperial court without any invitation; Family room, no students, no partisans, no personal interests. These are undoubtedly the important reasons why he can die a fair death and leave his name in future generations.

4. Avoid evil with righteousness and be cautious in words and deeds. In the late Western Han Dynasty, politics was very corrupt and the imperial court was dying. At that time, Ai Di Chong believed in Dong Xian, Hou of Gao 'an, and took his sister as his concubine. Yan Fu, the father of Queen Fu, is afraid that one day there will be an unexpected trouble of changing and abolishing. His friend Huan Tan said: No matter how severe the punishment is, it cannot be imposed on innocent people; No evil can be added to loyalty for no reason. Huan Tan told him that at this moment, the most important thing is to tell the queen not to compete with Dong Fei by witch doctors and technology; Secondly, he should dismiss his apprentice himself and be modest to prevent others from taking advantage of his situation to run amok outside. Otherwise, if the emperor catches something, the consequences will be unimaginable. Yan Fu did as instructed. Later, at the behest of the emperor, Dong Xian tried his best, including arresting the younger brother of Queen Fu for trial, but failed to find an excuse to frame the Fu family.

5. dispel doubts and protect yourself. As the saying goes, company is like a tiger. How to dispel the emperor's suspicion has always been the key to the ups and downs of Guanhai. During the struggle between Chu and Han, Liu Bang, the Hanwang who led the army eastward, sent people to express condolences to Xiao He, the prime minister who stayed in Guanzhong. In order to dispel the suspicion of Hanwang, Xiao He picked out strong men from his relatives and asked them to escort grain and hay to Xingyang to join the army. In this way, Xiao He won the trust of Liu Bang. Historically, retiring after one's achievements is also an official rule. Laozi, the ancestor of Taoism, believes that retiring after success is the way of heaven and earth. There are many outstanding heroes, such as Li Guang, the "flying general" in the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and lord protector Li Jing, the agent of the Tang Dynasty, etc., all came to no good end because they refused to accept the old man's fame and fortune.

The historical background of Taoism is wars and disputes during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. In this chaotic era, the social, moral and political order established in Zhou Wen is facing collapse. Zhou Wen, which was used to maintain this order, became a pure shelf. Confucianism wants to enrich this external shelf with benevolence and righteousness, while Laozi and Zhuangzi think these things are external forms. Even if they can achieve social order, this order is not an ideal order. In this order, people are bound and cannot obtain real freedom and liberation.

Taoist philosophy, like Confucian philosophy, is basically a kind of learning with inner saints and outer virtues, and its ultimate concern is personal cultivation and becoming a virtuous person [6]. However, self-cultivation and moral cultivation cannot be separated from society, and if there is no * * in society, its existence will be dangerous. Taoism is not a political agnostic. For what is an ideal political order, Taoism put forward a set of ideas, that is, the theory of "governing by doing nothing". This theory is closely related to Taoism's theory of inner saints and metaphysics. The most important theory of Taoism's inner sage metaphysics is to make people obey nature, not deliberately. The five kinds of people listed in Zhuangzi's deliberate articles: the people in the valley, the people in the mortal world, the people in the imperial court, the people in the rivers and seas, and the people who guide the Tao, are all deliberately disobedient figures. These people go against nature, so they have to become Tao people. Zhuangzi believes that only a shriveled and boundless sage can achieve "high without ambition, conduct without benevolence and righteousness, govern without fame, be idle without rivers and seas, live without enlightenment and forget without exception." . Only in this way can people conform to nature and achieve self-liberation. The reason why heaven and earth are big is that it can conform to nature and achieve everything. Therefore, Lao Tzu said, "I was born for Xuande, but I didn't do it. I was impartial for doing it, and I didn't kill it for being long." (Chapter 10 of Laozi) and said: "The Tao is natural."

The Taoist thought of governing by doing nothing can be said to be their political application of metaphysics and inner saints. There are many places in Laozi and Zhuangzi that talk about inaction.

It is based on the sage's inaction and teaching. (Chapter 2 of the Philosopher)

If you do nothing, you will die. (Chapter III of Lao Zi)

Tao often does nothing and does everything; If the marquis can keep it, everything will take care of itself. ("Lao Zi" Chapter 37)

Therefore, the sage said,' I do nothing and the people make it.' ("Lao Zi" Chapter 57)

The man who is empty and quiet, silent and indifferent, is peaceful and moral, so the emperor takes a rest. Hugh is empty, empty is real, and real is virtue. Those who are empty are quiet, those who are quiet move, and those who move get it. Silence is inaction, and inaction is also the responsibility of the server. ("Zhuangzi Heaven")

The virtue of husband and emperor is based on heaven and earth, with virtue as the main principle and inaction as the criterion. (same as above)

But what is "governing by doing nothing"?

Laozi put "inaction" and "non-adherence" together. He said: "For those who want it, those who hold it lose it, because saints do nothing, so they have no desire and have no loss in holding it." (Chapter 64 of Laozi) Inaction and non-adherence here refers to a state of consciousness in which a monk is not persistent or drowned. The so-called "drowning" and "clinging" refer to drowning in and clinging to unreal things, that is, not realizing the Tao. Because everything in the empirical world is changeable, if we cling to any event or any object and think it is true, we can't grasp the true meaning of Tao. Because there is no change in the empirical world, although it is the operation of the Tao, the Tao itself is unchanged and independent. Tao itself embodies "inaction", and everything in it is natural. Therefore, action and persistence can not only make us realize and embody Tao, but also lead us in the opposite direction.

Politically, what is inaction? Due to the influence of legalism, people often interpret the political inaction of Taoism as the "skill" of the southern monarch. This explanation is that inaction is purely a skill of the monarch to control his subordinates. The monarch doesn't show his likes and dislikes, so the generals are unfathomable to him, so he doesn't know how to cater to him. In this case, the king is of course in a favorable position. Although there are such seeds hidden in Taoist thought, I don't think this is the main significance of Taoist inaction. If this is the main meaning of inaction, the word "governance" in "governing by inaction" is hard to make sense. Doing nothing does not mean that the king can completely control his deputy. If this is the only meaning, it must be emphasized that the king must have absolute power. However, this theory conflicts with the essence of Taoism's inaction. If inaction does not refer to the legalist Wang Zhinan, what is it?

The political theory of inaction is to calm the rulers, not to interfere with the people, and let the people play their creativity. Because rulers have power in their hands, it is often difficult to interfere with people's lives without using power. This kind of intervention prevents people from doing what they like, thus hindering or even damaging people's spontaneity and creativity. In the history of China, the most famous time to take "inaction" as the governance method was in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty; Cao's participation is the executor of this policy, and their stories well explain what inaction politics is like in Taoist ideal.

In the first year of filial piety, in addition to the vassal law, he was appointed as the prime minister of Qi. The participation is the same, all 70 cities. At the beginning of the epoch, he mourned the wealth of Wang Huizhi in the Spring and Autumn Period, and made every effort to summon the elders and gentlemen and invite them to gather the people. However, there are hundreds of Confucianism, and people are different, depending on the unknown. I heard that Jiaoxi has a cover, which is good at Huang Laoyan and makes people pay for it. Seeing Gaigong, Gaigong said that the rule of law is noble, quiet and decided by the people themselves, which is why he said this. So avoid the purlin and give up the lid. Its treatment is based on the skill of Huang Lao, so it has been together for nine years, and the state of Qi has gathered together, which is called the fairy image.

Shenzidong is a traditional Chinese medicine. Hui Di blamed Guo Xiang for treating the symptoms but not the root cause, saying that "there is no skin?" The name is Dongtian: "When the woman returns, I will calmly ask Naifu:' Emperor Gaoxin abandoned the minister, and the emperor was rich in the Spring and Autumn Period, and you were the prime minister. He drinks every day and has nothing to ask. Why worry about the world? "However, I have nothing to say." The cave is bathed, and the time has passed since it was remonstrated. I took part in 200 angry answers and said, "I am interested in serving, and it is not for me to say anything in the world." When he arrived in North Korea, the emperor asked him to go to Japan to see: "How is the treatment in the grottoes?" I will advise you. "thank you for attending the ceremony:' your majesty will see with his own eyes which is the holy warrior and which is the high emperor? On the last day: "Lian Naian dares to look at the first emperor", he participated in the day: "Who do you think is the saint of Xiao He? "Last day:" You seem to feel inferior. "God's Day:" Your Majesty is right. Besides, Emperor Gao and Xiao He set the world, and since the laws and regulations are clear, your majesty can't afford to lose. Isn't it okay? One day in Hui Di: "Kindness, you can rest!" (Hanshu Volume 39, Biography of Cao Can)

Cao Can's two stories illustrate an important viewpoint of inaction politics. Inaction does not mean that politicians do nothing all day, but that politicians adopt a policy of non-intervention towards the people. Let the people freely exert their abilities. But what do politicians do in inaction politics? Politicians are actually responsible for formulating good laws and rules, which all people must abide by when they are engaged in their own work. Cao Can believes that the laws and policies formulated by Xiao He are quite perfect, and he has no ability to amend them, so he can be happy. This is the famous "Little Cao Gui Sui" in history. From this point, we can see that the most fundamental essence of inaction politics is to give freedom to the people as much as possible, and those in power try not to interfere with the people. However, in any society, everyone's freedom is unlimited, so making good laws and rules has become the only job of politicians. The effect of this kind of politics is indeed very similar to the order caused by modern western liberalism; However, inaction politics is only a way to govern the people, which is completely different from the basic philosophical theory of liberalism based on human rights. In the political theory of inaction, the most taboo figure is the one who keeps his mouth shut about everything, and the one who keeps his mouth shut cannot let others develop. Therefore, after Zhou Yafu put down the chaos of the Seven Kingdoms and became the prime minister, there was no need to take photos, because although "Zhao Yu is the history of the prime minister, it is called Lianping in the government", "However, Yafu Ren, Yue knows that it is harmless, but it is deeper than words, so it cannot be a major policy" (Hanshu Volume 19, (Zhao Yuchuan)). When Zhou Yafu was a general, he was famous for his strict military discipline. When Emperor China entered the camp, he had to get off according to military orders. But when he became prime minister, he didn't have to be an inquisitive person like Zhao Yu, which shows that Zhou Yafu understood that the army and * * are two different orders, and the former is the imperative order mentioned above. The latter is a spontaneous order. If the rules that conform to the former are applied to the latter, the consequences will be bad.

Secondly, inaction politics is hierarchical and responsible politics, and everyone does his own thing; Therefore, it is most taboo that Zhuge Liang does it himself. The concept of hierarchical responsibility in China's history. The story of Chen Ping and Bing Ji is the most memorable. They learned about the affairs of the country and asked the right prime minister Job:

"The world's one-year-old prison geometry?" Boucher doesn't know. Q: "How did the one-year-old money drum get in and out?" Bob thanked me again. Sweating back, ashamed to be right. I also asked Zuo Prime Minister Ping. Ping said: "(each) has a Lord." The master said, "Who is the master?" Ping said, "Your Majesty will ask you to go to prison, and you will be the judge. Please ask Qian Gu to take charge of Sue's internal history. " The master said, "If everyone has his own master, what does your master do?" Pingxie Day: "Master! Your majesty didn't know what he wanted, so he was punished as prime minister. The prime minister assisted the emperor in managing Yin and Yang, and followed the four seasons to suit everything. He helped the four foreign princes outside and attached himself to the people inside, so that Dr. Qing did his job. " Call it good. To his great shame, Bo went out and gave way to his daily life: "You are the only one who can teach me!" " Xiao Ping said, "You live in your position, but you don't know what sin it is? Besides, your majesty asked the number of thieves in Chang' an and wanted to crack down on evil in Xinjiang? "So I finally know that it can be as far away as the sky. Living in the Qing Dynasty, Xie Bo (sick) avoided the phase and turned to the prime minister. " ("Hanshu" Volume 40 "Chen Pingchuan")

What Chen Ping pointed out in this conversation is another essence of inaction politics, and everyone is responsible for everything. The decision of the prison is in Ting Wei's hands, while Qian Gu is in charge of Su Zhi's civil history. The Prime Minister is in charge of assisting Tian Zi to manage Yin and Yang, which is suitable for the four seasons; The son of heaven really only needs to hang a memorial arch himself. Youwei politics is not like this. The greater the power, the more people should do what subordinates should do besides what they should do. This broke the order. Inaction does not mean that politicians do nothing, but that everyone can give full play to their abilities and do their own things well. This can be applied not only to the people, so that they can give full play to their role, but also to the rulers, making a bureaucracy itself a spontaneous order. Inaction politics is actually a kind of politics centered on multiple decisions, so Zhuangzi said, "Silence is inaction, and inaction is the responsibility of those who do things." . ("Zhuangzi Heaven")

After discussing the meaning of "inaction", the next question is, what is the realm of "governance" in the theory of governance by inaction? What kind of political order should this theory establish? We can look at this Taoist political thought from both theoretical and practical aspects. Look at the theoretical aspects first:

It is based on the sage's inaction and teaching. Everything is done without hesitation, born without it, done without relying on it, alive and successful. (Chapter II of Laozi)

Tao often does nothing and does everything; If the marquis can keep it, everything will take care of itself. ("Lao Zi" Chapter 37)

Therefore, the sage said: "I do nothing and the people make it;" I am so quiet that the people are self-righteous; I have nothing and the people are rich; I want nothing, and the people are simple. " ("Lao Zi" Chapter 57)

Zhuangzi for inaction, also has the following description:

Yoko's sudden arrival: "Dare to ask the rule of Ming Wang." Lao Dan said: "The rule of the Ming King is like covering the whole world, but it is not like itself. It lends everything and people rely on it; No name makes things complacent; If you are unpredictable, you will swim in nothing. " (Zhuangzi). It should be the emperor ")

Smell the world, not the world. People there are also afraid of worldly lewdness; Those who are good are afraid of the world and move their virtues. The world does not commit adultery; If you don't move Germany, the world will be gone! When Yao ruled the world, it also made the world happy and not peaceful; It is unpleasant to rule the world with a frame, which makes people in the world suffer from their nature. There is no unhappy immoral husband, and there is no immoral husband who can last for a long time.

People like and hate, and they are neighbors of Yang; Anger and evil, almost yin. Yin and Yang are adjacent and will not arrive at four o'clock. The sum of cold and heat doesn't work, and it hurts! Make people lose their position, live impermanently, think that they are not satisfied, and the middle way is not good, so the world begins to be arrogant, so there is a trip to steal feet. Therefore, raising the world is not enough to reward its goodness, and raising the world is not enough to punish its evil, so the world is not big enough to reward its punishment. Since three generations ago, Diandian has always regarded rewards and punishments as one thing. How can he spare his life? ("Zhuangzi You pian")

From these quotations, we can see what kind of state governance is in the theory of inaction. "Self-improvement", "Self-correction", "Self-enrichment" and "Self-simplicity" in Chapter 57 of Laozi, as well as Zhuangzi's "Rely on the people through everything" and "How has Hungary rewarded and punished people since the third generation? How can it spare its life! " Both show the realm of governing the country in the eyes of the pioneers. Self-perfection, self-correctness, self-enrichment and self-simplicity are all worlds where individuals can give full play to their talents. Because political leaders do nothing and do not interfere, people can be self-centered, self-righteous, self-rich and self-simple. This achievement was not achieved by the order of the rulers, but by the people themselves through their understanding of themselves and the objective environment. Therefore, both Lao Zi and Zhuangzi repeatedly emphasized that "being born without being, walking without relying". The last sentence in Zhuangzi Youpian quoted above shows more clearly that the so-called governance of Taoism is to enable people to develop smoothly, and the consequences of any intervention will destroy this possibility, which is very consistent with Mill's thought in On Freedom. Mill believes that freedom is an indispensable condition for discovering truth and self-development, and all kinds of cultural achievements of human beings can be fully developed only by relying on freedom; Lao zi and Zhuang zi's self-transformation refers to giving full play to people's creativity. In the political theory of inaction, "inaction" is an extremely important concept. The inaction of superiors will have the effect of inaction. Therefore, the ultimate goal of inaction politics is inaction. There is nothing that "gives birth to everything".

For the inaction politics in the early Han dynasty, the history books have such records:

When honoring emperors, the people were exempted from medicine, and the people asked their elders to raise children. The grass is extreme, filling in inaction and following the wishes of the people without disturbing them. They have no worries about food and clothing, and the punishment is sparse. Filial piety acceded to the throne, bowed to the knees, advised farmers to mulberry, and reduced taxes. (Hanshu Volume 12 Criminal Law Table)

The most important application of inaction politics in the early Han Dynasty was in economic policy, which was a modern laissez-faire policy. The effect of this policy made the extremely poor situation in the early Han Dynasty very rich. In the early years of the Han Dynasty, people and politics were in extreme poverty due to years of war and extortion in the Qin Dynasty.

Han Xing, after the Qin Dynasty, princes rose up, and the people lost their homework, but they were hungry. They were several meters and five thousand stones, and people ate people, and most of them died. ..... The world stands, and the people cover less. Since the son of heaven can't drink, he has to take an ox cart. ("Hanshu Shihuozhi")

Even the sky can't have chariots and horses of the same color, which shows how poor society is.

In this extremely poor situation, several emperors in the early Han Dynasty implemented a policy of non-intervention with light taxes, reducing taxes as much as possible, and allowing the people to give full play to their own strength and engage in production work. What is the result of this policy? Sima Qian made this description in the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty:

It's been several years now. For more than 70 years, there have been floods and droughts in the country, but the people have been given enough possessions, and they are all rich. However, the surplus goods and wealth in the national treasury and the money in the capital have been exhausted and cannot be shuttled. The millet in Taicang, agarwood overflowing, is too heavy to return, so that it is corrupt and inedible. ..... The person who guards the room eats the meat of the beam, ..... Old friends love breaking the law, being brave first and then making a fool of themselves.

This is the result of inaction politics, and this golden age is not common in the history of China.

What is the basic principle of inaction politics? Why is order based on the ideal of inaction? As mentioned above, the effects of inaction and spontaneous order are similar, that is to say, the order established according to these two theories is very similar, and they are both laissez-faire rather than imperative. But the basic concepts and positions of these two theories are different. The most basic problem of liberalism is that Kant put forward that "man is an end, not a means". The theory of inaction is not based on this proposition. Where is its foundation?