Advancing the Party’s Work Style Construction in the New Era in Depth

For some time now, we have been persistently implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations of the Central Committee, continuously deepening the rectification of the “Four Forms of Decadence,” [1]1 The “Four Forms of Decadence” (四风) refers to formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, which have been the targets of a sustained rectification campaign since the 18th National Congress of the CPC. and promoting the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style construction, making a series of important deployments and arrangements for the Party’s work style construction. In this process, the Party’s conduct and government conduct have taken on a completely new look, and social customs and public sentiment have continued to improve.

一段时间以来，我们锲而不舍落实中央八项规定精神，持续深化纠治“四风”，推进作风建设常态化长效化，作出了党的作风建设的一系列重要部署和安排。在此过程中，党风政风焕然一新，社风民风持续向好。

Accurately understand work style construction. The Party’s work style is the Party’s image, concerns the support or opposition of the people, and determines the success or failure of the Party’s and the state’s undertakings. The Party’s strong moral force is constituted by visible, tangible, and perceptible glorious traditions and fine work styles. In the long-term practice of revolution, construction, and reform, our Party has formed and persistently carried forward fine work styles such as integrating theory with practice, maintaining close ties with the masses, and conducting criticism and self-criticism. These are the concentrated embodiment of the Party’s nature and purpose and are the distinctive signs that distinguish our Party from other political parties. The Party’s work style covers many aspects, including not only ideological style, work style, leadership style, and lifestyle, but also the style of study, the style of writing, and the style of meetings.

准确理解作风建设。党的作风就是党的形象，关系人心向背，决定党和国家事业成败。党的强大人格力量是由一个个看得见、摸得着、感受得到的光荣传统和优良作风构成的。我们党在长期革命建设改革实践中形成并坚持发扬理论联系实际、密切联系群众、批评和自我批评等优良作风，这是党的性质和宗旨的集中体现，是我们党区别于其他政党的显著标志。党的作风涵盖多个方面，既包括思想作风、工作作风、领导作风、生活作风，又包括学风、文风、会风。

From the perspective of internal relations, various “work styles” interweave, permeate, and influence each other, forming a complex system of behavioral habits. Among them, the fundamental role is played by the ideological style concerning worldview, outlook on life, values, and the outlook on power, the outlook on political performance, and the outlook on career. Once the problem of ideological style is solved, other work style problems will be readily solved. At the same time, there is an organic connection and dialectical unity between the Party’s work style and social customs and public sentiment. As a long-term ruling Marxist political party, the Party’s work style occupies a core position in the entire system of customs and has a decisive effect on social customs and public sentiment, while social customs and public sentiment also subtly influence and even shape the Party’s work style. Therefore, it is necessary to make the Party’s work style comprehensively pure, use the fine Party conduct to drive social customs and public sentiment upward and toward goodness, use social customs and public sentiment to cultivate a fine style of study, and form a systematic “positive feedback” and “positive cycle” of work style construction.

从内在关系看，各种“作风”相互交织渗透、彼此关联影响，构成一个复杂的行为习惯系统。其中，起根本作用的是关乎世界观、人生观、价值观和权力观、政绩观、事业观的思想作风。思想作风问题解决了，其他各种作风问题就会迎刃而解。同时，党风与社风民风之间是有机联系和辩证统一的关系。我们作为长期执政的马克思主义政党，党风处于整个风气系统的核心地位，对社风民风具有决定性作用，而社风民风也在潜移默化地影响甚至塑造党风。因此，必须使党的作风全面纯洁起来，以优良党风带动社风民风向上向善，以社风民风涵养优良学风，形成作风建设的系统“正反馈”“正循环”。

Continuously deepen the rectification of the “Four Forms of Decadence.” The Eight-Point Regulations of the Central Committee are the entry point and mobilization order for improving work style. Once the Eight-Point Regulations of the Central Committee were implemented, the entire work style construction was revitalized. As the “first cut” of the Party’s self-revolution in the New Era, the Eight-Point Regulations of the Central Committee have become a landmark measure that has changed the political ecosystem and social landscape. Comprehensive and strict governance of the Party has moved from curbing “waste on the tip of the tongue” to stopping “corruption on the wheels,” from rectifying “malpractices in clubs” to preventing “corruption during festivals,” promoting large-scale rectification through small entry points, facilitating major changes unseen in a century through small entry points, and launching a set of “combined punches” of self-revolution, reshaping the Party’s image in the hearts of the people.

持续深化纠治“四风”。中央八项规定是改进作风的切入口和动员令。中央八项规定一子落地，作风建设满盘皆活。作为新时代党的自我革命的“第一刀”，中央八项规定成了改变政治生态和社会面貌的标志性举措。全面从严治党从遏制“舌尖上的浪费”到刹住“车轮上的腐败”，从整治“会所里的歪风”到防治“节日里的腐败”，以小切口推动大整治，以小切口促成大变局，打出了一套自我革命的“组合拳”，重塑了党在人民心中的形象。

The Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core fully recognizes that formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance violate the Party’s nature and purpose, are deeply detested by the masses and strongly reflected upon, are important roots for damaging the relationship between the Party and the masses and between cadres and the masses, and are important sources from which various problems within the Party derive. The Party Central Committee rectifies the “Four Forms of Decadence” with the spirit of driving a nail, starting from small matters, starting from bits and pieces, advancing from points to areas step by step, and driving the resolution of problems on the surface through breakthroughs in specific problems. The thoughts and actions of many Party members and cadres are quietly changing, from not adapting to adapting, from not believing to believing, from passive to active, calibrating the compass of thought, adjusting the rudder of behavior, and tightening the string of work style. However, we must still be soberly aware that the problem of the “Four Forms of Decadence” is stubborn, long-term, and complex, and it is highly likely to mutate invisibly, rebound, and flare up again. Therefore, we must resolutely prevent the emergence of a “fatigue syndrome,” remain vigilant against new trends of the “Four Forms of Decadence” at all times without yielding an inch, and with the persistence of always being on the road, with the tenacity of repeatedly grasping and grasping repeatedly, we will not rest until the goal is achieved.

以习近平同志为核心的党中央充分认识到形式主义、官僚主义、享乐主义和奢靡之风违背党的性质和宗旨，群众深恶痛绝、反映强烈，是损害党群干群关系的重要根源，是党内各种问题衍生的重要来源。党中央以钉钉子精神纠治“四风”，从小处抓起、从点滴做起，由点到面、循序渐进，通过一个个具体问题的突破，带动了面上问题的解决。许多党员干部的思想和行动在悄然转变，从不适应到适应，由不相信到相信，由被动到主动，校准了思想之标，调整了行为之舵，绷紧了作风之弦。然而，我们依然要清醒认识到，“四风”问题具有顽固性、长期性、复杂性，极有可能隐形变异、反弹回潮和死灰复燃。因此，要坚决防止产生“疲劳综合征”，对“四风”新动向时刻防范、寸步不让，以永远在路上的执着，以反复抓、抓反复的韧劲，不达目的誓不罢休。

Give play to the key role of the “key minority.” “If people do not lead, they will not follow; if the body is not first, they will not believe.” [2]2 A classical Chinese saying from the *Song History* (《宋史》), emphasizing the importance of leaders setting a personal example. Leading Party members and cadres are the mainstay of the Party’s and the people’s cause, the backbone of organizations and units at all levels, and an important support for the Party’s strong vitality. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “The work style of leading cadres, especially senior cadres, has always been an important weather vane leading the Party’s conduct and social atmosphere, and an important window for the people to observe the Party’s conduct.” History and reality both prove that leading organs and leading cadres taking the lead in charging forward and working hard is the key to the Party’s success; leading cadres taking the lead by example and setting an example in all aspects is an effective leadership method and working method. As the “key minority” in transforming work style, leading Party members and cadres should play a “concrete,” “comprehensive,” and “consistent” key role, be fighters for self-revolution, and take the lead in turning the blade inward and eradicating stubborn and deep-seated ills in advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party in depth.

发挥“关键少数”的关键作用。“人不率则不从，身不先则不信。”党员领导干部是党和人民事业的中流砥柱，是各级组织和单位的主心骨，是我们党具有强大生命力的重要支撑。习近平总书记指出，“领导干部特别是高级干部的作风历来是引领党风和社会风气的重要风向标，是人民群众观察党风的重要窗口”。历史和现实都证明，领导机关和领导干部带头冲在前、干在先，是我们党走向成功的关键；领导干部在各个方面坚持以身作则、以上率下，是一种有效的领导方法和工作方法。作为转变作风中的“关键少数”，党员领导干部应当发挥“具体的”“全面的”“一以贯之的”关键作用，做勇于自我革命的战士，在纵深推进全面从严治党中带头刀刃向内、革除顽瘴痼疾。

Leading cadres at all levels must deeply understand their own responsibilities, put themselves in, put their thoughts in, and put their work in, always maintain vigilance, frequently conduct self-examination, analysis, and introspection, transform the implementation of the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations of the Central Committee into conscious action, persistently overcome formalism and bureaucratism, and make unremitting efforts to eliminate hedonism and extravagance. If the top is loose by an inch, the bottom will be loose by a foot. Work style problems are often that the symptoms are below, but the root cause is above. Leading cadres at all levels must strictly discipline themselves, consciously struggle against privileged thinking and privileged phenomena, and get used to working and living in an environment of supervision and restraint. They must also set an example for the level below and lead the level below in doing things, taking the lead and fulfilling their responsibilities in creating a political ecosystem of integrity, forming refreshing comradely relations and standardized superior-subordinate relations, adhering to a clean and honest relationship between government and business, and creating an upward and good social environment.

各级领导干部要深刻认识自身责任，把自己摆进去、把思想摆进去、把工作摆进去，时刻保持警醒，经常对照检查、检视剖析、反躬自省，把落实中央八项规定精神转化为自觉行动，持之以恒克服形式主义、官僚主义，久久为功祛除享乐主义和奢靡之风。上面松一寸、下面松一尺，作风问题往往是病症在下面，病根在上面。各级领导干部要严格自律，注重自觉同特权思想和特权现象作斗争，习惯在受监督和约束的环境中工作生活。还要一级做给一级看、一级带着一级干，在营造风清气正的政治生态、形成清清爽爽的同志关系和规规矩矩的上下级关系、坚持亲清政商关系、营造向上向善的社会环境等方面带好头、尽好责。

Build a solid foundation of Party spirit for fine work styles. The essence of work style problems is Party spirit problems. Party spirit is the internal foundation of work style, and work style is the external manifestation of Party spirit. If Party spirit is pure, work style is correct; if Party spirit is impure, work style is incorrect. The ideological root of work style problems lies in the wavering of ideals and beliefs, the dilution of the sense of purpose, the distortion of values, and the relaxation of discipline awareness. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Faith is the root, work style is the form; if the root is correct, the form gathers; if the root is incorrect, the form will surely scatter. To maintain and carry forward the Party’s fine work styles, firming up ideals and beliefs is fundamental.” Therefore, we must always be firm in the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and firmly establish the sense of purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly. We must place political cultivation at the forefront of Party spirit cultivation, draw nourishment for Party spirit from the Party’s innovative theory, and regard learning, observing, and implementing the Party Constitution, intra-Party regulations, and Party discipline as important content of Party spirit cultivation.

筑牢优良作风的党性根基。作风问题本质上是党性问题。党性是作风的内在根基，作风是党性的外在表现。党性纯洁则作风端正，党性不纯则作风不正。作风问题的思想根源在于理想信念动摇、宗旨意识淡薄、价值观念扭曲、纪律意识松弛。习近平总书记指出：“信念是本，作风是形，本正而形聚，本不正则形必散。保持和发扬党的优良作风，坚定理想信念是根本。”因此，要始终坚定共产主义远大理想和中国特色社会主义共同理想，牢固树立全心全意为人民服务的宗旨意识。要把政治修养摆在党性修养的首位，从党的创新理论中汲取党性滋养，把学习遵守贯彻党章党规党纪作为党性修养的重要内容。

The yardstick for measuring the strength of Party spirit is the two characters “public” and “private.” “Between a single thought of public and private lies the difference between honor and disgrace, two different worlds.” [3]3 A common Chinese saying highlighting the moral stakes of distinguishing between public and private interests. When individual Party members and cadres have problems in work style construction, it is often because they have not properly handled the relationship between public and private, blurred the boundary between public and private, and ultimately caused their thoughts and behaviors to go off the rails. Party members and cadres should consciously use the yardstick of public and private to measure Party spirit and test work style, establish a correct view of public and private, and clarify the boundary between public and private. They should advocate selflessness, a clear distinction between public and private, putting public before private, and forgetting private interests for the public good. Only by being single-minded in serving the public, doing everything out of public spirit, and integrating the “small self” into the “big self” can they hold firm in the political pass, the power pass, the social interaction pass, the lifestyle pass, and the family affection pass, consciously draw a line with unhealthy tendencies, and form a good work style. We must also simultaneously grasp Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline, integrate rectifying conduct, punishing corruption, and preventing misconduct, make good use of the disciplinary “ruler” for governing the Party and managing the Party, give full play to the educational and constraining functions of Party discipline and its role in guaranteeing and incentivizing, both severely punish intertwined problems of conduct and corruption through “joint investigation,” eradicate the common roots of conduct and corruption through “joint governance,” and effectively promote the initiative, creativity, and enthusiasm for doing business and starting undertakings, continuously improve Party spirit cultivation, cultivate a new atmosphere of integrity, and demonstrate new responsibilities and new achievements.

衡量党性强弱的尺子是公、私二字，“公私一念间，荣辱两世界”。个别党员干部在作风建设上出现问题，往往是因为没有摆正公私关系、模糊公私界限，最终导致思想行为出轨越界。党员干部要自觉用公私这把尺子度量党性、检验作风，树立正确的公私观，明晰公与私的界限。要讲大公无私、公私分明、先公后私、公而忘私，只有一心为公、事事出于公心，把“小我”融入“大我”，才能守住政治关、权力关、交往关、生活关、亲情关，自觉与不正之风划清界限、形成良好作风。还要坚持党性党风党纪一起抓、正风肃纪反腐相贯通，用好管党治党的纪律“戒尺”，充分发挥党纪的教育约束功能和保障激励作用，既以“同查”严惩风腐交织问题，以“同治”铲除风腐共性根源，又有效促进干事创业的积极性、主动性、创造性，不断提高党性修养、涵养新风正气、展现新担当新作为。

The normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style construction. Work style construction is a dynamic, continuous, and gradual process; it cannot be achieved overnight or accomplished in a single campaign. Work style construction is always on the way, and there is never a rest stop. On the one hand, institutions possess stability and long-term nature, serving as an important guarantee for promoting the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work style construction. We must start from improving institutional systems and mechanisms, strengthen the supervision and restriction of power, strike at the first sign of unhealthy work styles, strictly investigate and deeply rectify them, adhere to the integrated advancement of “investigation, rectification, and reform,” [4]4 “Investigation, rectification, and reform” (查治改) is a condensed formulation referring to the three-stage process of identifying problems (investigation), punishing violations (rectification), and institutional improvement (reform) in Party discipline enforcement. eliminate the deep-seated institutional roots that breed unhealthy work styles, take the situation of work style construction as an important basis for performance assessment and cadre selection, form normalized and long-term institutional guarantees, and comprehensively shape the “new wind system” [5]5 “New wind system” (新风系统) is a metaphor drawn from ventilation technology, here used to signify a comprehensive institutional mechanism that continuously purifies the political environment by circulating clean practices and expelling corrupt ones. of the New Era. On the other hand, we must fully trust the masses, rely on the masses, and mobilize the masses, smooth various channels for reflecting work style issues, innovate and pioneer in supervision methods and approaches, form an impenetrable supervision network, and make the “Four Forms of Decadence” [6]6 “Four Forms of Decadence” (四风) refers to formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance — the four target behaviors in the Party’s campaign against work style problems, first identified by Xi Jinping in 2013. have nowhere to hide. Furthermore, we must take the opportunity of the whole Party’s study and education on thoroughly implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations [7]7 The Eight-Point Regulations (八项规定) are a set of rules adopted by the CPC Central Committee in December 2012 to curb extravagance, reduce bureaucratic meetings and documents, and enforce frugality among officials. to promote Party members and cadres to strengthen their resolve, build a solid line of defense, and cultivate habits, so that good work styles gradually transform from “external constraints” into more firm and persistent ideological and action consciousness.

作风建设常态化长效化。作风建设是动态、持续、渐进的过程，不可能一蹴而就、毕其功于一役。作风建设永远在路上，永远没有休止符。一方面，制度具有稳定性、长期性，是推进作风建设常态化长效化的重要保证。要从完善制度体制机制入手，强化对权力的监督和制约，对不良作风露头就打、从严查处、深入治理，坚持“查治改”一体推进，肃清不良作风滋生的深层次制度根源，把作风建设情况作为绩效考核和干部选拔的重要依据，形成常态化长效化制度保障，全面塑造新时代的“新风系统”。另一方面，要充分信任群众、依靠群众、发动群众，畅通反映作风问题的各种渠道，在监督方式方法上开拓创新，形成密不透风的监督网，使“四风”无处遁形。还要以全党开展深入贯彻中央八项规定精神学习教育为契机，推动党员干部增强定力、筑牢防线、养成习惯，使良好作风逐渐由“外部约束”转变为更加坚定执着的思想和行动自觉。

(The author is a researcher at the School of Marxism, Fudan University, and Vice President of the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Research Institute)

（作者系复旦大学马克思主义学院研究员、纪检监察研究院副院长）

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