The third distribution plays an important role in the process of China’s common prosperity. Based on the perspective of state-society relations, the third distribution model can be divided into four theoretical types: strong government and big society, weak government and big society, strong government and small society, and weak government and small society. The third distribution in the United States has constructed a weak government and big society practice model, which is mainly characterized by social dominance, government supervision, and political neutrality. Instrumental rationality is the successful experience of the third distribution in the United States, forming the logical rationale of the “four in one” of culture, organization, system and technology. The class rationality hidden under the instrumental rationality is the failed lesson of the third distribution in the United States. Under the influence of class rational thinking, the “private” aspect of society has been magnified, and a donor-centered paternalistic style has been formed, thus safeguarding the economic interests of the high-income class, and meeting the service needs of the high-income class. China’s third distribution is the way to boost common prosperity, and it is deeply embedded in the process of Chinese path to modernization. Therefore, China’s third distribution cannot copy the American path. Instead, it needs to build a strong government and big society model on the basis of absorbing instrumental rationality and abandoning class rationality, and integrate Chinese cultural elements into the system. Moreover, it needs to strengthen the standardization of the main body of the third distribution, increase the incentives, improve the supervision system and keep ongoing and highly focused attention to the poor.