The saying "Governing a big country is like cooking delicious side dishes" means: Governing a big country is like cooking delicious side dishes.

The words come from Chapter 60 of Laozi's "Tao Te Ching": "To govern a big country, it is like cooking small delicacies."

Original content:

To govern a big country, it is like cooking small delicacies. Cook small delicacies and spread the word to the world, but they are not ghosts. It is neither a ghost nor a god, and its gods will not hurt people. Neither gods nor saints will harm others. Husbands and wives do not hurt each other, so their virtues return to each other. Selected from "Laozi·Tao Te Ching·Chapter 60"

First, to govern a big country, one should "gover by doing nothing".

When the ancients fried small fish, they simply washed them without removing the intestines or scales for fear of breaking the fish.

When cooking small fish, do not stir too much, otherwise it will rot easily. The same goes for governing a country. You must not disturb the people or mess around.

Second, to govern a big country, you must control the heat.

The fresh food is very delicate. When cooked with too much heat, it will be scorched, and if the fire is too weak, it will rot. Therefore, the heat must be carefully controlled. The same goes for governing a big country. If people live in peace, don't break this peace. Unless it reaches a certain point, when public dissatisfaction rises and it is necessary to act, reform will actually win the hearts and minds of the people.