Further Implementing the Requirements of the Party’s Self-Revolution in the New Era

General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech when presiding over the 21st collective study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, emphasizing that advancing the Party’s self-revolution must be further implemented in areas such as raising awareness, strengthening Party spirit, regulating the exercise of power, strictly enforcing supervision and discipline, and fulfilling the responsibility for governing the Party. This represents a renewed mobilization and redeployment of the Party’s self-revolution, further enriching and developing General

习近平总书记在主持中共中央政治局第二十一次集体学习时发表重要讲话，强调推进党的自我革命，要在提高认识、增强党性、规范权力运行、从严监督执纪、履行管党治党责任等方面进一步落实到位。这是对党的自我革命的再动员再部署，进一步丰富和发展了习近平总书记关于党的自我革命的重要思想。五个“进一步落实到位”既从不同的维度层次精准标示了推进自我革命的重点环节，更以系统的顶层设计有效形成了环环相扣、压茬推进的抓落实工作闭环，为将自我革命进行到底提供了战略引领，明确了实践路径。

Self-revolution is first and foremost an ideological revolution. At present, we must resolutely break free from the shackles of erroneous views such as the “trouble theory,” the “excess theory,” and especially the “irrelevant theory” regarding self-revolution. We must overcome the paralyzing mindset of “slacking off and taking a rest,” discard the “spectator mentality” and the simplistic thinking of “achieving success in one fell swoop.” [1]1 “Achieving success in one fell swoop” (毕其功于一役) is a Chinese idiom meaning to accomplish the entire task in a single effort, often used to criticize an overly simplistic or impatient approach. Every Party organization and every Party member and cadre bears the responsibility for self-revolution; they must all place themselves within it. Self-revolution must never be treated as a mere slogan, still less as a flashlight that shines only on others and not on oneself. The string of self-revolution must be tightened further, and self-revolution must be carried through to the end.

自我革命首先是一场思想革命，当前要坚决破除自我革命“麻烦论”“过头论”，尤其是“与己无关论”等错误观点束缚，克服“松劲歇脚”的麻痹思想，摒弃“看客心态”和“毕其功于一役”的简单思维，每个党组织和每名党员干部都肩负着自我革命的责任，都要把自己摆进去，绝不能把自我革命当成口号喊，更不能当成手电筒只照别人不照自己，要把自我革命这根弦绷得更紧，将自我革命进行到底。

Tempering a strong Party spirit is a fine tradition of the Communist Party of China. General Secretary Xi Jinping has clearly pointed out, “What determines a person is their conduct; what determines a Party member is their Party spirit.” [2]2 This is a quotation from Xi Jinping, emphasizing the distinction between personal character and Party spirit. Party spirit has both the distinction between true and false and the gradation of purity. When Party spirit is strong, “righteous qi resides within, and evil cannot intrude”; when Party spirit is weak, over time “qi and blood become insufficient, and a hundred illnesses arise”; when Party spirit is lost, it inevitably leads to degeneration and transformation. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. [3]3 “To forge iron, one must be strong oneself” (打铁还须自身硬) is a Chinese proverb meaning that to correct or lead others, one must first be exemplary and capable oneself. To enhance Party spirit cultivation, we must both grasp the key points—firmly establishing ideals and convictions, forging loyalty to the Party, deeply cultivating a people-centered sentiment, purifying moral character, and maintaining clean governance—and rely on concrete cultivation and tempering, allowing no room for ambiguity or falsehood. We must hone our life of struggle in undertaking endeavors and advancing careers, elevate our moral realm in benefiting the people, diligently brush away the “dust of thought,” [4]4 “Dust of thought” (思想尘) is a metaphorical phrase referring to impure or corrupting thoughts that must be regularly cleansed. repeatedly ponder the “harm of greed,” [5]5 “Harm of greed” (贪欲害) refers to the damaging consequences of greedy desires. constantly break the “thief within the heart,” [6]6 “Thief within the heart” (心中贼) is a classical allusion from the Ming dynasty philosopher Wang Yangming, referring to selfish desires and evil thoughts that corrupt a person from within. “fearing not others’ knowledge but one’s own knowledge of oneself,” [7]7 “Fearing not others’ knowledge but one’s own knowledge of oneself” (不畏人知畏己知) is a classical Chinese saying attributed to the Qing dynasty official Ye Cunren, emphasizing self-awareness and moral self-discipline over fear of external judgment. continuously enhance political immunity, ensure that no internal disorder leads to external recklessness, and forever preserve political integrity.

锤炼坚强党性是中国共产党的优良传统。习近平总书记明确指出，“决定一个人如何的是品行，决定一名党员如何的是党性”。党性既有真伪之别，亦有成色之分，党性强，就会“正气存内、邪不可干”；党性弱，久而久之就会“气血不足百病生”；党性丧失，则必然导致蜕化变质。打铁还须自身硬，增强党性修养，既要抓住重点，坚定理想信念，铸牢对党忠诚，厚植为民情怀，纯正道德品质，保持清正廉洁；又要靠实实在在的修养和历练，容不得半点含糊和虚假，要在干事创业中磨砺奋斗人生，在为民造福中升华道德境界，勤掸“思想尘”，多思“贪欲害”，常破“心中贼”，“不畏人知畏己知”，不断提升政治免疫力，以内无妄思保证外无妄动，永葆政治本色。

Further regulate the operation of power and form a long-term mechanism for effectively restricting and supervising the operation of power. Regulating the operation of power is a key link in self-revolution. For power to produce its effect, it must be exercised; the crucial point is to see on what track it operates—whether it is “public rotation” or “private rotation.” “Public rotation” means operating on the public track, ensuring that power rotates for the “public” good, its function being to serve the people; “private rotation” means operating on a private track, disrupting the normal order of power allocation, operation, and restriction. This “mutated” power rotates for “private” gain, its aim being to use power for personal benefit. The root cause of various current unhealthy tendencies lies in the mentality of privilege, and the essence of ever-changing forms of corruption is the use of power for personal gain. Therefore, the Party’s self-revolution focuses on governing power. Regulating the operation of power means effectively ensuring that power operates in the sunlight, perfecting a transparent, traceable institutional mechanism that unifies the authorization, exercise, and restriction of power, continuously plugging loopholes in power operation, promptly making up for institutional shortcomings, breaking “hidden rules,” establishing “explicit rules,” effectively enhancing institutional execution, avoiding “cattle being kept in a pen meant for sheep” and “tigers being caged in a paper cage,” [8]8 “Cattle being kept in a pen meant for sheep” (牛栏关猫) and “tigers being caged in a paper cage” (纸笼禁虎) are Chinese idioms describing ineffective institutional constraints that are too weak to contain the objects they are meant to control. truly confining power within the cage of institutions, always ensuring the correct direction of power operation, and insisting that power is used for the people.

进一步规范权力运行，形成有效制约监督权力运行的长效机制。规范权力运行是自我革命的关键环节。权力要产生作用就必须运行起来，关键要看在什么轨道上运行，是“公转”还是“自转”，“公转”是在公共轨道上运行，确保权力因“公”而转，其功能是为民服务；“自转”是在私下轨道中运行，破坏了权力配置、运行和制约的正常秩序，这种“变异”的权力因“私”而转，其企图是以权谋私。当前各种不正之风根源在于特权思想，花样翻新的腐败现象本质都是以权谋私。因此，党的自我革命重在治权。规范权力运行就是要切实让权力在阳光下运行，健全授权用权制权相统一、透明清晰可追溯的制度机制，不断堵住权力运行漏洞，及时补齐制度短板，破“潜规则”，立“明规矩”，有效提高制度执行力，避免“牛栏关猫”“纸笼禁虎”，真正把权力关进制度的笼子里，始终确保权力运行的正确方向，坚持权为民所用。

Self-revolution is a process of self-purification, self-perfection, self-renovation, and self-improvement that turns the blade inward, scrapes the poison to heal the bone, and expels the rotten to regenerate the flesh. [9]9 “Scrapes the poison to heal the bone” (刮骨疗毒) is a classical allusion to the story of the Three Kingdoms general Guan Yu, who endured surgery to scrape poison from his arm without flinching, symbolizing extreme resolve in self-reform. On the great journey of self-revolution, there is no Peach Blossom Spring, [10]10 “Peach Blossom Spring” (桃花源) is a classical allusion to Tao Yuanming’s fable of a hidden utopian paradise, used here to mean a place of escape from reality. no safe haven, and still less any forbidden zone. However, a notable phenomenon currently existing in disciplinary inspection and supervision is that in the investigation and punishment of cases involving violations of law and discipline, many more are uncovered passively than are exposed voluntarily. One very important reason for this is that some Party organizations possess a sharp blade but have not drawn it from its sheath. To thoroughly change this phenomenon, we must truly strengthen the daily supervision of Party organizations, turn the hard requirements of Party conduct and Party discipline into hard measures, give iron rules iron teeth, enhance penetrating power with thunderbolt-like means, cut off the vines where wind and corruption grow together through simultaneous investigation and simultaneous governance, [11]11 “Wind” (风) here refers to unhealthy tendencies or misconduct in work style, and “corruption” (腐) refers to corrupt practices. “Simultaneous investigation and simultaneous governance” (同查同治) means investigating and addressing both together. uncover the true face of “corruption” by lifting the lid of “wind,” [12]12 “Lifting the lid of ‘wind’” (揭开“风”的盖子) is a metaphor for exposing superficial misconduct to uncover deeper corruption. clearly release the signal of strictness to the end and yielding not an inch, and effectively form a high-pressure deterrent with the alarm bell constantly ringing and the sword of Damocles perpetually hanging overhead.

自我革命是刀刃向内、刮骨疗毒、去腐生肌的自我净化、自我完善、自我革新、自我提高过程。在自我革命的伟大征程中，没有桃花源，也不会有避风港，更不存在禁区。但当前监督执纪中存在的一个明显现象，就是违法违纪案件查处中被动挖出来的多、主动揭出来的少，其中很重要的一个原因就在于部分党组织身怀利刃却并未出鞘。要彻底改变这种现象就必须把党组织日常监督真正抓起来，将党风党纪硬要求变为硬举措，让铁规矩长出铁牙齿，以霹雳手段提高穿透力，以同查同治斩断风腐共生的藤蔓，通过揭开“风”的盖子揪出“腐”的真面目，明确释放一严到底、寸步不让的信号，有效形成警钟长鸣、利剑高悬的高压震慑。

Further fulfill the responsibility for governing the Party and managing the Party, and effectively advance comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: “If responsibilities are not clarified, not implemented, and not held accountable, strict governance of the Party cannot be achieved.” [13]13 This is a quotation from Xi Jinping, emphasizing the necessity of clear responsibility for strict Party governance. What is alarming is that some leading Party cadres are still politically numb and insensitive, causing the responsibility for governing the Party and managing the Party to exist in name only. To further implement the responsibility for governing the Party and managing the Party, we must, on the one hand, firmly establish from a conceptual standpoint the outlook on political performance that “doing a good job in Party building is one’s duty, not doing Party building is dereliction of duty, and doing a poor job in Party building is incompetence,” [14]14 This is a standard formulation in CPC discourse on Party building, defining the proper outlook on political performance for leading cadres. and regard doing a good job in Party building as the greatest political achievement. On the other hand, we must further improve from the responsibility system perspective the complete chain of responsibilities—including the main responsibility, the supervisory responsibility, the responsibility of the first responsible person, and the “dual responsibility for one post” [15]15 “Dual responsibility for one post” (一岗双责) refers to the requirement that leading cadres are responsible both for their professional duties and for Party building and anti-corruption work within their jurisdiction.—for governing the Party and managing the Party, ensuring that each type of responsibility is strictly fulfilled. By ensuring that the responsible subject is in place, the responsibility requirements are in place, and the assessment and accountability are in place, we can promote the implementation of the responsibility for governing the Party and managing the Party, transmit pressure layer by layer, effectively create a strict atmosphere, and establish a correct ethos.

进一步履行管党治党责任，切实推进全面从严治党。习近平总书记强调：“不明确责任，不落实责任，不追究责任，从严治党是做不到的。”令人警醒的是，当前仍有部分党员领导干部政治上麻木不仁，导致管党治党责任形同虚设。进一步落实管党治党责任，既要从责任观念上牢固树立“抓好党建是本职、不抓党建是失职、抓不好党建是不称职”的政绩观，把抓好党建作为最大的政绩；又要从责任体系上进一步完善管党治党的主体责任、监督责任、第一责任人责任、“一岗双责”等完整责任链条，确保每一种责任都要严格落实，以责任主体到位、责任要求到位、考核问责到位，推动管党治党责任落实到位，层层传导压力，切实把严的氛围营造起来、把正的风气树立起来。

(Author: Hu Guoxi, Associate Professor, Department of United Front Theory Teaching and Research, Central Institute of Socialism)

（作者：胡国喜，系中央社会主义学院统战理论教研部副教授）

Online Editor: Tongxin

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