越普遍、越根本的道理、原则或方法其实越是浅易简便。“大道”指的是自然、社会的普遍法则以及人们对待自然、治理社会的根本原则，“简”即浅易、简明、简便。它用于治国理政及社会管理等方面，主要有两层含义:其一，越普遍、越根本的道理就应该越简明浅易，便于人们掌握并付诸实施;其二，“大道”并不是远离人世的某种高高在上的原理，它的道理、功用就蕴含在人们的伦常日用之中。只要透过纷繁的表层现象，寻流讨源，就可以抓住事物的本质和规律，以简驭繁。
The most popular and most fundamental truths, principles, and methodologies tend to be expressed in simple words and are easy to understand. Dadao (大道) means great truth, or universally applicable laws governing nature and society, or the fundamental principles for people to follow in treating nature and governing society. The Chinese character jian (简) means simple, concise, and easy. The term is often used to describe the governance of a state and management of society. It has two primary meanings. First, it means that the most popular and fundamental truths should be expressed in simple words so that ordinary people can easily understand and put them into practice. Second, dadao is not something separate and far away from reality. Rather, it is a practical ethical principle which is easy for people to follow in their daily lives. As long as one sees through the seemingly complicated superficialities and traces the source of things, one will be able to grasp the fundamental truths, discover the basic rules, and comprehend them in spite of the complexity.
中华思想文化术语库
