Yumin zhengce (Chinese: 愚民政策; pinyin: yúmín zhèngcè, lit. 'policy of governing ignorant masses') is a chengyu and concept in Chinese political philosophy.
The term refers to the practice of a government deliberately keeping its population in a state of ignorance in order to make them more obedient to political authority and too incompetent to form effective rebellions against the state, thus rendering them more easily subjugated.
The systematization of yumin zhengce has been attributed to Shang Yang, a statesman of the Qin dynasty.[1] The 3rd century BC Book of Lord Shang states that "[when] the masses are kept ignorant, they are thus [made] easy to control" (民愚則易治也).[2]