治内裁外

治理好国家的内部事务，才能处理好对外事务。“治内”是指国家内部的治理达到理想状态；“裁外”是指量度天下大势，制定对外政策，选择适当的政治、外交、军事等手段，影响国际格局。

Handling Internal Affairs Takes Precedence over External Affairs

A country's internal affairs must be handled well before its external affairs can be handled well. Zhinei means that domestic governance has achieved an ideal state; caiwai means assessing the broad trends in the world, making external policies, and selecting appropriate political, diplomatic, and military measures to influence the international situation.

引例

内政不修，外举事不济。（《管子·大匡》）（国内政务不去整治好，对外用兵就不会成功。）If internal affairs are not handled properly, using military force externally will not succeed. (Guanzi)