Advancing the Party’s Self-Revolution Must Achieve Systematic Guidance

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on the Party’s self-revolution is the fundamental guidance for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in depth in the New Era and for opening up a new realm for the self-revolution of a century-old major party. During the 21st group study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee [1]1 The 20th National Congress of the CPC was held in October 2022. The 21st group study session of its Political Bureau refers to a specific collective study meeting of the Party’s top leadership body., General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that self-revolution is the second answer for our Party to break out of the historical cycle of rise and fall [2]2 This refers to the historical pattern of dynastic cycles in Chinese history, where a ruling house would rise, flourish, decay, and fall. The Party’s “first answer” to this problem was democracy, as proposed by Mao Zedong; the “second answer” is self-revolution., and that advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party by starting with the improvement of work style is an important experience of the Party’s self-revolution in the New Era. To advance the Party’s self-revolution, it is necessary to further ensure implementation in areas such as raising awareness, strengthening Party spirit, standardizing the exercise of power, strictly enforcing supervision and discipline, and fulfilling the responsibility for governing the Party. These “five further implementations” profoundly summarize the practical experience of governing the Party strictly and comprehensively in the New Era and constitute key practical starting points for implementing the important thought on the Party’s self-revolution. This important exposition, from the strategic height of matters concerning the Party’s future and destiny, provides systematic guidance for “how to govern and manage the Party” in the New Era.

习近平总书记关于党的自我革命的重要思想，是新时代深入推进全面从严治党、开辟百年大党自我革命新境界的根本遵循。在二十届中央政治局第二十一次集体学习时，习近平总书记强调，自我革命是我们党跳出治乱兴衰历史周期率的第二个答案，从抓作风入手推进全面从严治党是新时代党的自我革命一条重要经验。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“五个进一步到位”，深刻总结了新时代管党治党的实践经验，构成了贯彻落实党的自我革命的重要思想的关键实践抓手。这一重要论述，从事关党的前途命运的战略高度，为新时代“如何管党治党”提供了系统化指引。

Stimulating the Original Driving Force of the Important Thought on the Party’s Self-Revolution

激发党的自我革命重要思想原动力

Thought is the precursor to action. The primary task in enhancing the effectiveness of governing and managing the Party lies in solving the deep-seated problem of cognitive motivation. From the perspective of Marxist party building, self-revolution is not only a political statement but also an internal evolutionary process based on organizational self-awareness.

思想是行动的先导，管党治党效能的提升，首要在于解决深层次的认知动机问题。在马克思主义政党建设的视野下，自我革命不仅是政治表态，更是基于组织自觉的内在演进过程。

Deepen strategic cognition, shifting from “passive response” to “historical consciousness.” The requirement that “awareness of the Party’s self-revolution must be further implemented” precisely targets the cognitive deviations that currently exist among some Party members and cadres. As comprehensive and strict governance of the Party enters a stage of deepening, the “fatigue syndrome” [3]3 A colloquial term for a sense of weariness or slackness that can set in during a long-term, intensive campaign. that some cadres have developed and the view that sets self-revolution in opposition to development are, in essence, a lack of profound grasp of the laws governing the governance of a major party. Self-revolution is not an expedient measure but the “second answer” for the Party to break out of the historical cycle of rise and fall. The prerequisite for improving governance effectiveness must be to recognize at the ideological core the necessity of “turning the blade inward,” transforming the pressure of external supervision into the endogenous driving force for active self-purification, and removing obstacles to high-quality development by eliminating the unhealthy and fostering the clean. Temper Party spirit, building a “thought immune system” against corruption. The requirement that “Party members and cadres must further strengthen their Party spirit” reveals the decisive role of Party spirit as the cornerstone of governing the Party. In a complex governance environment, the rigid implementation of institutions often depends on the political character of the implementing subjects. Party spirit is not only a matter of moral cultivation but also an intrinsic support for governance effectiveness. To enhance the effectiveness of governing the Party, it is necessary to conduct serious intra-Party political life, guide Party members and cadres to purify their moral character and cultivate deep feelings for the people through practical tempering, and forge an “indestructible body.” Only when every Party member possesses strong political resolve and moral strength can the ideological dam against “not daring to be corrupt” be truly built, and can the various measures for governing the Party be transformed from “rules on paper” into “codes of conduct.”

深化战略认知，从“被动应对”转向“历史自觉”。“对党的自我革命认识要进一步到位”，这一要求精准指向了当前部分党员干部存在的认知偏差。在全面从严治党进入纵深阶段的背景下，个别干部产生的“疲劳综合征”以及将自我革命与发展对立起来的观点，本质上是缺乏对大党治理规律的深刻把握。自我革命不是权宜之计，而是党跳出治乱兴衰历史周期率的“第二个答案”。提升治理效能的前提必须在思想深处认同“刀刃向内”的必要性，将外部监督的压力转化为主动自我净化的内生动力，通过激浊扬清为高质量发展破除机制性障碍。淬炼党性，构筑抵御腐蚀的“思想免疫系统”。“党员干部增强党性要进一步到位”，揭示了党性作为管党治党基石的决定性作用。在复杂的治理环境下，制度的刚性执行往往依赖于执行主体的政治品格。党性不仅是道德层面的修养，更是治理效能的内在支撑。提升管党治党效能，必须通过严肃党内政治生活，引导党员干部在实践磨砺中纯正道德品质、厚植为民情怀，炼就“金刚不坏之身”。只有当每一名党员都具备了强大的政治定力和道德张力，“不想腐”的思想堤坝才能真正筑牢，管党治党的各项举措才能从“纸面规则”转化为“行为准则”。

Perfecting the Rigid Constraint Mechanism for “Being Unable to Corrupt”

完善“不能腐”的刚性约束机制

If ideological education focuses on “flexible guidance,” then institutional construction and supervision and discipline enforcement are the “rigid constraints” for enhancing governance effectiveness. The key to improving effectiveness lies in achieving a transformation from governance by elements to systematic governance.

如果说思想教育侧重于“柔性引导”，那么制度建设与监督执纪则是提升治理效能的“刚性制约”。提升效能的关键在于实现从要素治理向系统治理的转变。

Standardized exercise of power, precisely targeting the crux of governance effectiveness. The requirement that “the standardized exercise of power must be further implemented” focuses on the core contradiction of governance. The essence of corruption is the irrational expansion or abuse of power. In a modern governance system, the institutional dilemma of “catching cats with a cow pen” [4]4 A Chinese idiom describing a security measure that is too weak or loose to be effective, like a cow pen that cannot contain a cat. must be broken. The logic of standardizing power lies in “governing power”; it is necessary to closely monitor “top leaders” and key positions, focus on high-risk links such as major decision-making and project approval, and establish a whole-chain mechanism. Through list-based management and process control, the space for power rent-seeking should be squeezed to the maximum extent, resolutely preventing power from being eroded by interest groups. Only by allowing power to operate in the sunlight can the loss of governance effectiveness be eliminated at the source, achieving a high degree of alignment between the exercise of power and the public interest. Strengthen supervision and discipline enforcement, using “deterrence” to guarantee the “authority” of institutions. The requirement that “strict supervision and discipline enforcement must be further implemented” demands that iron rules must grow “iron teeth.” Under the new characteristics of the integration of work style and corruption and their hidden and mutated forms, enhancing governance effectiveness requires achieving “through-connection and coordination” in supervision methods. This requires promoting the organic integration of intra-Party supervision with supervision by the People’s Congress, the judiciary, the masses, and public opinion, eliminating blind spots in supervision. In terms of discipline enforcement strategy, efforts to “simultaneously investigate work style and corruption” should be intensified, both to dig out the transfer of interests behind the “Four Forms of Decadence” [5]5 A standard abbreviation for four types of misconduct within the Party and government: formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance. and to eradicate deep-seated corruption in specific industries. Only by maintaining a high-pressure stance and forming a strong deterrent against daring to be corrupt can the institutional advantages of governing the Party be transformed into tangible governance effectiveness.

权力规范运行，精准切中治理效能的要害。“权力规范运行要进一步到位”，聚焦的是治理的核心矛盾。腐败的本质是权力的非理性扩张或滥用。在现代治理体系中，必须打破“牛栏关猫”式的制度困境。规范权力的逻辑在于“治权”，需紧盯“一把手”及关键岗位，聚焦重大决策、项目审批等高风险环节，建立全链条机制。通过清单化管理与流程化控制，最大限度挤压权力寻租空间，坚决防止权力被利益集团侵蚀。只有让权力在阳光下运行，才能从源头上消除治理效能的流失，实现权力运行与公共利益的高度契合。强化监督执纪，以“震慑力”保障制度“权威性”。“从严监督执纪要进一步到位”，要求铁规矩必须长出“铁牙齿”。在“风腐一体”、隐形变异的新特点下，提升治理效能必须在监督方式上实现“贯通协同”。这要求推动党内监督与人大、司法、群众、舆论监督的有机衔接，消除监督盲区。执纪策略上应加大“风腐同查同治”力度，既要深挖“四风”背后的利益输送，也要铲除行业性腐败顽疾。只有保持高压态势，形成不敢腐的强大震慑，才能确保管党治党的制度优势转化为实实在在的治理效能。

Achieving the Synergy of the System for Governing and Managing the Party

实现管党治党体系的效能耦合

The responsibility system is the “ox nose” [6]6 A Chinese idiom meaning the key link or crucial point that controls the whole situation. of governing and managing the Party. The requirement that “the responsibility for governing and managing the Party must be further implemented” emphasizes not merely the simple allocation of tasks, but how to achieve the overall optimization of the governance system through the embedding of responsibilities. Consolidate political responsibility, leveraging the leading role of the “key minority.” Leading cadres, as the core bearers of the governance system, must prevent the hollowing out of responsibility. Transmitting pressure layer by layer to correct the structural contradiction of “hot at the top, warm in the middle, and cold at the bottom” [7]7 A phrase describing a common problem in policy implementation where enthusiasm and effort are strong at the top level, moderate in the middle levels, and weak or absent at the grassroots level. is the necessary path to improving effectiveness. Leading cadres at all levels should embed the responsibility for governing and managing the Party into the entire process of their professional work, promoting the implementation of the requirements for comprehensive and strict governance of the Party down to the grassroots level. Build a closed loop of responsibility, driving the self-optimization of the governance system. The implementation of responsibility cannot remain at the level of document deployment but should be embedded in the specific links of power operation. To this end, a logical closed loop of “defining responsibility, fulfilling responsibility, supervising responsibility, and holding accountable” must be constructed. Clearly define responsibility, transforming the boundaries of responsibility into specific institutional rules; standardize the fulfillment of responsibility, internalizing the requirements of responsibility into the daily operational mechanisms of the organization; strengthen supervision of responsibility, ensuring that institutional implementation remains continuously under control in a dynamic state; strictly enforce accountability, forming a mechanism for correction and feedback within the system. Only by forming an institutional chain with closed-loop operation can governing and managing the Party shift from “physical superposition” to “chemical fusion,” achieving an overall leap in effectiveness.

责任制是管党治党的“牛鼻子”。“落实管党治党责任要进一步到位”，强调的不只是简单的任务分配，而是如何通过责任嵌入实现治理体系的整体优化。压实政治责任，发挥“关键少数”的领航作用。领导干部作为治理体系的核心承担者，必须防止责任虚化。通过层层传导压力，纠治“上热中温下冷”的结构性矛盾是提升效能的必由之路。各级领导干部应将管党治党责任嵌入业务工作全过程，推动全面从严治党要求落实到基层末梢。构建责任闭环，驱动治理体系的自我优化责任落实不能停留在文件部署，而应嵌入权力运行的具体环节。为此，必须构建“确责、履责、督责、问责”的逻辑闭环。清晰确责，将责任边界转化为具体的制度规则；规范履责，将责任要求内化为组织的日常运行机制；强化督责，确保制度执行在动态中持续受控；严格问责，形成体系内部的纠偏与反馈机制。只有形成闭环运行的制度链条，管党治党才能从“物理叠加”转向“化学融合”，实现效能的整体跃迁。

To advance the Party’s self-revolution, we must not only continuously accumulate experience in practice but also summarize laws from experience, thereby forming a regular understanding, so as to deepen the Party’s self-revolution more effectively. From this, it can be seen that the “five further implementations” are not five isolated dimensions but a logically rigorous and intrinsically unified organic whole. Cognition is the precursor, solving the strategic consciousness of “why to do it”; Party spirit is the foundation, solving the subject quality of “who does it”; standardizing power is the key point, defining the behavioral boundary of “what to do”; supervision and discipline enforcement are the guarantee, establishing the evaluation standard of “how well it is done”; the implementation of responsibility is the starting point, providing the source of motivation for “who to rely on to do it.” To enhance the overall effectiveness of governing and managing the Party in the New Era, it is necessary to adhere to a systematic concept and promote the resonance of all elements at the same frequency. Through the integration of elements and the connection of mechanisms, a new pattern of governing and managing the Party should be constructed, characterized by full coverage of content, full coverage of objects, a full chain of responsibilities, and full through-connection of institutions. On the new journey, risks and tests are becoming increasingly complex. The more severe the situation, the more necessary it is to take General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on the Party’s self-revolution as the fundamental guidance and the “five further implementations” as the powerful starting point. By continuously enhancing the overall effectiveness of governing and managing the Party, constantly strengthening the Party’s creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness, ensuring that the Party always remains the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and providing a strong political guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

推进党的自我革命，我们不仅要在实践中持续积累经验，更要从经验中总结规律，进而形成规律性认识，才能更有效地深化党的自我革命。由此可知，“五个进一步到位”不是五个孤立的维度，而是逻辑严密、内在统一的有机整体。认知是先导，解决了“为什么做”的战略自觉；党性是基础，解决了“谁来做”的主体素质；权力规范是重点，定义了“做什么”的行为边界；监督执纪是保障，确立了“做得怎么样”的评价标准；责任落实是抓手，提供了“靠谁做”的动力源泉。提升新时代管党治党的整体效能，必须坚持系统观念，推动各要素同频共振。要通过要素整合与机制衔接，构建内容全涵盖、对象全覆盖、责任全链条、制度全贯通的管党治党新格局。新征程上，风险考验日益复杂。越是形势严峻，越要以习近平总书记关于党的自我革命的重要思想为根本遵循，以“五个进一步到位”为有力抓手。通过持续提升管党治党的整体效能，不断增强党的创造力、凝聚力、战斗力，确保党始终成为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心，为实现民族复兴提供坚强政治保证。

(The author is an Associate Professor at the School of Marxism, Shandong Jianzhu University)

（作者系山东建筑大学马克思主义学院副教授）