Meanings
- One should not interfere with promising developments in their early stages.
But if you devolve power and resources to local entities—the “let a thousand flowers bloom” approach— you get uneven results.
2011, Michael Fullan, The Six Secrets of Change, page 123 more examples
It is probably safe to say that each year thousands of workers are victims of what might be called the “let a thousand flowers bloom” maneuver, formulated by Mao Tse-tung when he controlled the world's most populous country.
2002, Robert J. Sternberg, Todd I. Lubart, Defying the Crowd, page 1There's no haggling over specs or schedules. It's simply: let a thousand flowers bloom (or 140,000 flowers and growing, to be more exact)
2008, Don Tapscott, Anthony D. Williams, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, page 195One theory advanced by James Brian Quin, a strategy theorist, and others on how to find and develop successful new businesses is to 'let a thousand flowers bloom', tend those that thrive, and let the rest wither.
2010, Damien McLoughlin, David A. Aaker, Strategic Market Management: Global Perspectives, page 268
Origin
- Chinese百花齊放，百家爭鳴 /百花齐放，百家争鸣
- Englishlet a thousand flowers bloom
A calque of Chinese 百花齊放，百家爭鳴 /百花齐放，百家争鸣 (bǎihuā-qífàng, bǎijiā-zhēngmíng) ("let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend"), from various speeches made by Mao Zedong during the 1950s.
More words from Chinese
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
let a thousand flowers bloom. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20a%20thousand%20flowers%20bloom
“let a thousand flowers bloom.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20a%20thousand%20flowers%20bloom. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “let a thousand flowers bloom,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/let%20a%20thousand%20flowers%20bloom.
Source: let a thousand flowers bloom on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.