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A ruler must generate wealth in accordance with justice and rules, and then use such wealth to help people prosper. Yi (义), originally refers to righteousness and can also be understood as appropriateness and rules. Shengli (生利) means to generate wealth and make profits. Fengmin (丰民) suggests enriching the people. This is to say that the ruler must ensure that what he does conforms to justice and rules, benefits the people, and improves their livelihood. It is a combination of the concepts of “justice bringing wealth” and “keeping wealth with the people.”
The basic meaning of yi (义) is “reasonable” and “proper.” It has two extended meanings. One is the proper basis and standard for people’s actions. The other is to adjust one’s words or deeds to meet certain standards, under the guidance of moral judgments. Scholars in the Song Dynasty used li (理) or “principles of heaven” to interpret yi, and considered yi to be the reasonable standard defined by the “principles of heaven,” and hoped that people’s words and deeds would fall in line with the “principles of heaven.”
The term means to benefit and provide for the people. Huimin (惠民) is a concrete manifestation of benevolent governance and loving the people, with focus on dividing wealth among the people and benefiting them. The emphasis is on placing the interests of the people first, so that they will support both ruler and government officials. Specifically this means all policies and measures must be in the public interest, must fulfill and ensure the real needs of the people, and keep wealth with them; they should not conflict with the public interest, or worse, be deceitful or resort to force.
The concept of keeping wealth with the people has long been a part of Chinese political economy. Prior to the Qin Dynasty, the Confucian, Mohist, Daoist, and Legalist scholars as well as military strategists all expounded on this subject. A ruler is expected to be frugal and will not compete with the people for benefits, nor plunder their riches. Policies that are generous towards the people should be adopted, so as to permit and encourage them to become rich through justified means. The underlying assumption here is that a wealthy populace and a wealthy state are one and the same. A wealthy populace is the foundation of a state’s wealth as well as the fundamental guarantee for the state to win popular support. A state’s wealth is more than just about its riches, but about people’s support as well. This is an extension of the concept of “putting the people first,” and in the present day, keeping wealth with the people has become a defining feature of modern civilization.
When faced with gain one should first consider and distinguish whether the obtainment of gain is in accord with morality. This is a Confucian criterion for dealing with the relation between righteousness and gain. Between the pursuit of gain and the upholding of morality a conflict has long existed. Because people more often than not may covet personal gain and overlook morality, their actions may go against virtue and violate the law. Against this kind of situation Confucius （551-479 BC） advanced the stand of “thinking of righteousness in the face of gain,” proposing that people should strive for gain on the basis of the principle of morality. He who knows morality is a man of virtue, and he who blindly pursues gain is a petty man.
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.
A great ruler who conducts benevolent governance will enrich his people and unify the country. The implication of this term is that a great cause can succeed only when it is supported by the people. Therefore, a visionary leader must give top priority to the interests of all the people, not just the interests of some people, still less those of some individuals. This term echoes the thinking of “people being the foundation of the state” and “keeping wealth with the people.”
A state should regard righteousness as a fundamental benefit. The debate over righteousness and benefits has been a constant theme of discussion in the Chinese history of philosophy, because benefits were often seen as personal profits that might be wrongfully gained. Taking righteousness as the most important kind of benefit was a basic concept upheld by ancient philosophers. Neither a person nor a state can survive without benefits. However, ancients emphasized the integration of righteousness and benefits. They believed that benefits could be materialized only when combined with righteousness, and the two should stay in harmony. One must not seek personal gain at the expense of righteousness. According to this concept, a government must not vie with commoners for benefits, nor should a state vie with another state for benefits for itself only. One must always strive for mutual assistance, shared interests, balance, and win-win outcomes.
To have a strong army, the nation must have a prosperous population. In other words, a prosperous people are the basis and pre-condition of a strong military. Prosperity means the state treasury is full so military supplies are guaranteed. If people live a good life, they will have large families and the supply of manpower for the army is guaranteed. If society is well off, the population is content and will support national military policies and decisions. The expression shows the concretion between the population and the military in line with the concept that “people are the foundation of a state.”
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