A Systematic Analysis of the Integration of the Basic Principles of Marxism with China’s Excellent Traditional Culture

The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC points out: “The Chinese Communists have come to a profound understanding that only by integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the best of traditional Chinese culture, and by applying dialectical materialism and historical materialism, can we correctly answer the major questions posed by the era and by practice, and can we always maintain the vigorous vitality and exuberant vigor of Marxism.” [1]1 The Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the CPC was held in Yan'an in September-November 1938. It was a key meeting during the War of Resistance Against Japan that affirmed Mao Zedong's leadership role in the Party and formally raised the task of "sinicizing Marxism." In a general sense, this passage actually raises the question of the localization and modernization of Marxism and the relationship between the two. In July 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his congratulatory letter to the World Marxist Political Parties Forum of the Communist Party of China, pointed out: “Marxism is an open theory that constantly develops; only through localization can it take root, and only through modernization can it be full of vitality.” This indicates that the “Two Integrations” are the fundamental path for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. [2]2 "Second integration" (第二次结合) refers to Mao Zedong's call in 1956 to integrate the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete reality of China's socialist revolution and construction, as distinct from the earlier "first integration" which had guided the New Democratic Revolution. This paper employs the method of unifying logic and history to explain the necessity, possibility, and actuality of integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture, and arrives at the conclusion that Marxism has not failed China, nor has China failed Marxism. To promote the positive interaction between the basic principles of Marxism and China’s excellent traditional culture, we must adhere to the guidance of Marxism and treat Chinese traditional culture with a scientific attitude, opposing both cultural nihilism and historical nihilism, as well as cultural restorationism and cultural conservatism.

党的二十大报告指出：“中国共产党人深刻认识到，只有把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合，坚持运用辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义，才能正确回答时代和实践提出的重大问题，才能始终保持马克思主义的蓬勃生机和旺盛活力。”从一般意义上来说，这段话实际上提出了马克思主义本土化、时代化及其两者之间的关系问题。2022年7月，习近平总书记在向中国共产党与世界马克思主义政党论坛致贺信中指出：“马克思主义是不断发展的开放的理论，本土化才能落地生根，时代化才能充满生机。”这表明，“两个结合”是马克思主义中国化时代化的根本途径。本文运用逻辑与历史相统一的方法阐释马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的必要性、可能性和现实性，得出马克思主义没有辜负中国、中国也没有辜负马克思主义的结论。而推进马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化的良性互动，必须坚持以马克思主义为指导，以科学的态度对待中国传统文化，既要反对文化虚无主义、历史虚无主义，也要反对文化复古主义、文化保守主义。

Clarification of Concepts and Analysis of Issues

概念厘清与问题分析

From a semantic analysis of “integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture,” we can raise the following specific questions: Why is it not “Marxism” but “the basic principles of Marxism”? Why is it not “Chinese traditional culture” or “Chinese culture” but “China’s excellent traditional culture”? Why is it not the integration of the basic principles of Marxism “and” or “with” China’s excellent traditional culture, but the integration of the basic principles of Marxism “with” China’s excellent traditional culture? [3]3 The Westernization Movement (洋务运动, c. 1861-1895) was a self-strengthening reform program undertaken by late Qing dynasty officials to adopt Western military technology and industrial techniques while preserving Confucian values. Answering these questions is key to correctly grasping this proposition or major judgment of “integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture.”

“马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合”，从语义学的角度分析，我们可以提出以下几个具体问题：为什么不是马克思主义，而是马克思主义基本原理？为什么不是中华传统文化或中华文化，而是中华优秀传统文化？为什么不是马克思主义基本原理“和”或“与”中华优秀传统文化相结合，而是马克思主义基本原理“同”中华优秀传统文化相结合？回答这些问题，是我们正确把握“马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合”这一命题或重大判断的关键。

“Marxism reveals the laws of development of human society and is the scientific truth for understanding and transforming the world.” The basic principles of Marxism are the organic unity of the basic positions, basic viewpoints, and basic methods of Marxism. They are theories of universal truth established through repeated practical verification in the process of the formation, development, and application of Marxism. It can be said that Marxism includes both individual theoretical judgments and specific conclusions formed under specific conditions (specific historical periods, specific countries, specific nations) and the universal, fundamental, and long-term guiding basic principles of Marxism. This also indicates that not every specific exposition or assertion of Marxism belongs to the “basic principles”; only those that embody the fundamental nature and overall character of Marxism belong to the “basic principles.”

“马克思主义揭示了人类社会发展规律，是认识世界、改造世界的科学真理。”马克思主义基本原理是马克思主义的基本立场、基本观点和基本方法的有机统一，是在马克思主义形成、发展和运用过程中经过实践反复检验而确立起来的具有普遍真理性的理论。可以说，马克思主义既包括特定条件下（特定历史时期、特定国家、具体民族）形成的个别理论判断和具体结论，也包括普遍的、根本的和具有长远指导意义的马克思主义基本原理，这也表明，并非任何一个马克思主义的具体论述或论断都属于“基本原理”，只有那些体现马克思主义的根本性质和整体特征的内容才属于“基本原理”。

In daily life and work, we often use “Chinese traditional culture,” “Chinese culture,” “Chinese civilization,” and “Chinese excellent traditional culture” interchangeably without distinction. However, in the academic field, we must specifically clarify the relationships among traditional culture, cultural tradition, Chinese culture, Chinese traditional culture, and China’s excellent traditional culture. The focus of “traditional culture” is on culture, and it is relative to contemporary culture and foreign cultures. The content of traditional culture mainly includes the organic complex of all material and spiritual cultural phenomena, such as traditional customs, morals, thoughts, art systems, and lifestyles. The concept of traditional culture itself includes tangible material culture, but it is more reflected in intangible spiritual culture, mainly manifested in people’s moral pursuits, lifestyles, customs, psychological characteristics, aesthetic tastes, and value concepts, thereby internalizing, accumulating, and permeating the deep psychology of each generation of social members. The focus of “cultural tradition” is on tradition. Cultural tradition “originates from the historical life of the nation, grows through the repeated practice of the nation, and forms the collective consciousness and collective unconsciousness of the nation. Simply put, cultural tradition is the national spirit.” [4]4 This is a quotation from Mao Zedong's 1949 essay "On the People's Democratic Dictatorship," referring to the historical experience of China's repeated failures to achieve national salvation through learning from Western bourgeois models. Cultural tradition is different from traditional culture: “Cultural tradition is the metaphysical Dao, while traditional culture is the physical vessel; the Dao is within the vessel, and the vessel is inseparable from the Dao.” The Chinese nation has a splendid civilization history of more than five thousand years, has created a broad and profound Chinese culture, and has made indelible contributions to the progress of human civilization. “The Chinese nation and Chinese culture are integrated as one; without the Chinese nation, there would be no Chinese culture, and similarly, without Chinese culture, there would be no Chinese nation.” [5]5 This quotation is from Mao Zedong's 1949 article "The Bankruptcy of the Idealist Conception of History," which argued that Marxism-Leninism succeeded in China because it met the objective needs of the Chinese revolution. Chinese culture embodies the deepest spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation and is the rich nourishment for the endless life and development of the Chinese nation. The formation and development process of Chinese traditional culture, especially its core ideological culture, can be roughly divided into several different stages: the contention of a hundred schools of thought during the pre-Qin period, the flourishing of classical studies during the Han dynasties, the prevalence of Neo-Taoism during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the coexistence and integration of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the development of “Lu-Wang School of Mind” and “Cheng-Zhu School of Principle” during the Song and Ming dynasties. [6]6 This passage is from Chen Duxiu's 1919 article "The Question of Importing Doctrines" (《学说与装饰品》), in which he argued for the pragmatic import of socialist theory based on China's specific social needs. “Chinese traditional culture” is composed of the two major concepts of “Chinese” and “traditional culture.” The term “Chinese” here corresponds to the country of the “People’s Republic of China” today. Therefore, it can also be called “Chinese traditional culture,” meaning that the “traditional culture” is “Chinese” and not that of another country or the “West.” From this, it can be concluded that “Chinese traditional culture,” from a spatial perspective, refers to the territory covering 9.6 million square kilometers inhabited by the Han nationality and 55 ethnic minorities; combined with the time dimension, it refers to the general summary of the various cultural achievements jointly created by the ancestors of the Chinese nation before the Opium War in 1840. “Chinese traditional culture is the general term for all cultures created and inherited by the Chinese nation in history, and it is a neutral collective concept.” [7]7 This is a quotation from the Chinese scholar Li Zonggui (born 1941), a professor at Wuhan University specializing in Chinese philosophy and culture. Chinese traditional culture contains both excellent and essential parts and feudal, backward, dross, and even decadent parts. “In its formation and development process, traditional culture was inevitably constrained and influenced by the limitations of people’s cognitive levels, the conditions of the times, and the social systems of that period, and therefore inevitably contains things that are outdated or have become dross.” [8]8 This is a quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at a forum on literature and art work in October 2014. “China’s excellent traditional culture” refers to the “excellent” part, i.e., the “essence.” “China’s excellent traditional culture is the prominent advantage of the Chinese nation and our deepest cultural soft power.” [9]9 This is a quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at a ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC in July 2021.

在日常生活和工作中，我们经常将“中国传统文化”“中华传统文化”“中华文化”“中华文明”不加区别地使用。但在学术领域，我们必须具体厘清传统文化、文化传统、中华文化、中华传统文化、中华优秀传统文化之间的关系。“传统文化”落脚点在文化，是相对于当代文化和外来文化而言的。传统文化的内容主要包括传统风俗、道德、思想、艺术制度、生活方式等一切物质和精神文化现象的有机复合体。传统文化的概念本身包含了有形的物质文化，但是更多体现在无形的精神文化方面，主要体现在人们的道德追求、生活方式、风俗习惯、心理特征、审美情趣、价值观念上，从而内化、积淀、渗透于每一代社会成员的心理深处。“文化传统”落脚点在传统。文化传统“产生于民族的历代生活，成长于民族的重复实践，形成为民族的集体意识和集体无意识。简单说来，文化传统就是民族精神。”文化传统与传统文化不同，“文化传统是形而上的道，传统文化是形而下的器；道在器中，器不离道。”中华民族具有五千多年灿烂的文明史，创造了博大精深的中华文化，为人类文明进步作出了不可磨灭的贡献。“中华民族与中华文化互为一体，离开了中华民族就不会有中华文化，同样，离开了中华文化也就谈不到中华民族”，中华文化积淀着中华民族最深沉的精神追求，是中华民族生生不息、发展壮大的丰厚滋养。中国传统文化，尤其是作为其核心的思想文化的形成和发展过程，大体上可以分为先秦时期的诸子百家争鸣、两汉时期的经学兴盛、魏晋南北朝时期的玄学流行、隋唐时期的儒释道三教并立融合、宋明时期的“陆王心学”“程朱理学”发展等几个不同阶段。“中华传统文化”是由“中华”和“传统文化”两大概念组合而成的，其所谓“中华”，同今天的“中华人民共和国”在国度对应上是一致的，因此，也可称为“中国传统文化”，意为“传统文化”是“中国”的，而不是别国的或“西方”的。由此可得出，“中华传统文化”，从空间上来说，是指其境内辖有960万平方公里的地域，生活着汉族及55个少数民族；结合时间维度来看，其是指以中华民族为主体的先民们在1840年鸦片战争以前共同创造的形形色色的文化成果的总概括，“中华传统文化是中华民族在历史上创造、继承的全部文化的总称，是一个中性的集合概念。”中华传统文化中既有优秀、精华的部分，也有封建、落后、糟粕甚至腐朽的部分。“传统文化在其形成和发展过程中，不可避免会受到当时人们的认识水平、时代条件、社会制度的局限性的制约和影响，因而也不可避免会存在陈旧过时或已成为糟粕性的东西。” “中华优秀传统文化”指的是其中“优秀”的部分即“精华”，“中华优秀传统文化是中华民族的突出优势，是我们最深厚的文化软实力”。

When discussing the relationship of integrating the “basic principles of Marxism” or “the universal principles of Marxism” or “the universal truth of Marxism” with “China’s concrete reality” or “China’s concrete practice,” the principal leaders of the Communist Party of China have mainly used the three characters “和” (he), “与” (yu), and “同” (tong) to express it. For example, Comrade Mao Zedong mainly used “和” in his early period, and later also used “同.” In 1938, at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Party [1]1 The Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the CPC was held in Yan'an in September-November 1938. It was a key meeting during the War of Resistance Against Japan that affirmed Mao Zedong's leadership role in the Party and formally raised the task of "sinicizing Marxism.", Comrade Mao Zedong put forward the important proposition of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and elaborated on it profoundly. He emphasized: “To make Marxism concrete in China, so that in every one of its manifestations it acquires the necessary Chinese characteristics, that is to say, to apply it according to China’s specific characteristics, has become a problem that the whole Party must urgently understand and solve.” “Marxism must be integrated with the specific characteristics of our country and can only be realized through certain national forms.” In 1939, Comrade Mao Zedong, in his article “Introducing The Communist,” summarizing the history and experience of Party building over the previous 18 years, explicitly proposed “integrating the theory of Marxism-Leninism with the practice of the Chinese revolution.” In early April 1956, at a meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the CPC, Comrade Mao Zedong stated: “I believe the most important lesson is independence and self-reliance, investigation and research, to ascertain the national conditions of our own country, to integrate the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete reality of our country’s revolution and construction, and to formulate our line, policies, and measures. Now is the period of socialist revolution and construction; we must carry out a second integration [2]2 "Second integration" (第二次结合) refers to Mao Zedong's call in 1956 to integrate the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete reality of China's socialist revolution and construction, as distinct from the earlier "first integration" which had guided the New Democratic Revolution. and find the correct path for carrying out socialist revolution and construction in China.” When discussing the “second integration,” Comrade Mao Zedong used the phrase “to integrate the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete reality of our country’s revolution and construction.” Since then, when discussing this issue, the standard expression has been “to integrate the universal truth of Marxism with the concrete reality of our country.” In the *Modern Chinese Dictionary*, “与” (yu) when used as a conjunction is synonymous with “和” (he), for example, industry and agriculture (工业与农业, 工业和农业); criticism and self-criticism (批评和自我批评, 批评与自我批评). “同” (tong) “reflects a closer relationship between the two sides, usually used between things that share considerable commonality.” “Integration” (结合) mainly refers to the close connection that occurs between people or things. “Integration” is not “mixing” (混合), not “blending” (掺合), and not “congruence” (契合). “Congruence” mainly refers to “conformity” or “being compatible; having congenial interests.” The “integration” in the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture mainly refers to the “close connection” that occurs between the two. In this sense, “congruence” can only be formed on the basis of “close connection.” In summary, the formulation “integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s concrete reality and with China’s excellent traditional culture” reflects the special emotional and value orientation of the Chinese Communists towards China’s excellent traditional culture, and this orientation corresponds to the CPC’s adherence to the Marxist method of historical analysis.

中国共产党主要领导人在谈及把“马克思主义基本原理”或“马克思主义普遍原理”或“马克思主义普遍真理”，“中国具体实际”或“中国具体实践”两者相结合之间关系时，主要使用过“和”“与”“同”三个字来表达。例如，毛泽东同志早期主要使用“和”字，后来也曾使用过“同”字。1938年，在党的六届六中全会上，毛泽东同志提出了马克思主义中国化的重要命题，并作了深刻阐述，他强调：“使马克思主义在中国具体化，使之在其每一表现中带着必须有的中国的特性，即是说，按照中国的特点去应用它，成为全党亟待了解并亟须解决的问题。”“马克思主义必须和我国的具体特点相结合并通过一定的民族形式才能实现”。1939年，毛泽东同志在《〈共产党人〉发刊词》中，总结18年来党的建设的历史和经验，明确提出了“将马克思列宁主义的理论和中国革命的实践相结合”。1956年4月初，在中共中央书记处会议上，毛泽东同志提出：“我认为最重要的教训是独立自主，调查研究，摸清本国国情，把马克思列宁主义的基本原理同我国革命和建设的具体实际结合起来，制定我们的路线、方针、政策。现在是社会主义革命和建设时期，我们要进行第二次结合，找岀在中国进行社会主义革命和建设的正确道路。”在论述“第二次结合”时，毛泽东同志使用的是“把马克思列宁主义的基本原理同我国革命和建设的具体实际结合起来”，自此之后，在论述这一问题时，标准的表述就是“把马克思主义的普遍真理同我国的具体实际结合起来”。《现代汉语词典》中“与”作为连接词时同“和”同义，例如，工业与农业、工业和农业；批评和自我批评、批评与自我批评。“同”则“体现着前后双方之间更加亲密性的关系，通常是用于双方具有相当共同性的事物之间。” “结合”主要是指人或事物间发生密切联系。“结合”不是“混合”、不是“掺合”，也不是“契合”。“契合”主要是指“符合”“合得来；意气相投”。马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合中的“结合”，主要是指两者之间发生的“密切联系”。就此而言，“契合”则是在“密切联系”的基础上才能形成的。综上所述，“把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合”的论述，体现出中国共产党人对中华优秀传统文化的一种特殊情感倾向和价值倾向，而这种倾向与中国共产党坚持马克思主义历史分析方法是相对应的。

The Necessity of Integrating the Basic Principles of Marxism with China’s Excellent Traditional Culture

马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的必要性

To uphold and develop Marxism, it is necessary to integrate the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture. Only this integration can highlight the unique contribution of the Chinese Communists and continuously enrich the spiritual treasury of Marxism. In his speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward the proposition of “upholding the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s concrete reality and with China’s excellent traditional culture,” and further elaborated on it in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC. From the perspective of the formation and development of the theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the line, policies, and measures of our Party all embody China’s excellent traditional culture. The proposal of “upholding the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s concrete reality and with China’s excellent traditional culture” provides a clear theoretical generalization. This is another major innovation in the Party’s theory, inaugurating a new atmosphere and new pattern in the Party’s theoretical innovation. The development of history and reality shows that the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture has a profound historical and mass foundation.

坚持和发展马克思主义，必须把马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合。只有这种结合才能凸显中国共产党人的独特贡献，才能不断丰富马克思主义的精神宝库。习近平总书记在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上的讲话中提出“坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合”这一命题，在党的二十大报告中又作了进一步的阐述。从中国特色社会主义理论形成和发展的历史来看，中国特色社会主义道路、中国特色社会主义制度、中国特色社会主义理论体系以及我们党的路线方针政策都体现着中华优秀传统文化，“坚持把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合”的提出从理论上进行了明确概括，这是党的理论的又一重大创新，开创了我们党理论创新的新气象和新格局。历史和现实的发展表明，马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合有着深厚的历史基础和群众基础。

After Marxism was introduced into China, the fact that it was chosen by the Chinese people amidst the clash of various trends of thought was no accident, but a choice of history and a choice of the people. One reason is the high degree of congruence between the values of scientific socialism and China’s excellent traditional culture. Examining the process by which the Chinese people accepted Marxism, we find that there existed both emotional and rational needs. Emotionally, starting from the Westernization Movement [3]3 The Westernization Movement (洋务运动, c. 1861-1895) was a self-strengthening reform program undertaken by late Qing dynasty officials to adopt Western military technology and industrial techniques while preserving Confucian values., China began to learn from the West. The West was the “teacher,” and China was the “student”; the Chinese student learned from the Western teacher. “It is strange that the teacher should always oppress the student. The Chinese learned a great deal from the West, but it did not work; their ideals could never be realized.” [4]4 This is a quotation from Mao Zedong's 1949 essay "On the People's Democratic Dictatorship," referring to the historical experience of China's repeated failures to achieve national salvation through learning from Western bourgeois models. In this situation, there was a “thought” or “doctrine” (Marxism) that came from the “West” (the teacher) yet criticized the “teacher,” which emotionally met the needs of the Chinese people. As Comrade Mao Zedong stated in his article “The Bankruptcy of the Idealist Conception of History,” the Russian Revolution of 1917 awakened the Chinese people, and they learned something new, namely Marxism-Leninism. “The reason why Marxism-Leninism has produced such a great effect when it came to China is that China’s social conditions had the need for it, that it became connected with the practice of the Chinese people’s revolution, and that it was grasped by the Chinese people.” [5]5 This quotation is from Mao Zedong's 1949 article "The Bankruptcy of the Idealist Conception of History," which argued that Marxism-Leninism succeeded in China because it met the objective needs of the Chinese revolution. The cognitive processes of the two early Marxists, Chen Duxiu and Li Dazhao, regarding Marxism, socialism, and the materialist conception of history suffice to prove this point.

马克思主义传入中国后，能在各种思潮的激荡中被中国人民所选择，并非偶然，而是历史的选择、人民的选择，其中一个原因是科学社会主义价值观同中华优秀传统文化具有高度的契合性。从中国人民接受马克思主义的过程来看，我们会发现其中存在着情感上与理智上的双重需求。从情感上来说，从洋务运动起，中国开始向西方学习，西方是“先生”，中国是“学生”，中国学生向西方先生学习。“很奇怪，为什么先生老是侵略学生呢？中国人向西方学得很不少，但是行不通，理想总是不能实现。”在这种情况下，有一种“思想”“主义”（马克思主义）来自“西方”（先生），又批判“先生”，这在情感上合乎了中国人的需求。正如毛泽东同志在《唯心历史观的破产》一文中所说的，1917年俄国革命唤醒了中国人，中国人学得了一样新的东西，这就是马克思列宁主义。“马克思列宁主义来到中国之所以发生这样大的作用，是因为中国的社会条件有了这种需要，是因为同中国人民革命的实践发生了联系，是因为被中国人民所掌握了。”陈独秀、李大钊两位早期马克思主义者对马克思主义、社会主义和唯物史观的认识过程足以证明这一观点。

Regarding which doctrine China should import at that time and why it should import this doctrine, Chen Duxiu put forward his own principle: “There is inherently no truth that is universally valid for all ages. The reason a doctrine is valuable is merely that it can remedy the harmful ideas or systems prevalent in a particular society or era. Therefore, to assess whether a doctrine has value for import into our society, we should see whether our society has the need to use it to remedy its ills. If importing a doctrine does not take need as the standard but takes the old as the standard, it turns the doctrine into waste; if it takes the new as the standard, it turns the doctrine into an ornament.” [6]6 This passage is from Chen Duxiu's 1919 article "The Question of Importing Doctrines" (《学说与装饰品》), in which he argued for the pragmatic import of socialist theory based on China's specific social needs. Chen Duxiu, taking “whether society has the need to use it to remedy its ills” as the standard principle for China’s import of doctrines, explicitly pointed out that China “has the need to import Marx’s socialism.” This is a conclusion of seeking truth from facts reached after careful analysis.

中国在当时应该输入何种学说，为什么要输入这种学说，陈独秀提出了自己的原则：“本来没有推之万世而皆准的真理，学说之所以可贵，不过为他能够救济一社会、一时代弊害昭著的思想或制度。所以详论一种学说有没有输入我们社会的价值，应该看我们社会有没有用他来救济弊害的需要。输入学说若不以需要为标准，以旧为标准，是把学说弄成了废物；以新为标准，是把学说弄成了装饰品。”陈独秀以“社会有没有用他来救济弊害的需要”作为中国输入学说的标准原则，明确指出中国“有输入马格斯（马克思）社会主义的需要”，这是经过仔细分析得出的实事求是的结论。

On 5 January 1921, Chen Duxiu delivered a lecture titled “Critique of Socialism” at the Guangzhou Public Law and Political Science School. In this lecture, Chen Duxiu primarily addressed three questions: Why should we discuss socialism? Why can we discuss socialism? What kind of socialism should we discuss? These three questions can be said to be progressive and closely interlinked. Addressing the first question, Chen Duxiu believed that the socialism spoken of in ancient times was all idealistic, its doctrines built on ethics, with egalitarianism at its core; the socialism spoken of in modern times is proven by scientific methods to have the causes of social instability entirely rooted in the socio-economic system. “Therefore it can be said that the socialism after Marx is scientific, is objective, is built upon economics, and is completely different from the socialism built upon ethics, utopian, and subjective socialism before Marx.” [10]10 Chen Duxiu (1879–1942) was a founding member and the first General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The lecture “Critique of Socialism” was delivered shortly before the First National Congress of the CPC in July 1921. He believed that the modern mode of production has two main shortcomings: private ownership of capital and overproduction. And the shortcomings of the modern mode of distribution are mainly surplus value. In short, Chen Duxiu believed that our motive for discussing socialism is to abolish private ownership of capital and overproduction in the sphere of production, and to abolish surplus value in the sphere of distribution, only then can we remedy the crisis of the modern economy and the state of social instability. Chen Duxiu believed that to clarify whether we can discuss socialism, we must first understand the origins of capitalism, and then examine the crisis of modern capitalism, before we can reach a conclusion. Capitalism is when one does not necessarily labor oneself, but uses the capital one possesses to hire others to labor for production and to obtain profit. The two main reasons for the development of modern capitalism are: first, the progress of methods of exchange; second, the prevalence of machinery. Furthermore, Chen Duxiu argued from five aspects that China not only has the possibility of discussing socialism, but also has an urgent need to discuss socialism. Since at that time there were many schools of socialism prevalent in China, mainly anarchist socialism, communist socialism, state socialism, syndicalism, and guild socialism (Guild Socialism), then what kind of socialism should China discuss? On this, Chen Duxiu also analyzed them one by one. He believed, “To believe in an ‘ism,’ one should not blindly follow it emptily; one must certainly know its essence; if one cannot point out its essence, one is not worthy of saying one believes in any ‘ism,’ nor is one worthy of criticizing any ‘ism.’” It can be said that this is Chen Duxiu’s meta-standard for judging “isms.” Judging by this standard, Chen Duxiu believed that syndicalism is derived from a combination of Marx and anarchism, its main propositions having two aspects: first, advocating class struggle; second, rejecting the state and political power, which is the sickness of anarchist fantasy. The shortcomings of guild socialism, i.e., Guild Socialism, also have two aspects: first, handing over the state power, courts, army, navy, and police that suppress the producing laborers entirely to the capitalist class; second, there are many inseparable matters between political affairs and economic affairs. Since these two kinds of socialism have many shortcomings, the ones that could attract attention were mainly anarchist socialism, communism, and state socialism. Chen Duxiu believed that anarchism is unworkable in both political and economic aspects. Marxism in Germany became state socialism, also called social democracy; Marxism in Russia only returned to its original form, called communism. The propositions of the two are: one emphasizes class struggle, the other advocates cooperation between labor and capital; one advocates direct action, the other advocates parliamentary policy; one emphasizes the dictatorship of the proletariat, the other advocates democratic politics; one advocates international movement, the other advocates nationalism. Obviously, the former is communism, the latter is state socialism. Chen Duxiu believed, “Only the Communist Party of Russia, in name and in substance, is truly Marxism; while the Social Democratic Party of Germany has not only forgotten Marx’s doctrine, but clearly opposes Marx, while superficially hanging up Marx’s signboard.” Chen Duxiu believed, “China’s transformation and existence will mostly rely on the help of the international socialist movement.” This shows that on the eve of participating in the founding of the Communist Party of China, Chen Duxiu had already very clearly pointed out that the socialism the Chinese people should discuss is communism. Amidst the flood of various socialist trends of thought at the time, Chen Duxiu had a unique insight and chose communism, which can be said to be farsighted and visionary.

1921年1月5日，陈独秀在广州公立法政学校发表主题为《社会主义批评》的演讲。在演讲中，陈独秀主要回答了三个问题：为什么要讲社会主义？为什么能讲社会主义？应讲何种社会主义？三个问题可以说是循序渐进、环环相扣的。针对第一个问题，陈独秀认为，古代所讲的社会主义，都是理想的，其学说是建立在伦理上的，核心是平均主义；近代所讲的社会主义乃是由科学的方法证明出现社会不安定的原因，完全是由社会经济制度所造成的。“因此可以说马格斯（马克思）以后的社会主义是科学的、是客观的、是建设在经济上面的，和马格斯（马克思）以前建设在伦理上面的、空想的、主观的社会主义完全不同。”他认为，现代生产方式主要有两大缺点：资本私有和生产过剩。而现代分配方式的缺点主要是剩余价值。总之，陈独秀认为，我们要讲社会主义的动机，是在生产方面废除了资本私有和生产过剩，在分配方面废除了剩余价值，才可以救济现代经济的危机及社会不安的状况。陈独秀认为，要明确能不能讲社会主义，就要先明白资本主义的来历，进而考察现代资本主义的危机，然后才能得出结论。资本主义就是自己不一定劳动，利用自己占有的资本雇佣别人劳动而生产、而得到利益。近代资本主义发达的最大原因主要有两个：一是交换方法的进步，二是机器盛行。此外，陈独秀从五个方面论证了中国不但有讲社会主义的可能，而且有急于讲社会主义的必要。由于当时在中国流行的社会主义流派众多，主要有无政府主义的社会主义、共产主义的社会主义、国家社会主义、工团主义、行会社会主义（基尔特社会主义），那么，中国应讲何种社会主义呢？对此，陈独秀也一一作了分析，他认为，“相信一种主义，不应该空空洞洞的盲从，必定要知道他的精髓所在；如果指不出他的精髓，就不配说信什么主义，也不配批评什么主义”。可以说，这是陈独秀评判“主义”的元标准。按照这一标准来判定，陈独秀认为，工团主义是由马克思和无政府两派合演出来的，其主张主要有两个方面，一是主张阶级战争，二是不要国家及政权，这是无政府主义幻想的病；行会社会主义，即基尔特社会主义的缺点也有两个方面：一是把压制生产劳动者的国家政权、法庭、海陆军、警察完全交给资本阶级，二是政治事业和经济事业有许多不能分离的事件。由于这两种社会主义存在着诸多缺点，所以能够引人注意的主要是无政府主义社会主义、共产主义和国家社会主义。陈独秀认为，无政府主义在政治、经济两方面，都是走不通的。马克思主义在德国变为国家社会主义，也叫社会民主主义；马克思主义在俄国才返回本来面目，叫作共产主义，两者的主张一是强调阶级战争，一是提倡劳资携手；一是主张直接行动，一是主张议会政策；一是强调无产阶级专政，一是主张民主政治；一是主张国际运动，一是主张国家主义。显而易见，前者是共产主义，后者是国家社会主义。陈独秀认为，“只有俄国底共产党在名义上，在实质上，都真是马格斯主义（马克思主义）；而德国底社会民主党不但忘记了马格斯（马克思）底学说，并且明明白白反对马格斯（马克思），表面上却挂着马格斯（马克思）的招牌”。陈独秀认为，“中国底改造与存在，大部分都要靠国际社会主义的运动帮忙”。这表明，陈独秀在参与创立中国共产党前夕，就已经非常明确地指出了中国人要讲的社会主义就是共产主义。在当时各种社会主义思潮泛滥成灾的情况下，陈独秀独具慧眼，选择共产主义，可以说是高瞻远瞩、富有远见。

In 1923, Chen Duxiu gave a lecture at Guangdong Higher Normal School, titled “On the Question of Socialism.” In this lecture, Chen Duxiu primarily addressed three questions: Why do we believe in socialism, what kind of socialism do we believe in, and how should socialism begin to be carried out in China. From why we should discuss socialism, why we can discuss socialism, to why we believe in socialism; from what kind of socialism we should discuss to what kind of socialism we believe in and how socialism should begin to be carried out in China, the progression of these questions is not only theoretical and logical, but also reflects the deepening and breakthrough of Chen Duxiu’s understanding of Marxism and socialism. He pointed out: “We believe in socialism, not blindly and groundlessly, but because the historical evolutionary process of society compels us to believe.” “Therefore we believe in socialism, not as a subjective demand, wanting to use it to destroy capitalism and transform the existing society, but because the objective trend of economic organization and the course of historical evolution compel us to believe in socialism.” This is because, at that time, Chinese society had only two paths to take; one was the old path of imperialism, which was unworkable, so we had no choice but to find that path of socialism to take. Why do we believe in Marx’s school of communism? Because this school of communism has three principles. The first principle is to have a scientific basis. “The so-called scientific basis is based on the historical evolution of society and the various objective circumstances of the economic and cultural conditions of the existing society, not castles in the air or subjective fantasies.” The second principle is the necessary steps for social transformation. “This is because the economic, political, and cultural progress of each nation is different, so the steps of transformation cannot be uniform.” The third principle is that each step must use revolutionary methods. Chen Duxiu believed that these three points are the most important principles of Marx’s school of communism, indispensable. “If the first and second principles are forgotten, it is no different from other utopian socialisms; if the third principle is forgotten, it becomes a reformist, degenerate social democratic party.” From this, it can be seen that Chen Duxiu made a serious comparison of various socialisms and concluded that Marx’s school of scientific socialism is the best. Based on the conclusion that “Marx’s socialism emphasizes objective facts, not subjective ideals,” Chen Duxiu advocated, “We should use careful observation to see what the current political situation in China is, what the economic situation is; and first of all, we must understand what the world’s political and economic situation is.” He pointed out, “The current work of the Chinese laboring class and socialists is first to carry out the national revolution to overthrow the warlords and overthrow imperialism.” This shows that Chen Duxiu was already able to use Marxism to analyze the actual problems of the Chinese revolution at that time.

1923年，陈独秀在广东高师的演讲，题目是《关于社会主义问题》。在这一演讲中，陈独秀主要回答了三个问题：我们为什么相信社会主义，我们相信何种社会主义，社会主义如何在中国开始进行。从我们为什么要讲社会主义，为什么能讲社会主义到我们为什么相信社会主义；从我们应讲何种社会主义到我们相信何种社会主义以及社会主义如何在中国开始进行，这些问题的递进不仅是理论上、逻辑上的，更反映出陈独秀对马克思主义、社会主义认识的深化和突破。他指出：“我们相信社会主义，并不是凭空的盲目的去相信他，乃是社会之历史的进化程序令我们不能不相信。” “所以我们相信社会主义，并不是主观的要求，想利用他来破坏资本主义来改造现社会，乃是因为客观上经济组织之自然趋势及历史进化之历程，令我们不得不相信社会主义。”这是因为，当时中国社会只有两条路可走，一条是旧的帝国主义的路是走不通的，所以我们惟有去找社会主义那条路来走。我们为什么要相信马克思派的共产主义，这是因为这派共产主义有三个原则。第一个原则就是要有科学的根据。“所谓科学的根据，是根据社会之历史的进化和现社会的经济文化状况种种的客观境界，不是空中楼阁主观的幻想。”第二个原则就是社会改造应有的步骤。“这是因为各民族之经济的、政治的、文化的进步各不相同，所以改造的步骤不能一致”。第三个原则就是每一个步骤都须用革命的方法。陈独秀认为，这三点是马克思派共产主义最重要的原则，缺一不可。“若是忘了第一、第二两个原则，便和其他空想的社会主义无异；若是忘了第三个原则，就变为改良的、堕落的社会民主党。”由此可见，陈独秀对各种社会主义进行过认真地比较，得出的结论是马克思派的科学社会主义为最好。基于“马克思的社会主义是注重客观的事实，不是主观的理想的”的结论，陈独秀主张“我们应该用严密的观察，看中国现在的政治情形如何，经济情况如何；并且先要明白世界的政治和经济情形是怎样”，他指出“中国劳动阶级和社会主义者的目前工作，首先要做打倒军阀打倒帝国主义的国民革命”。这表明，陈独秀已经能够运用马克思主义分析当时中国革命的实际问题了。

Li Dazhao was the first person in China to use the Marxist historical materialism to explain Chinese history. Although it was not without one-sided understandings of historical materialism, he made important contributions to introducing and spreading Marxism. Historical materialism reveals the contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production. Productive forces are the ultimate decisive force in social development. It can be said that the establishment of historical materialism was a strong impact on Chinese culture at that time. Where Chinese culture should go became a problem that had to be solved.

李大钊是国内运用马克思主义唯物史观解释中国历史的第一人。虽然其中不乏对唯物史观的片面认识，但是他在引进和传播马克思主义方面作出了重要贡献。唯物史观揭示了生产力与生产关系的矛盾运动。生产力是社会发展的最终决定力量。可以说，唯物史观的确立是对当时中国文化的一种强烈的冲击。中国文化究竟何去何从成为必须解决的问题。

In May 1919, *New Youth* published the “Marxism Study Issue,” edited by Li Dazhao. In this issue, he published “My Views on Marxism,” a lengthy article of over 20,000 characters that ran across two issues. In this article, he further pointed out that Marxism is “the original doctrine for transforming the world” and the “ism” for solving China’s problems. Li Dazhao systematically introduced Marxist historical materialism, political economy, and scientific socialism, and pointed out that these three components “have an inseparable relationship, and the theory of class struggle is like a golden thread that fundamentally links these three principles together.” In this article, Li Dazhao also discussed the inevitability of the emergence of Marxism. “The establishment of a doctrine has a great relationship with its era and environment. Why did Marx’s historical materialism not emerge before the 18th century, nor today, but only in Marx’s era? Because his environment at that time provided the necessity and opportunity for him to create this doctrine.” Thus, Li Dazhao was in fact using historical materialism to explain the inevitability of the emergence of Marxist doctrine. Marked by the publication of this article, Marxism entered a stage of relatively systematic dissemination in China.

1919年5月，《新青年》出版了由李大钊主编的“马克思研究号”。他在这一期发表了《我的马克思主义观》，这是一篇两万多字的长文，曾连载两期。在该文中，他进一步指出，马克思主义是“世界改造原动的学说”，是解决中国问题的“主义”。在这篇文章中，李大钊系统介绍了马克思主义的唯物史观、政治经济学和科学社会主义，并指出这三个组成部分“都有不可分的关系，而阶级竞争说恰如一条金线，把这三大原理从根本上联络起来”。在该文中，李大钊还论述了马克思主义产生的必然性。“一个学说的成立，与其时代环境，有莫大的关系。马氏的唯物史观，何以不产生于十八世纪前，也不产生于今日，而独产生于马氏时代呢？因为当时他的环境，有使他创立这种学说的必要和机会。”由此可见，李大钊在这里实际上是运用唯物史观阐释马克思主义学说产生的必然性。以这篇文章的发表为标志，马克思主义在中国进入比较系统的传播阶段。

The basic principles of Marxism have a high degree of inherent compatibility with China’s excellent traditional culture. As early as 1994, in his article “On the New Orthodoxy of Chinese Culture,” Mr. Zhang Dainian pointed out: “The Marxism that guided the Chinese revolution to victory was not dogmatic Marxism, but Marxism closely integrated with the reality of the Chinese revolution. Politically, Marxism must be integrated with the reality of the Chinese revolution. In terms of culture, Marxism should be integrated with the excellent traditions of Chinese culture.” [11]11 Zhang Dainian (1909–2004) was a prominent Chinese philosopher and historian of Chinese philosophy. The “new orthodoxy” (新统) refers to his proposal for a modern Chinese cultural system integrating Marxism with traditional Chinese thought. Later, Mr. Zhang Dainian’s thinking on this issue became more concrete. He believed: “In China, there is a problem of integrating Marxism with China’s inherent excellent cultural traditions.” Regarding the necessity of integration, “Marxism must be integrated with China’s excellent traditions in order to take root on Chinese soil; only after taking root can it truly blossom and bear fruit; China’s cultural traditions must also be closely integrated with the universal truths of Marxism in order to be elevated to a higher level.”

马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化具有高度的内在契合性。早在1994年，张岱年先生在《试论中国文化的新统》一文中就指出：“指导中国革命取得胜利的马克思主义，不是教条式的马克思主义，而是与中国革命实际密切结合的马克思主义。在政治上，马克思主义必须与中国革命实际相结合。在文化方面，马克思主义应与中国文化的优秀传统相结合。”后来，张岱年先生对这个问题的思考进一步具体化，他认为：“在中国，有一个马克思主义与中国固有的优秀文化传统相结合的问题。”就结合的必要性来说，“马克思主义必须与中国的优秀传统相结合，才能在中国大地上生根，生根然后才能真正开花结果；中国的文化传统也必须与马克思主义的普遍真理密切结合，才能提升到更高的水平”。

The Possibility of Integrating the Basic Principles of Marxism with China’s Excellent Traditional Culture

马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的可能性

Regarding the possibility of integration, Mr. Zhang Dainian believed that many ideas and concepts in classical Chinese philosophy share similarities and close points with Marxism. For example, Chinese philosophy has a tradition of materialism and is rich in dialectical thinking, which shares commonalities with Marxist dialectical materialism. At the same time, some ideas in Chinese philosophy differ from Marxism, and the two can “complement and benefit each other.” Mr. Zhang Dainian was convinced: “In today’s China, the universal truths of Marxism and the basic truths in China’s excellent traditions will inevitably merge into one, jointly forming the theoretical foundation of a new socialist Chinese culture.”

就结合的可能性而言，张岱年先生认为，中国古典哲学中有许多思想观念与马克思主义有相同互近之处。比如，中国哲学中有唯物主义的传统，又富于辩证思维，这与马克思主义的辩证唯物主义有相通契合之处。同时，中国哲学中也有一些思想与马克思主义有所不同，二者可以“相成相济，相得益彰”。张岱年先生确信：“在今天的中国，马克思主义的普遍真理与中国的优秀传统中的基本真理必将融为一体，共同构成社会主义中国新文化的理论基础。”

China’s excellent traditional culture has a high degree of compatibility with the value propositions of scientific socialism (the logical chain here is: basic principles of Marxism, especially the basic principles of Marxist philosophy — values of scientific socialism — value propositions of scientific socialism). General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “After Marxism was introduced into China, the propositions of scientific socialism were warmly welcomed by the Chinese people and ultimately took root, blossomed, and bore fruit on Chinese soil. This was by no means accidental; it was due to their integration with China’s excellent historical culture, which has been passed down for thousands of years, and the values that the broad masses of the people use unconsciously in their daily lives.” [12]12 Xi Jinping, “Speech at a Symposium on Cultural Heritage,” 2014. Specifically: First, in terms of worldview. The so-called worldview refers to people’s fundamental views and overall perspectives on the entire world, especially their understanding of the entire cosmos and the relationship between humans and the cosmos. Chinese civilization has long revered the ideas of “unity of heaven and humanity” and “the Dao follows nature,” emphasizing that “all things are nurtured together without harming each other, and the Dao operates in parallel without contradicting each other,” and pursuing the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature. Zhuangzi said, “Heaven and earth were born together with me, and all things are one with me,” emphasizing that humans can elevate their realm to “commune with the spirit of heaven and earth.” Xunzi, while emphasizing the objectivity of natural laws with “the way of heaven is constant,” also emphasized human subjective initiative with “distinguishing between heaven and humanity” and “mastering the mandate of heaven and using it.” This worldview is completely different from the anthropocentric view of nature prevalent in the modern West, and shares a similar subtlety with the ideas emphasized by Marx and Engels that “man lives by nature,” “man comes from nature,” the harmonious coexistence and reconciliation between man and nature, that is, “completed naturalism equals humanism, and completed humanism equals naturalism,” which is a “completed” worldview of “unity of heaven and humanity.” Second, in terms of the view of the world (天下观, *tianxia guan*). The so-called view of the world mainly refers to people’s fundamental views and overall perspectives on the world as a whole political unit, transcending the perspective of nation-states. The *Book of Documents* (《尚书·尧典》) states: “The people are enlightened, and all states are harmonized.” A world for all and a commonwealth are important Confucian ideas about an ideal society. It can be said that the ideas of “harmony is most precious,” “the world is for all,” “a commonwealth,” and “harmonizing all states” are spiritually connected in their purport to the idea of communism as a “free association of individuals” without classes or states, as envisioned by Marx and Engels. After Marxism was introduced into China, many intellectuals linked and compared Marx’s theory of communism with the idea of a great harmony in traditional Chinese culture. The renowned British historian of Chinese science and civilization, Dr. Joseph Needham, also believed: “Chinese intellectuals were more willing to accept dialectical materialism because, in a sense, this philosophical thought was precisely what they themselves had produced.” [13]13 Joseph Needham (1900–1995), author of the multi-volume *Science and Civilisation in China*. Therefore, “when Marxism was introduced into China, those who first accepted Marxism were all people who had studied Confucianism; it was Confucianism that prompted them to accept Marxism without hesitation.” [14]14 This is a paraphrase of a common observation in Chinese academic discourse, not a direct quotation from a single source. Third, in terms of the view of society. The so-called view of society mainly refers to people’s fundamental views and overall perspectives on the relationships between individuals and between individuals and society. “Harmony” is an important category in classical Chinese philosophy. Confucius’s idea of “harmony in diversity” is an important concept that has profoundly influenced the Chinese people. The social view of harmony in diversity and harmonious coexistence shares many points of convergence with Marx and Engels’ theoretical exposition of the law of the unity of opposites and their vision of a future communist society with highly harmonious social relations and greatly elevated spiritual realms. Fourth, in terms of the view of morality. The so-called view of morality mainly refers to people’s fundamental views and overall perspectives on social moral phenomena. Morality is the sum total of principles, standards, and norms that regulate the relationships between people and between individuals and society through the evaluation of good and evil. Chinese ethical and moral views, such as treating others well and balancing righteousness and benefit, have similarities and points of convergence with the advocacy of scientific socialism that emphasizes both material interests and spiritual pursuits.

中华优秀传统文化同科学社会主义价值观主张（其中的逻辑链条是：马克思主义基本原理特别是马克思主义哲学基本原理——科学社会主义价值观——科学社会主义价值观主张）具有高度契合性。习近平总书记指出：“马克思主义传入中国后，科学社会主义的主张受到中国人民热烈欢迎，并最终扎根中国大地、开花结果，决不是偶然的，而是同我国传承了几千年的优秀历史文化和广大人民日用而不觉的价值观念融通的。”具体而言，其一，在宇宙观方面。所谓宇宙观，即世界观，主要是指人们对整个世界的根本观点和总的看法，特别是人们对整个宇宙的认识以及对人与宇宙关系的认识。中华文明历来崇尚“天人合一”“道法自然”，强调“万物并育而不相害，道并行而不相悖”，追求人与自然和谐共生。庄子说，“天地与我并生，而万物与我为一”，强调人可以提升自己的境界而“与天地精神往来”。荀子既以“天行有常”强调自然规律的客观性，也以“明于天人之分”“制天命而用之”强调人的主观能动性。这种宇宙观，与西方近代以来流行的人类中心主义自然观截然不同，而与马克思恩格斯强调的“人靠自然界生活”、“人来自自然”、人与自然和谐相处、实现和解的思想，即“完成了的自然主义等于人道主义、完成了的人道主义等于自然主义”，是一种“完成了的”“天人合一”的世界观有异曲同工之妙。其二，在天下观方面。所谓天下观，主要是指人们超越民族国家的视野，分析以世界为整体政治单位所得到的根本观点和总的看法。《尚书·尧典》曰：“百姓昭明，协和万邦。”天下为公、大同世界，是儒家关于理想社会的重要思想。可以说，“和为贵”“天下为公”“大同世界”“协和万邦”的思想，与马克思恩格斯所憧憬的共产主义是无阶级无国家的“自由人的联合体”的思想旨趣在精神上是相通的。马克思主义传入中国后，不少知识分子将马克思的共产主义学说与中华传统文化中的大同思想相联系、相比附。英国著名的中国科技史家、中国文明史家李约瑟博士也认为：“中国的知识分子之所以更愿意接受辩证唯物主义，是因为，从某种意义上说，这种哲学思想正是他们自己所产生的。”因而，“当马克思主义传入中国后，率先接受马克思主义的都是读过儒学的人，是儒家学说促使他们义无反顾地接受了马克思主义”。其三，在社会观方面。所谓社会观，主要是指人们关于人与人以及个人与社会之间关系的根本观点和总的看法。“和”是中国古典哲学中的一个重要范畴，孔子提出的“和而不同”思想是对中国人产生深刻影响的一个重要观念。和而不同、和谐相处的社会观，与马克思恩格斯关于对立统一规律的理论阐发以及关于社会关系高度和谐、人们精神境界极大提高的共产主义未来设想，都存在着诸多契合点。其四，在道德观方面。所谓道德观，主要是指人们对社会道德现象的根本观点和总的看法。道德是以善恶评价的方式调整人与人、个人与社会之间相互关系的准则、标准和规范的总和。中国人与人为善、义利相兼等伦理观、道德观，与科学社会主义关于物质利益与精神追求并重等的倡导，有相近相融之处。

In general, Marxism and China’s excellent traditional culture share points of compatibility and convergence in many respects. Of course, this compatibility and convergence by no means implies that the two are completely identical; rather, they have differences within similarities and similarities within differences. “Marx’s atheism is scientific atheism, whereas Confucian atheism bears the characteristics of deism; Marx’s view of practice is a scientific view of practice, whereas the Confucian view of practice is a moral view of practice; Marx’s dialectics is revolutionary, thorough, and materialist dialectics, whereas Confucian dialectics is relatively introverted and naive dialectics; Marx’s theory of human nature is a revolutionary humanism built on class analysis, whereas the Confucian theory of human nature ultimately leads to clericalism; Marx’s view of history is the application of his dialectical materialist viewpoint in the realm of social history, whereas the Confucian view of history is a combination of spontaneous materialism and dialectics; the communist society expounded by Marx is the necessary conclusion of scientific socialism, whereas the Confucian ideal of ‘Great Harmony’ (datong) is a typical paradigm of agricultural utopian socialism.” [15]15 The term “Great Harmony” (datong) refers to an ideal society described in the Confucian classic Book of Rites (Li Ji), characterized by public ownership, social equality, and universal peace. From this it can be seen that the reason why the Chinese people were able to accept Marxism, take Marxism as the guiding ideology, and make it localized and nationalized is, to a large extent, due to the affinity or compatibility generated by the commonalities existing between Marxism and China’s excellent traditional culture.

总的来说，马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化在诸多方面存在相通兼容之处，当然，这种相通兼容绝不意味着两者完全一致，而是异中有同、同中有异。“马克思的无神论是科学的无神论，而儒学的无神论具有自然神论的特征；马克思主义的实践观是科学的实践观，而儒学的实践观则是道德的实践观；马克思主义的辩证法是革命的、彻底的、唯物的辩证法，而儒学的辩证法是相对内敛的、素朴的辩证法；马克思主义的人性论是建立在阶级分析之上的革命的人道主义，而儒家的人性论最后走向了僧侣主义；马克思主义的历史观是其辩证唯物主义观点在社会历史领域中的运用，而儒家的历史观则是自发的唯物主义和辩证法的结合；马克思主义阐述的共产主义社会是科学社会主义的必然结论，而儒家的‘大同’理想则是农业空想社会主义的一种典型范式。”由此可见，中国人之所以能够接受马克思主义，把马克思主义作为指导思想并使之本土化、民族化，在很大程度上是由于马克思主义与中华优秀传统文化之间存在的共同之处所产生的亲和力或亲和性。

It is precisely because China’s excellent traditional culture and the value propositions of scientific socialism are highly compatible that the possibility of integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture is determined. “Only by taking root in the fertile soil of the history and culture of one’s own country and nation can the tree of Marxist truth grow deep and lush.” [16]16 Xi Jinping, speech at a symposium on cultural heritage, 2023. General Secretary Xi Jinping has paid close attention to the promoting role of China’s excellent traditional culture in Chinese-path modernization and has made many important expositions on this subject. To bring into play the promoting role of China’s excellent traditional culture in Chinese-path modernization, it is necessary to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s excellent traditional culture. “Creative transformation means to transform, in accordance with the characteristics and requirements of the times, those connotations that still have reference value today and their outdated forms of expression, endowing them with new contemporary connotations and modern forms of expression, thereby activating their vitality.” [17]17 Xi Jinping, explanation of the Resolution on Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party’s Centenary Struggle, 2021. “Innovative development means to supplement, expand, and perfect the connotations of China’s excellent traditional culture in accordance with the new progress and new development of the times, thereby enhancing its influence and appeal.” [18]18 Ibid. The ideological concepts contained in China’s excellent traditional culture, such as advancing with the times and renewing daily (gou ri xin, ri ri xin), [19]19 “Gou ri xin, ri ri xin” (苟日新，日日新) is a phrase from the Confucian classic The Great Learning (Da Xue), meaning “If you can renew yourself for one day, then you can renew yourself every day.” being down-to-earth and honest and trustworthy, taking benefiting the people as the foundation, benefiting and enriching the people, and ensuring their peace and security, following the laws of nature (dao fa zi ran) and the unity of heaven and humanity (tian ren he yi), [20]20 “Dao fa zi ran” (道法自然) is a concept from the Daoist classic Dao De Jing, meaning “the Way follows what is natural.” “Tian ren he yi” (天人合一) is a Confucian and Daoist concept meaning “the unity of heaven and humanity.” striving unceasingly to strengthen oneself (zi qiang bu xi) and embracing all things with virtue (hou de zai wu), [21]21 “Zi qiang bu xi” (自强不息) and “hou de zai wu” (厚德载物) are phrases from the Confucian classic Book of Changes (Zhou Yi), meaning “striving unceasingly to strengthen oneself” and “embracing all things with virtue.” provide inspiration for people to understand and transform the world and offer reference for governance; the humanistic spirit contained in China’s excellent traditional culture, such as the way of handling affairs by seeking common ground while reserving differences (qiu tong cun yi) and harmony in diversity (he er bu tong), [22]22 “Qiu tong cun yi” (求同存异) is a phrase from the Analects of Confucius, meaning “seeking common ground while reserving differences.” “He er bu tong” (和而不同) is also from the Analects, meaning “harmony in diversity.” and the life philosophy of frugality and self-restraint, moderation, peace, and harmony, still exert a profound influence today; the moral norms contained in China’s excellent traditional culture, such as the social morality of upholding virtue and goodness and taking pleasure in helping others, the professional ethics of dedicating oneself to work and finding joy in one’s profession and restraining oneself with righteousness in the pursuit of profit, the family virtues of parental kindness and filial piety, mutual obligations between husband and wife, and diligence and frugality, and the personal character of understanding principles, abiding by rules, being industrious, and being kind, embody the value standards for judging right and wrong and subtly influence the behavioral patterns of the Chinese people. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC points out: “China’s excellent traditional culture is extensive and profound; it is the crystallization of the wisdom of Chinese civilization. The concepts it contains, such as regarding the world as common to all (tian xia wei gong), [23]23 “Tian xia wei gong” (天下为公) is a phrase from the Book of Rites (Li Ji), meaning “the world is common to all.” taking the people as the foundation of the state (min wei bang ben), [24]24 “Min wei bang ben” (民为邦本) is a phrase from the Book of Documents (Shang Shu), meaning “the people are the foundation of the state.” governing with virtue (wei zheng yi de), [25]25 “Wei zheng yi de” (为政以德) is a phrase from the Analects of Confucius, meaning “governing with virtue.” discarding the old and establishing the new (ge gu ding xin), [26]26 “Ge gu ding xin” (革故鼎新) is a phrase from the Book of Changes (Zhou Yi), meaning “discarding the old and establishing the new.” appointing people on their merits (ren ren wei xian), [27]27 “Ren ren wei xian” (任人唯贤) is a phrase from the Book of Documents (Shang Shu), meaning “appointing people on their merits.” the unity of heaven and humanity (tian ren he yi), striving unceasingly to strengthen oneself (zi qiang bu xi), embracing all things with virtue (hou de zai wu), emphasizing trust and harmony (jiang xin xiu mu), [28]28 “Jiang xin xiu mu” (讲信修睦) is a phrase from the Book of Rites (Li Ji), meaning “emphasizing trust and harmony.” and being friendly and kind to neighbors (qin ren shan lin), [29]29 “Qin ren shan lin” (亲仁善邻) is a phrase from the Zuo Commentary (Zuo Zhuan), meaning “being friendly and kind to neighbors.” are important manifestations of the worldview, view of the world, social view, and moral view accumulated by the Chinese people in their long-term production and life, and are highly compatible with the value propositions of scientific socialism.” [30]30 Xi Jinping, report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, 2022. Among these, “China’s excellent traditional culture is extensive and profound; it is the crystallization of the wisdom of Chinese civilization” is an overall evaluation of China’s excellent traditional culture, clarifying the relationship between China’s excellent traditional culture and Chinese civilization; “the concepts it contains, such as regarding the world as common to all, taking the people as the foundation of the state, governing with virtue, discarding the old and establishing the new, appointing people on their merits, the unity of heaven and humanity, striving unceasingly to strengthen oneself, embracing all things with virtue, emphasizing trust and harmony, and being friendly and kind to neighbors, are important manifestations of the worldview, view of the world, social view, and moral view accumulated by the Chinese people in their long-term production and life” is a high-level summary and synthesis of the essence of China’s excellent traditional culture based on the fundamental principle of historical materialism that social being determines social consciousness, pointing out the direction for integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture; the statement that China’s excellent traditional culture “is highly compatible with the value propositions of scientific socialism” is an important judgment, indicating that this high degree of compatibility provides the possibility for us to integrate the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture, and the centenary practice of the CPC, especially the vivid practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era, has further turned this possibility into objective reality.

正是由于中华优秀传统文化同科学社会主义价值观主张具有高度契合性，才决定了马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的可能性。“只有植根本国、本民族历史文化沃土，马克思主义真理之树才能根深叶茂。”习近平总书记高度关注中华优秀传统文化对于中国式现代化建设的促进作用，并作出过多次重要论述。要发挥中华优秀传统文化对中国式现代化建设的促进作用，就要推动中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化、创新性发展。“创造性转化，就是要按照时代特点和要求，对那些至今仍有借鉴价值的内涵和陈旧的表现形式加以改造，赋予其新的时代内涵和现代表达形式，激活其生命力。” “创新性发展，就是要按照时代的新进步新发展，对中华优秀传统文化的内涵加以补充、拓展、完善，增强其影响力和感召力。”中华优秀传统文化蕴含的思想观念，如与时俱行、日新月异（苟日新、日日新），脚踏实地、诚实守信，利民为本、惠民利民、安民富民，道法自然、天人合一，自强不息、厚德载物等，为人们认识和改造世界提供了启迪，为治国理政提供了借鉴；中华优秀传统文化蕴含的人文精神，如求同存异、和而不同的处事方法，俭约自守、中和泰和的生活理念等，至今仍然具有深刻影响；中华优秀传统文化蕴含的道德规范，如崇德向善、助人为乐的社会公德，敬业乐群、以义制利的职业道德，父慈子孝、夫妇有义、克勤克俭的家庭美德，明理遵规、勤劳善良的个人品德，体现着评判是非曲直的价值标准，潜移默化地影响着中国人的行为方式。党的二十大报告指出：“中华优秀传统文化源远流长、博大精深，是中华文明的智慧结晶，其中蕴含的天下为公、民为邦本、为政以德、革故鼎新、任人唯贤、天人合一、自强不息、厚德载物、讲信修睦、亲仁善邻等，是中国人民在长期生产生活中积累的宇宙观、天下观、社会观、道德观的重要体现，同科学社会主义价值观主张具有高度契合性。”其中，“中华优秀传统文化源远流长、博大精深，是中华文明的智慧结晶”，这是对中华优秀传统文化的总体评价，阐明了中华优秀传统文化与中华文明的关系；“天下为公、民为邦本、为政以德、革故鼎新、任人唯贤、天人合一、自强不息、厚德载物、讲信修睦、亲仁善邻等，是中国人民在长期生产生活中积累的宇宙观、天下观、社会观、道德观的重要体现”，这是根据唯物史观社会存在决定社会意识的基本原理对中华优秀传统文化精华的高度概括和总结，指出了马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的方向；中华优秀传统文化“同科学社会主义价值观主张具有高度契合性”是一个重要判断，说明这种高度契合性为我们把马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合提供了可能，中国共产党百年奋斗实践特别是新时代中国特色社会主义的生动实践进一步把这种可能变成了客观现实。

Marxism Has Not Let China Down

马克思主义没有辜负中国

When Marxism entered China, it not only triggered a profound transformation of Chinese civilization but also underwent a process of gradual Sinicization. On the one hand, the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture has endowed China’s excellent traditional culture with new vitality and vigor. The fate of traditional Chinese culture does not lie in itself but depends on whether it can use the positions, viewpoints, and methods of Marxism to realize its own transformation and reshaping. In this regard, the principal leaders of the CPC have set an example for us. For instance, the Book of Han (Han Shu) contains the phrase “studying antiquity and seeking truth from facts (shi shi qiu shi),” [31]31 The Book of Han (Han Shu) is a historical work completed in the 1st century CE covering the history of the Western Han dynasty. which required that scholarship start from the text to verify the true content and meaning of ancient documents; Yan Yuan, [32]32 Yan Yuan (1635–1704) was a Qing dynasty philosopher who emphasized practical knowledge and experience over textual study. a great scholar of the School of Evidential Learning (Pu Xue) [33]33 The School of Evidential Learning (Pu Xue) was a Qing dynasty scholarly movement that focused on textual criticism and empirical research. in the Qing Dynasty, adhered to “taking things as the substance” and advocated understanding objective things through personal practice. In 1941, Comrade Mao Zedong, in his article “Reform Our Study,” borrowed the ancient phrase “seeking truth from facts” (shi shi qiu shi), gave it a Marxist philosophical interpretation, and made it an important component of the CPC’s ideological line. In 1979, Comrade Deng Xiaoping borrowed the term “moderately prosperous society” (xiaokang) from the Book of Songs (Shi Jing), [34]34 The Book of Songs (Shi Jing) is a collection of ancient Chinese poetry dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BCE. retaining its original meaning of building a prosperous country and improving the people’s standard of living, and proposed taking a “moderately prosperous society” as a phased goal of socialist modernization. The “advancing with the times” (yu shi ju jin) proposed by Comrade Jiang Zemin is a transformation of the phrase “advancing in step with the times” (yu shi xie xing) from the Book of Changes (Zhou Yi). [35]35 The Book of Changes (Zhou Yi) is an ancient Chinese divination text and one of the Confucian classics. The thought of “harmony” (hexie) proposed by Comrade Hu Jintao originates from the traditional concept of “harmony and unity” (hehe); [36]36 “Hehe” (和合) is a traditional Chinese concept emphasizing harmony and unity. the “harmonious society” inherits the social view of “harmony in diversity” (he er bu tong), while the “harmonious world” develops the national view of “uniting all states in harmony” (xie he wan bang). [37]37 “Xie he wan bang” (协和万邦) is a phrase from the Book of Documents (Shang Shu), meaning “uniting all states in harmony.” Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s concept of “a community with a shared future for mankind” has followed the traditional view of “the world” (tian xia guan), inherited and developed the traditional “world-minded sentiment,” focused on human development and the future of the world, and become an important symbol of China leading the trend of the times and the direction of human civilization. From this it can be seen that in the historical process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, our Party has used the truth power of Marxism to activate the long-standing Chinese civilization, and China’s excellent traditional culture has undergone creative transformation and innovative development, once again imbuing Chinese civilization with vigorous vitality and vigor.

马克思主义进入中国，既引发了中华文明的深刻变革，也经历了一个逐步中国化的过程。一方面，马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，赋予了中华优秀传统文化新的生机与活力。中国传统文化的命运不在于其自身，而是取决于其能否运用马克思主义的立场、观点和方法实现自身的改造、重塑。在这方面，中国共产党的主要领导人为我们树立了典范。例如，《汉书》中有“修学好古，实事求是”，要求治学需从文本出发考证古籍的真实内容和意蕴；清代朴学大家颜元坚持“以物为体”，主张要身体力行地认识客观事物。1941年，毛泽东同志在《改造我们的学习》一文中取材古语“实事求是”，并对“实事求是”作出了马克思主义哲学的阐释，并使之成为中国共产党思想路线的重要组成部分。1979年，邓小平同志借用《诗经》中的“小康”一词，延用“小康”原有的建设富强国家、提高人民生活水平之意，提出将“小康社会”作为社会主义现代化建设的阶段性目标。江泽民同志提出的“与时俱进”，是对《周易》“与时偕行”的改造。胡锦涛同志提出的“和谐”思想则源自传统的“和合”观，“和谐社会”传承了“和而不同”的社会观，“和谐世界”则发展了“协和万邦”的国家观。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记提出的“人类命运共同体”理念沿袭了传统的“天下”观，继承和发扬了传统的“天下情怀”，着眼于人类发展和世界前途，成为中国引领时代潮流和人类文明发展航向的重要标志。由此可见，我们党在推进马克思主义中国化时代化的历史进程中，以马克思主义真理力量激活了源远流长的中华文明，中华优秀传统文化得到创造性转化、创新性发展，使中华文明再次焕发出蓬勃的生机与活力。

On the other hand, China’s fine traditional culture must be closely integrated with the basic principles of Marxism in order to be elevated to a higher level. Chinese traditional culture originated from an agrarian civilization that stretches back more than five thousand years and was built on the social foundation of a self-sufficient small-scale peasant economy. Therefore, the materialism and dialectics it contains are naive, grounded not in science but in abstract speculation based on life experience. Marxism emerged from modern industrial civilization and also possesses some traits of postmodern civilization. Hence, on the one hand, Marxism can to a large extent “activate” the modernity of China’s fine traditional culture; on the other hand, Marxism can, from the perspective of postmodern civilization, avoid the drawbacks of modern industrial civilization. From a theoretical perspective, since Marxism was introduced into China, it has posed a very critical question: do the two resources—Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture—function “independently” and “in parallel,” or should these two major intellectual resources be organically integrated to form a new kind of thought and culture? Starting from the historical mission it bears, the Chinese Communists have truly elevated the state in which the naive materialism and dialectics of China’s fine traditional culture were combined to a level of unity with the materialism and dialectics of Marxist philosophy. From a practical perspective, ever since Marxism was introduced into China, the Chinese Communists, through the rich practice of revolution, construction, and reform, have integrated the basic principles of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture by means of such links as “adaptation,” “discernment,” and “activation,” ultimately forming “Marxism adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.” China has also ushered in a great leap from standing up and growing rich to becoming strong. This powerfully proves that the basic principles of Marxism and China’s fine traditional culture should and can achieve integration. “If in the past we emphasized that, under the guidance of Marxism, inheriting and promoting China’s fine traditional culture was more a question of how to treat China’s fine traditional culture,” then the integration of the basic principles of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture “also raises a question of how to treat Marxism, and inheriting and promoting China’s fine traditional culture itself becomes a question of how to continue advancing the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context.”

另一方面，中华优秀传统文化必须同马克思主义基本原理密切结合，才能提升到更高的水平。中华传统文化发源于绵延五千多年的农耕文明，建立在自给自足的小农经济的社会基础之上，因此，它所具有的唯物主义和辩证法思想都是朴素的，不是建立在科学的基础上，而是基于生活经验的抽象思辨。马克思主义产生于现代工业文明，同时还具有一些后现代文明的特质，因此，一方面，马克思主义能够在很大程度上“激活”中华优秀传统文化的现代性，另一方面，马克思主义能够从后现代文明的视角避免现代工业文明的弊端。从理论角度看，马克思主义自传入中国之后，就给我们提出了一个十分关键的问题，马克思主义、中华优秀传统文化这两种资源是“独立地”“平行地”起作用，还是要把两大思想资源有机地结合在一起，从而形成一种新的思想文化。中国共产党人从自身肩负的历史使命出发，将中华优秀传统文化中朴素的唯物主义和辩证法相结合的状态真正提升到同马克思主义哲学的唯物主义和辩证法相统一的水平。从实践角度看，自从马克思主义传入中国之后，中国共产党人在革命、建设、改革的丰富实践中，通过“适应”“鉴别”“激活”等环节，将马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，最终形成了“中国化时代化的马克思主义”，而中国也迎来了从站起来到富起来再到强起来的伟大飞跃。这有力地证明了马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化应该而且可以实现结合。“如果说，以往我们强调在马克思主义指导下，传承和弘扬中华优秀传统文化更多是一个如何对待中华优秀传统文化的问题”，那么马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合“就还有一个如何对待马克思主义的问题，传承和弘扬中华优秀传统文化本身也就成为了如何继续推进马克思主义中国化的问题”。

China Has Not Let Marxism Down

中国没有辜负马克思主义

Viewed from the development history of world civilizations, Chinese civilization is the only one among the world’s civilizations that has never been interrupted. Over the long course of more than five thousand years of civilization development, the Chinese people have created a Chinese culture rich in connotation and broad and profound. Precisely because of this, the encounter between China’s fine traditional culture and Marxism produced a “chemical” reaction. China’s fine traditional culture has provided Marxism with rich cultural nourishment, so that Marxism with Chinese characteristics possesses a distinct Chinese style and Chinese manner. For example, “adhering to the people-centered development thought” contains the profound meaning of “governing a country has constant principles, with benefiting the people as the foundation” and “the people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is secure, the state is peaceful”; “promoting harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature” is imbued with the wisdom of “unity of heaven and humanity” and “forgetting both self and the external world”; “adhering to the principle of the Party managing cadres, insisting on selecting officials on the basis of both integrity and ability, with priority given to integrity, recruiting talents from all over the country, appointing people on their merits, and implementing the standards for good cadres in the New Era” embodies the expectation of “appointing people on their merits” and “governing with virtue”; “persisting in deepening reform and opening up,” “upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground,” and “insisting on innovation’s core position in China’s overall modernization drive” reflect the reformist spirit and innovative spirit of “though Zhou was an old state, its mandate was renewed” and “abolishing the old and establishing the new”; “building a community with a shared future for mankind” embodies the great harmony ideal of “when the great Way prevails, the world is for all”; “building a new type of international relations, upholding the principle of sincerity, real results, affinity, and good faith and the correct view of righteousness and benefit to strengthen unity and cooperation with developing countries and safeguard the common interests of developing countries” displays the broad-mindedness of “honoring commitments, fostering harmony, and being kind to neighbors” and “those who wish for their own kin to prosper wish for their neighbors to prosper as well”; “persisting in exchange and mutual learning, promoting the building of an open and inclusive world,” and “surpassing estrangement between civilizations through exchanges, surpassing clashes between civilizations through mutual learning, and surpassing superiority of civilizations through coexistence” contain the pursuit of “great virtue embracing all things” and “tolerance leads to greatness.” The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC emphasizes: “We must strengthen our historical confidence and confidence in our culture, adhere to the principle of making the past serve the present and weeding through the old to bring forth the new, integrate the essence of Marxist thought with the cream of China’s fine traditional culture, and merge it with the common values that the people unconsciously apply in their daily lives. We must continuously endow scientific theory with distinct Chinese characteristics, constantly consolidate the historical foundation and mass foundation for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, and let Marxism take deep root in China.” This view of “integration” and “merging” epitomizes the rich Chinese flavor, profound Chinese sentiment, and majestic national soul permeating Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. It possesses powerful ideological leadership, historical penetration, cultural appeal, and spiritual inspiration, and is a well-deserved quintessence of Chinese culture and Chinese spirit in the contemporary era.

从世界文明的发展历程来看，中华文明是世界上唯一没有中断过的文明，五千多年漫长的文明发展史中，中国人民创造了内涵丰富、博大精深的中华文化。也正因如此，中华优秀传统文化同马克思主义相遇，产生了“化合”反应。中华优秀传统文化使马克思主义获得丰富的文化滋养，所以中国化的马克思主义具有鲜明的中国风格、中国气派。例如，“坚持以人民为中心的发展思想”，蕴含“治国有常，利民为本”、“民为邦本，本固邦宁”的深意；“促进人与自然和谐共生”，浸润“天人合一”“物我两忘”的智慧；“坚持党管干部原则，坚持德才兼备、以德为先、五湖四海、任人唯贤，把新时代好干部标准落到实处”蕴含着“任人唯贤”“为政以德”的期盼；“坚持深化改革开放”“守正创新”“坚持创新在我国现代化建设全局中的核心地位”，体现了“周虽旧邦，其命维新”、“革故鼎新”的改革精神和创新精神；“构建人类命运共同体”，体现了“大道之行、天下为公”的大同理想；“构建新型国际关系，秉持真实亲诚理念和正确义利观加强同发展中国家团结合作，维护发展中国家共同利益”，展现了“讲信修睦、亲仁善邻”、“亲望亲好，邻望邻好”的胸襟；“坚持交流互鉴，推动建设一个开放包容的世界”、“以文明交流超越文明隔阂、文明互鉴超越文明冲突、文明共存超越文明优越”，蕴含着“厚德载物”“有容乃大”的追求。党的二十大报告强调：“我们必须坚定历史自信、文化自信，坚持古为今用、推陈出新，把马克思主义思想精髓同中华优秀传统文化精华贯通起来、同人民群众日用而不觉的共同价值观念融通起来，不断赋予科学理论鲜明的中国特色，不断夯实马克思主义中国化时代化的历史基础和群众基础，让马克思主义在中国牢牢扎根”。这种“贯通”和“融通”的观点集中体现了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想充盈着的浓郁中国味、深厚中华情和浩然民族魂，具有强大的思想引领力、历史穿透力、文化感染力和精神感召力，是当之无愧的中华文化和中国精神的时代精华。

Through its integration with China’s fine traditional culture, Marxism has achieved further development and verification. As the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century points out: “Over the past century, the Party has insisted on inscribing Marxism on its banner, continuously advanced the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, absorbed with a broad mind all the outstanding achievements of civilization created by humanity, and used the scientific theory of Marxism with Chinese characteristics to guide great practice. The scientific nature and truth of Marxism have been fully tested in China, the people’s character and practicality of Marxism have been fully implemented in China, and the openness and contemporaneity of Marxism have been fully demonstrated in China. The continuous success of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times has presented Marxism to the world in a brand-new image, and has brought about a major shift in the historical evolution and contest between the two ideologies and two social systems of socialism and capitalism worldwide that is favorable to socialism.”

马克思主义通过与中华优秀传统文化相结合，获得了进一步的发展和证明。正如《中共中央关于党的百年奋斗重大成就和历史经验的决议》中指出：“一百年来，党坚持把马克思主义写在自己的旗帜上，不断推进马克思主义中国化时代化，用博大胸怀吸收人类创造的一切优秀文明成果，用马克思主义中国化的科学理论引领伟大实践。马克思主义的科学性和真理性在中国得到充分检验，马克思主义的人民性和实践性在中国得到充分贯彻，马克思主义的开放性和时代性在中国得到充分彰显。马克思主义中国化时代化不断取得成功，使马克思主义以崭新形象展现在世界上，使世界范围内社会主义和资本主义两种意识形态、两种社会制度的历史演进及其较量发生了有利于社会主义的重大转变。”

In summary, only by combining with the cultural forms and specific characteristics of the Chinese nation and presenting itself in a unique national form can Marxism truly achieve “concretization” and “sinicization”—that is, Marxism must speak Chinese. Only in this way can the theory of the Communist Party of China be more closely integrated with the splendid and brilliant civilization history of the Chinese nation spanning more than five thousand years, thereby obtaining an extremely abundant source of ideological and cultural resources. The theory of the Communist Party of China will thus take deeper root in China’s soil and in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people.

综上所述，马克思主义只有同中华民族的文化形式和具体特点相结合，以特有的民族形式呈现出来，才能真正实现“具体化”和“中国化”，即必须让马克思主义说中国话，唯有如此，中国共产党的理论才能与中华民族五千多年辉煌灿烂的文明史更加紧密地结合起来，从而获得无比充沛的思想文化资源，中国共产党的理论也将因此更深地扎根于中国的土地上，扎根于亿万人民的心中。

Promoting the Benign Interaction between the Basic Principles of Marxism and China’s Fine Traditional Culture

推进马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化的良性互动

“Integrating the fundamental principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the excellent traditional Chinese culture” requires properly handling the relationship between the fundamental principles of Marxism and China’s excellent traditional culture, and promoting a positive interaction between the fundamental principles of Marxism and China’s excellent traditional culture. In the course of this positive interaction, we must adhere to the guidance of Marxism and treat traditional Chinese culture with a scientific attitude. Correctly treating traditional Chinese culture is an important link in promoting the integration of the fundamental principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture. On the one hand, we must acknowledge that the development of socialism with Chinese characteristics cannot be separated from the nourishment of China’s excellent traditional culture; we must see that China’s excellent traditional culture is the “root” and “soul” of the Chinese nation, an important source for cultivating core socialist values, and a solid foundation for us to stand firm amidst the global cultural currents. On the other hand, we must view traditional Chinese culture with a dialectical perspective, recognizing both its positive role in history and the present, inheriting and developing what is beneficial and good, while also acknowledging that, due to historical constraints, traditional culture inevitably contains some outdated and obsolete elements that must be actively resisted, overcome, or transformed. Treating traditional Chinese culture with a scientific attitude means using the positions, viewpoints, and methods of Marxism to explore the contemporary value of ideological resources in traditional Chinese culture such as “promoting benevolence, valuing the people, upholding integrity, advocating justice, esteeming harmony, and seeking common ground” [46]46 This phrase summarizes key traditional Chinese virtues often cited in official discourse, originating from classical Confucian texts.; it also requires actively summarizing the ideas and wisdom of ancient Chinese state governance, injecting new contemporary connotations into traditional culture, promoting its creative transformation and innovative development, and continuously enhancing the influence and appeal of Chinese culture, thereby creating new brilliance for Chinese culture.

“把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合”，必须处理好马克思主义基本原理与中华优秀传统文化之间的关系，推进马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化之间实现良性互动。在这种良性互动的过程中，我们必须坚持以马克思主义为指导，以科学的态度对待中国传统文化。正确对待中国传统文化是推动马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合的重要环节。一方面，我们要承认中国特色社会主义的发展离不开中华优秀传统文化的滋养，要看到中华优秀传统文化是中华民族的“根”和“魂”，是涵养社会主义核心价值观的重要源泉，是我们在世界文化激荡中站稳脚跟的坚实根基；另一方面，我们要用辩证的眼光看待中国传统文化，既要看到中国传统文化对历史和现实的积极作用，继承和发扬有益的、好的东西；也要认识到受历史条件限制传统文化中不可避免地存在着的一些陈旧过时的因素，要主动抵御、克服或改造负面的东西。以科学的态度对待中国传统文化，就是要运用马克思主义的立场、观点、方法来发掘中国传统文化中“讲仁爱、重民本、守诚信、崇正义、尚和合、求大同”等思想资源的当代价值，也需要对我国古代治国理政的思想和智慧进行积极总结，为传统文化注入新的时代内涵，推动其实现创造性转化、创新性发展，不断增强中华文化的影响力和吸引力，从而创造中华文化新的辉煌。

The integration of the fundamental principles of Marxism with China’s excellent traditional culture is not an equal or external combination, but an “organic integration” in which Marxism occupies a dominant position. While adhering to the standpoint of Chinese culture, under the guidance of the Marxist worldview and methodology, we must extract the essence and discard the dross of traditional Chinese culture, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s excellent traditional culture. In this process, attention must be paid to preventing two erroneous ideological tendencies: opposing both cultural nihilism and historical nihilism, as well as opposing cultural revivalism and cultural conservatism. The former holds that there is an irreconcilable contradiction between Marxism and traditional Chinese culture, with no possibility of coexistence or integration, which is essentially a “heterogeneity-mutual exclusion theory.” This view regards Marxism as a foreign culture that “is not of our kind and must have a different heart” [47]47 A classical Chinese idiom from the *Zuo Zhuan* (Zuo Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals), meaning those who are not of one’s own kin are likely to have different intentions. attempting to dominate China, believing that China’s acceptance of Marxism is actually taking a “cultural deviation” [48]48 A term from modern Chinese intellectual history, notably used by the conservative scholar Liang Shuming, suggesting that China’s adoption of Marxism was a deviation from its own cultural path. onto a wrong path. The latter overemphasizes the influence and dominance of traditional Chinese culture, attempting to replace Marxism with traditional Chinese culture; some scholars even go so far as to propose extreme statements such as “replacing Marxism with Confucianism,” “Confucianizing Marxism,” or “Confucianizing socialism.” This not only tends to weaken the guiding role of Marxism but also falls into the trap of “replacing Marxism with Confucianism (traditional culture).” Both essentially adopt an absolutist attitude of either fully accepting or fully discarding traditional culture. As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Chinese Communists are Marxists, adhering to the scientific doctrine of Marxism, upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, but Chinese Communists are neither historical nihilists nor cultural nihilists. We have always believed that the fundamental principles of Marxism must be closely integrated with China’s specific realities, and that we should treat national traditional culture and the cultures of all countries scientifically, arming ourselves with all the excellent ideological and cultural achievements created by humanity.” [49]49 A quotation from Xi Jinping’s speech at a symposium on the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, July 1, 2021.

马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合，不是对等地、外在地结合，而是马克思主义居于主导地位的“有机结合”。要在坚守中华文化立场的前提下，在马克思主义世界观、方法论指导下对中国传统文化取其精华、去其糟粕，推动实现中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化、创新性发展。在此过程中，要注意防止两种错误的思想倾向，既要反对文化虚无主义、历史虚无主义，也要反对文化复古主义、文化保守主义。前者认为马克思主义与中国传统文化之间存在着不可调和的矛盾，绝无共存共融的可能，这实质上是一种“异质-互斥说”。这种观点把马克思主义看作是一种“非我族类、其心必异”而试图入主中华的外来文化，认为中国接受马克思主义实际上是走了一条“文化歧出”的邪路；后者则过分强调中国传统文化的影响力和主导性，企图用中国传统文化取代马克思主义，甚至有的学者提出“以儒学取代马克思主义”“儒化马克思主义”“儒化社会主义”的极端言论，这不仅存在弱化马克思主义的指导思想地位的倾向，而且落入了“以儒（传统文化）代马（马克思主义）”的陷阱。两者在本质上都持有对传统文化采取全盘接受或者全盘抛弃的绝对主义态度。正如习近平总书记指出：“中国共产党人是马克思主义者，坚持马克思主义的科学学说，坚持和发展中国特色社会主义，但中国共产党人不是历史虚无主义者，也不是文化虚无主义者。我们从来认为，马克思主义基本原理必须同中国具体实际紧密结合起来，应该科学对待民族传统文化，科学对待世界各国文化，用人类创造的一切优秀思想文化成果武装自己。”

“Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has been both an active leader and practitioner of China’s advanced culture and a faithful inheritor and promoter of China’s excellent traditional culture.” [50]50 A quotation from Xi Jinping’s report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC, October 18, 2017. Marxism is the fundamental guiding ideology that has led to the success of China’s revolution, construction, and reform. China’s excellent traditional culture is our deepest cultural soft power and the cultural soil in which socialism with Chinese characteristics is rooted. Only under the guidance of the Marxist scientific worldview and methodology can we activate the high-quality resources within traditional Chinese culture, fully absorb the nourishment of foreign cultures, and enable Chinese culture to embark on the broad path of “comprehensive innovation.” [51]51 A concept in Chinese cultural theory, particularly associated with the scholar Zhang Dainian, advocating for a synthesis of Chinese and foreign cultural elements to create something new. Therefore, only by integrating the fundamental principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s excellent traditional culture can we facilitate the further development of Chinese civilization, the Chinese nation, Chinese society, and a new form of human civilization. Consequently, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a brilliant model of integrating the fundamental principles of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s excellent traditional culture, achieving the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s excellent traditional culture.

“中国共产党从成立之日起，既是中国先进文化的积极引领者和践行者，又是中华优秀传统文化的忠实传承者和弘扬者。”马克思主义是引领中国革命、建设和改革取得成功的根本指导思想，中华优秀传统文化是我们最深厚的文化软实力，也是中国特色社会主义植根的文化沃土。以马克思主义的科学世界观和方法论为指导，才能激活中华传统文化中的优质资源，并充分吸收外来文化的营养，让中国文化走上“综合创新”的康庄大道。因此，只有把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合，才能有利于中华文明、中华民族、中国社会和人类文明新形态的进一步发展。因此，习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想是把马克思主义基本原理同中国具体实际相结合、同中华优秀传统文化相结合，实现中华优秀传统文化创造性转化、创新性发展的光辉典范。

Source: *Frontiers of Academic Journals*, January 3, 2025

文章来源：《学术前沿杂志》2025年1月3日

Online Editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆