People Are the Foundation of the State.

百姓是國家之根本。“民惟邦本”是古代民本思想的源頭，后經(jīng)儒家繼承并發(fā)揚光大。孟子的“民貴君輕”思想便是典型。

People are the foundation of the state. This concept is the origin of Chinese people-oriented thought. It was later inherited and developed by Confucianism. Mencius' philosophy that“people are more important than the monarch” is a typical outcome.

引例 Citation：

◎ 皇祖有訓(xùn)，民可近，不可下。民惟邦本，本固邦寧。（《尚書·五子之歌》）

（偉大的先祖有訓(xùn)誡，民眾可以親近，不可以疏遠。民眾是國家的根本，根本堅固了，國家才安寧。）

Our ancestor, Yu the Great, exhorted that (a ruler) must maintain a close relationship with the people, and must not distance himself from them. The people are the foundation upon which a state stands, and a state can enjoy peace only when its foundation is solid. (The Book of History)