Yígè zhèngquán de cúnwáng, qǔjuéyú rénxīn-xiàngbèi.
Whether a regime survives depends on which way the people lean.
Tips
history
Recorded in Ming-dynasty 《典故纪闻》卷四: 天命去留，人心向背，皆决于是 a ruler’s fate, the writer argues, is decided by whether people face him (向) or turn their backs (背).
register
Formal, used in political, historical, and editorial writing. 向 = support, face toward; 背 = oppose, turn one’s back. Often paired with 决定, 取决于, 反映.
