Three Principles of the People

The Three Principles of the People (Chinese: 三民主義; pinyin: Sānmín Zhǔyì), also known as Sun Yat-sen Thought （孫文學説）, Founding Father Thought （國服思想）, and the Doctrine of the Premier （總理遺教）, constitute a system of political ideology developed by the Republic of China (ROC) founder and Kuomintang (KMT) premier Sun Yat-sen as the Kuomintang’s fundamental program. It is a philosophy to improve China during the Republican Era (1912-1949) and later in Taiwan during the Dang Guo era (1924-1987). The Principles are referred to in the first paragraph of the Constitution of the Republic of China as the “teachings bequeathed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen in founding the Republic of China”.

In 1905, Sun wrote an article on the “three great principles”, nationalism, democracy, and people’s welfare (social welfare), for the newspaper, Min bao’s inaugural issue. He advocated for the simultaneous pursuit of revolutions in national affairs, politics, and social issues. From January to August, 1924, Sun Yat-sen delivered a series of weekly lectures in Guangzhou. These sixteen lectures were subsequently collected and assembled into a book titled “Three Principles of the People”.

Under varying historical circumstances, different actors have articulated the Three Principles of the People in varying ways. As a result, the Principles have undergone distinct revisions and developments. Additionally, Kuomintang members and academics have interpreted the Principles differently.