Delicious soup is cooked by combining different ingredients.
This apt expression is from the ancient history book San Guo Zhi (The Records of the Three Kingdoms). It also means that one can work well by unifying all forces. Respecting diversity of things to seek harmonious coexistence represents an insightful summary of the essence of traditional Chinese culture. It is also a Chinese advocacy for coexistence of diverse civilizations in today's world.
At the UN Office at Geneva in January 2017, Xi Jinping said: Delicious soup is cooked by combining different ingredients. Diversity of human civilizations not only defines our world, but also drives human progress. As humanity is in an era of numerous challenges, China's proposition is to build a global community of shared future.
In a world with colorful cultures, countries should abandon "pride and prejudice," respect each other, treat each other with equality, seek harmony without uniformity, and appreciate the diversity of civilizations around the world.
和羹之美，在于合异
“和羹之美，在于合异”，出自《三国志》，意指羹汤之所以美味可口，在于把各种不同的调料合到了一起，比喻只有团结各方面的力量，才能把工作做好。这一理念强调尊重事物的多样性，致力于多样性的和谐共生，这既是当今中国主张的不同文明相处之道，也是中华优秀传统文化的精髓。
2017年1月，习近平在联合国日内瓦总部的演讲中引用“和羹之美，在于合异”，阐明人类文明多样性是世界的基本特征，也是人类进步的源泉。面对全球性挑战层出不穷的当今世界，治本之策是构建人类命运共同体。面对丰富多彩与复杂多样的人类文明，各国理应摒弃“傲慢与偏见”，相互尊重、平等相待，和而不同、美美与共。