Shèhuì zhèngcè yào zhùyì bú huàn guǎ ér huàn bù jūn de dàolǐ.
Social policy must keep in mind that people resent inequality more than scarcity.
Tips
history
From the Analects 《论语·季氏》: 丘也闻有国有家者，不患寡而患不均，不患贫而患不安 — 'I have heard that those who rule states and households worry not about scarcity but about uneven distribution; not about poverty but about unrest.' Confucius' case for distributive justice as the foundation of stable governance. Routinely quoted in debates on taxation, welfare and wage policy.
usage
Classical register, frequent in policy writing and editorials. Full phrase is often shortened to just this half, the second half 不患贫而患不安 being less common in everyday quotation.
