page_title: Three Principles of the People
section_title: Canon
hierarchical_section_title: Three Principles of the People / Canon
caption_attribution_description: 中文: 李鐵夫的《孫中山像》
context_page_description: The Three Principles of the People, also translated as Three People's Principles, San-min Doctrine, or Tridemism, is a political philosophy developed by Sun Yat-sen as part of a philosophy to make China a free, prosperous, and powerful state. The three principles are often translated into and summarized as nationalism, democracy, and the livelihood of the people. This philosophy has been claimed as the cornerstone of the Republic of China's policy as carried by the Kuomintang; the principles also appear in the first line of the Republic of China national anthem.
context_section_description: The most definite (canonical) exposition of these principles was a book compiled from notes of speeches that Sun gave near Guangzhou (taken by a colleague, Huang Changgu, in consultation with Sun), and therefore is open to interpretation by various parties and interest groups (see below) and may not have been as fully explicated as Sun might have wished. Indeed, Chiang Kai-shek supplied an annex to the Principle of Mínshēng, covering two additional areas of livelihood: education and leisure, and explicitly arguing that Mínshēng was not to be seen as supporting either communism or socialism.
  The French historian of Chinese history, Marie-Claire Bergère's view is that the book is a work of propaganda. Its purpose is to appeal to action rather than to thought. As Sun Yat-sen declared, a principle is not simply an idea; it is "a faith, a power."
caption: "Portrait of Sun Yat-sen" (1921) Li Tiefu Oil on Canvas 93×71.7cm
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