“The Two Integrations”: The Inevitable Path for Adapting the Marxist Worldview and Methodology to the Chinese Context and the Needs of the Times

The Marxist worldview and methodology are those of dialectical materialism and historical materialism. The Chinese Communists’ mastery and application of this scientific worldview and methodology are manifested through their adherence to and development of it. In the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Chinese Communists have come to a profound understanding that only by integrating the basic tenets 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 times and by practice, and can we always maintain the vigorous vitality and robust dynamism of Marxism.” Through the Two Integrations, the Marxist worldview and methodology have been adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Through the Six Musts [1]1 This refers to Engels’s series of letters in the 1890s (e.g., to Joseph Bloch, Conrad Schmidt) in which he clarified that the economic base is ultimately determinant but that the superstructure also exerts a reciprocal influence on the course of history., the worldview and methodology of the latest theoretical achievement in adapting the Marxist worldview and methodology to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, namely Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, have been scientifically elucidated. This article proceeds from the dimension of the worldview and methodology of dialectical materialism and historical materialism to explore the important role of the Two Integrations in the process of adapting the Marxist worldview and methodology to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Through the Two Integrations, whether it is the principle of the material unity of the world, the principle of the contradictory movement of things, the fundamental method of materialist dialectics, and the principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice, all emphasized by dialectical materialism, or the principle of the movement of the basic contradictions of society, the view that material production is the foundation of social life, and the view that the masses of the people are the creators of history, all emphasized by historical materialism, are manifested in concrete theoretical forms with a distinct Chinese style and Chinese manner. Deepening the interpretation of these concrete forms not only helps us to more profoundly understand the objective laws of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, but also enables us to more consciously grasp the historical initiative and continuously write a new chapter in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

马克思主义的世界观和方法论是辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义的世界观和方法论。中国共产党人对这一科学的世界观和方法论的掌握和运用，是通过对它的坚持和发展体现出来的。在党的二十大报告中，习近平总书记指出：“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。”通过“两个结合”，马克思主义的世界观和方法论实现了中国化时代化。通过“六个必须坚持”，马克思主义世界观和方法论中国化时代化的最新理论成果即习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的世界观和方法论得到科学的阐释。本文从辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义的世界观、方法论的维度入手，来探讨“两个结合”在马克思主义世界观、方法论的中国化时代化进程中的重要作用。通过“两个结合”，不管是辩证唯物主义所强调的世界物质统一性原理、事物矛盾运动原理、唯物辩证法的根本方法、认识和实践辩证关系的原理，还是历史唯物主义强调的社会基本矛盾运动原理、物质生产是社会生活的基础的观点、人民群众是历史创造者的观点，都以具有鲜明的中国风格与中国气派的具体化的理论形式表现出来。深化对这些具体化形式的解读，不仅可以帮助我们更加深刻地理解马克思主义中国化时代化的客观规律，而且能够推动我们更加自觉地把握历史主动，不断谱写马克思主义中国化时代化的新篇章。

I. The Integration of the Dialectical Materialist Worldview and Methodology with China’s Specific Realities

一、辩证唯物主义世界观和方法论与中国具体实际相结合

The principle of the material unity of the world is the basic viewpoint of the dialectical materialist worldview, the theoretical cornerstone of the entire Marxist philosophy, and the starting point for adhering to and applying the dialectical materialist worldview and methodology. In different practical contexts, the adherence to and application of this basic principle of the Marxist worldview have different angles. Marx and Engels’ application of this basic principle was mainly manifested in their critique of various erroneous philosophical trends. In *Anti-Dühring*, targeting Dühring’s attempt to prove the objective reality of any product of thought through the identity of thinking and being—a transcendental idealist viewpoint—Engels clearly pointed out: “The real unity of the world consists in its materiality.” Lenin’s adherence to and application of this basic principle was manifested in his critique of erroneous philosophical trends such as Machism. Of course, Marx’s analysis of the history of French political struggle in articles such as *The Class Struggles in France, 1848 to 1850* and *The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte*, and Lenin’s interpretation and promotion of the economic policy of state capitalism in articles such as *On the Tax in Kind*, are all instances of adhering to and applying the basic principles of materialism. But objectively speaking, they had not yet had time to elucidate the concrete forms of adhering to and applying the principle of the material unity of the world in specific historical contexts.

世界的物质统一性原理是辩证唯物主义世界观的基本观点，是整个马克思主义哲学的理论基石，也是坚持和运用辩证唯物主义世界观和方法论的出发点。在不同的实践语境中，对这一马克思主义世界观基本原理的坚持和运用有不同的角度。马克思、恩格斯对这一基本原理的运用主要体现在对各种错误哲学思潮的批判上。在《反杜林论》中，针对杜林企图以思维和存在的同一性来证明任何思维产物具有客观现实性这一先验唯心主义观点，恩格斯明确指出：“世界的真正的统一性在于它的物质性。”列宁对这一基本原理的坚持和运用体现在对马赫主义等错误哲学思潮的批判上。当然，马克思在《1848年至1850年的法兰西阶级斗争》《路易·波拿巴的雾月十八日》等文章中对法国政治斗争史的分析、列宁在《论粮食税》等文章中对国家资本主义这一经济政策的解读与推进，都是对唯物主义基本原则的坚持与运用。但客观地说，他们还没来得及对在特定历史语境中坚持和运用世界物质统一性原理的具体化形式进行阐释。

During various periods of the Chinese revolution and construction, Chinese Communists have always closely linked the adherence to and application of the principle of the material unity of the world with the analysis and resolution of specific practical problems, continuously deepening the understanding of the concrete forms of this basic principle. In his *Talk on the Soviet Textbook “Political Economy”*, Mao Zedong not only clearly pointed out the fundamental difference between the materialist worldview and the idealist worldview—“Existence is primary, thinking is secondary; as long as we affirm this point, we have drawn a line of demarcation with idealism. Then we must further solve the problem of whether objective existence can be known and how it is known”—but also, through criticism of the relevant problems in the textbook’s method of exposition, clearly emphasized that research must proceed from objective phenomena, not from abstract concepts: “The writing method of this book is very poor; it always starts from concepts. To study a problem, one must start from phenomena that people can see and touch, to study the essence hidden behind the phenomena, thereby exposing the essential contradictions of objective things.” Although Deng Xiaoping did not elaborate on the connotation of the principle of the material unity of the world itself, through the perspective of seeking truth from facts, he profoundly elucidated the concrete form of the Marxist worldview based on the principle of the material unity of the world in the context of China’s reform and opening up: “To build socialism, one must certainly follow Marxist dialectical materialism and historical materialism, which is what Mao Zedong summarized as seeking truth from facts, or proceeding from reality in everything.”

在中国革命和建设的各个时期，中国共产党人始终把对世界物质统一性原理的坚持和运用与对具体实际问题的分析和解决紧密地联系在一起，不断深化对这一基本原理的具体化形式的认识。毛泽东在《读苏联〈政治经济学教科书〉的谈话》中不仅清晰地指出了唯物主义世界观与唯心主义世界观的根本区别，“存在是第一性的，思维是第二性的，只要肯定了这一条，我们就同唯心主义划清界限了。然后还要进一步解决客观存在能否认识、如何认识的问题”，而且通过对上述教科书在阐述方法上存在的相关问题的批评明确强调了研究问题必须从客观现象出发，而不能从抽象概念入手，“这本书的写法很不好，总是从概念入手。研究问题，要从人们看得见、摸得到的现象出发，来研究隐藏在现象后面的本质，从而揭露客观事物的本质的矛盾”。邓小平虽然没有对世界物质统一性原理的内涵本身作出阐述，但他通过实事求是的视角，对以世界物质统一性原理为基础的马克思主义世界观在中国改革开放语境中的具体化形式作出了深刻的阐释：“搞社会主义一定要遵循马克思主义的辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义，也就是毛泽东同志概括的实事求是，或者说一切从实际出发。”

In the practical context of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era, the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, have elevated the adherence to and application of this basic principle to a new height. Specifically, there are the following two aspects: First, it is clearly pointed out that in the current practical context of China, the key to learning and mastering the principle of the material unity of the world lies in insisting on proceeding from objective reality in everything. “The principle of the material unity of the world is the most basic and core viewpoint of dialectical materialism and the cornerstone of Marxist philosophy. … Following this viewpoint, the most important thing is to insist on proceeding from objective reality in everything, not from subjective wishes.” This not only elevates “proceeding from reality in everything” to the level of the dialectical materialist worldview, but further elevates it to the level of the principle of the material unity of the world, the most core viewpoint of the dialectical materialist worldview, for interpretation, thereby granting the valuable experience summarized by the Chinese Communists in various periods of revolution and construction — “proceeding from reality in everything” — a more foundational and essential theoretical status. Since the study of the essential connotation and laws of development of China’s concrete reality requires the guidance of the basic principles of Marxism, the emphasis on the foundational status of “proceeding from reality in everything” leads not to a rigid and ossified practice clinging to empirical reality, but to “the Two Integrations” [1]1 This refers to Engels’s series of letters in the 1890s (e.g., to Joseph Bloch, Conrad Schmidt) in which he clarified that the economic base is ultimately determinant but that the superstructure also exerts a reciprocal influence on the course of history.. For only by using the Marxist worldview and methodology to solve China’s concrete problems can Marxism be truly upheld and developed. Only by integrating the basic principles of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture can this scientific theory be continuously endowed with Chinese characteristics, and the historical and mass foundations for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times be continuously consolidated. Second, it clearly elucidates the viewpoint that the objective reality serving as the starting point of the principle of the material unity of the world is constantly developing and changing. “Of course, objective reality is not static but is constantly developing and changing. ‘Change is the nature of heaven and earth.’ To insist on proceeding from reality in everything, we must see both that the basic national condition of the primary stage of socialism has not changed and that new characteristics have emerged in each stage of China’s economic and social development.” Not only does it delve into the essential connotation and laws of development of the current, given concrete reality, but it also deepens the understanding of the dialectical unity of the historicity and periodicity of China’s concrete reality from the perspective of constant development and change. This is an important theoretical contribution made by General Secretary Xi Jinping in advancing the understanding of proceeding from reality in everything. Thus, for contemporary Chinese Communists, the understanding and grasp of China’s concrete reality must take into account both the current concrete content and the periodic characteristics of the times. “Whether Marxism can play a role in practice depends on whether the basic principles of Marxism can be integrated with China’s reality and the characteristics of the times. Faced with a rapidly changing world and China, if we stick to old ways, become rigid in thinking, lack the courage for theoretical innovation, and cannot scientifically answer the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times, not only will the cause of the Party and the state be unable to advance, but Marxism will also lose its vitality and persuasiveness.” At the same time, the understanding of the objective laws of development of China’s concrete reality must also take into account both the macroscopic dimension of historical laws and the periodic general trend of development. Only in this way can we always grasp the historical initiative in the development of the cause of the Party and the state. “Marx and Engels, as early as over 170 years ago, scientifically revealed the historical law that socialism will inevitably replace capitalism. This is an irreversible general trend in the development of human society, but it requires going through a very long historical process. In this process, we must base ourselves on reality, grasp the historical general trend of each stage, and do the work of the present well.”

在新时代中国特色社会主义的实践语境中，以习近平同志为主要代表的中国共产党人把对这一基本原理的坚持和运用提升到了崭新的高度。具体来说，有以下两个方面：第一，明确指出了在当下中国的实践语境中，学习掌握世界物质统一性原理的关键在于坚持一切从客观实际出发，“世界物质统一性原理是辩证唯物主义最基本、最核心的观点，是马克思主义哲学的基石。……遵循这一观点，最重要的就是坚持一切从客观实际出发，而不是从主观愿望出发”，不仅把“一切从实际出发”提升到辩证唯物主义世界观的层面，而且进一步提升到作为辩证唯物主义世界观最核心观点的世界物质统一性原理的层面上加以解读，使“一切从实际出发”这一中国共产党人在革命和建设的各个时期总结出来的宝贵经验，具有了更加基础性、本质性的理论地位。由于对中国具体实际的本质内涵及其发展规律的研究需要马克思主义基本原理的指导，因此，对“一切从实际出发”的基础性地位的强调所引出的不是拘泥于经验现实的、封闭僵化的做法而是“两个结合”，因为只有运用马克思主义的世界观和方法论来解决中国的具体问题，才能真正坚持和发展马克思主义。只有把马克思主义基本原理与中华优秀传统文化相结合，才能不断赋予这一科学理论以中国特色，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。第二，清晰地阐明了作为世界物质统一性原理之出发点的客观实际是不断发展变化的这一观点。“当然，客观实际不是一成不变的，而是不断发展变化的。‘变化者，乃天地之自然。’坚持一切从实际出发，既要看到社会主义初级阶段基本国情没有变，也要看到我国经济社会发展每个阶段呈现出来的新特点。”不仅致力于探讨当下的、既定的具体实际的本质内涵及其发展规律，而且还从不断发展变化的视角深化对中国具体实际的历史性与阶段性的辩证统一的认识，是习近平总书记在推进一切从实际出发的认识上作出的重要理论贡献。由此，对当代中国共产党人来说，对中国具体实际的认识和把握要兼顾当下的具体内容与阶段性的时代特征，“马克思主义能不能在实践中发挥作用，关键在于能否把马克思主义基本原理同中国实际和时代特征结合起来。面对快速变化的世界和中国，如果墨守成规、思想僵化，没有理论创新的勇气，不能科学回答中国之问、世界之问、人民之问、时代之问，不仅党和国家事业无法继续前进，马克思主义也会失去生命力、说服力”。同时，对中国具体实际的客观发展规律的认识也要兼顾宏观维度上的历史规律与阶段性的发展大势，只有这样，我们才能始终掌握党和国家事业发展的历史主动，“马克思、恩格斯早在170多年前就科学揭示了社会主义必然代替资本主义的历史规律。这是人类社会发展不可逆转的总趋势，但需要经历一个很长的历史过程。在这个过程中，我们要立足现实，把握好每个阶段的历史大势，做好当下的事情”。

The basic principle of the movement of contradictions in things is an important viewpoint of the dialectical materialist worldview. For the classical Marxist writers, the application of this basic principle was mainly reflected in the exploration of the fundamental driving forces and objective laws of the development of things. In texts such as *The German Ideology* and *The Communist Manifesto*, Marx and Engels, applying the principle of the movement of contradictions in things, scientifically analyzed the laws of the internal contradictory movement of human history, thereby providing a solid theoretical foundation for the development of the scientific socialist movement. Another important work by Marx, *Capital*, is a representative work applying this basic principle to scientifically analyze the capitalist economic process. From the overall perspective of Marx and Engels’ exposition, on the one hand, the principle of the movement of contradictions in things is used to explain the fundamental driving force of the development of things at the level of historical outlook. The internal contradictions of things are fundamental; they do not disappear because their concrete, specific forms of expression are resolved. Therefore, at the level of historical outlook, Marx and Engels valued the essentiality and eternity of this internal contradictory movement of things. On the other hand, this principle is used to elucidate the objective contradictions inherent in capitalist relations of production. The reason why the internal contradictions of things are insurmountable by the things themselves is not that the concrete objective contradictions in all social forms are insurmountable, but that the objective contradictions in this specific form of relations of production, capitalist relations of production, are insurmountable by themselves. Only through the sublation of capitalist relations of production can this internal contradiction be truly resolved. This stems from the historical specificity of capitalist relations of production themselves. The above exposition of the movement of contradictions in things by Marx and Engels laid an important theoretical foundation for the Marxist view of the movement of contradictions in things. However, it must also be seen that, since they had not yet touched upon the exploration of the problem of internal contradictions in things that can be overcome under socialist conditions, theoretical dimensions such as concrete paths capable of resolving objective contradictions in things had not yet appeared in their interpretive horizon.

事物矛盾运动的基本原理是辩证唯物主义世界观的重要观点。对马克思主义经典作家来说，对这一基本原理的运用主要体现在对事物发展的根本动力和客观规律的探讨上。马克思、恩格斯在《德意志意识形态》《共产党宣言》等文本中运用事物矛盾运动的原理，对人类历史的内在矛盾运动规律作出了科学的剖析，从而为科学社会主义运动的发展提供了坚实的理论基础。马克思的另一部重要著作《资本论》则是运用这一基本原理对资本主义经济过程进行科学剖析的代表作。就马克思、恩格斯的总体阐释视域来说，一方面事物矛盾运动的原理是用来说明历史观层面事物发展的根本动力的。事物的内在矛盾是根本性的，不会因其具体的、特定的表现形式被解决而消失。因此，在历史观层面，马克思、恩格斯看重的是这种事物内在矛盾运动的本质性和永恒性。另一方面，这一原理是用来阐明资本主义生产关系中所内含的客观矛盾的。事物的内在矛盾之所以是其本身无法克服的，不是因为所有社会形态中具体的客观矛盾都不可克服，而是因为资本主义生产关系这一特定的生产关系形式中的客观矛盾是其本身无法克服的，必须通过扬弃资本主义生产关系才能真正解决这种内在矛盾，这源自资本主义生产关系本身的历史特殊性。马克思、恩格斯对事物矛盾运动的上述阐述，为马克思主义的事物矛盾运动观奠定了重要的理论基础。但同时也必须看到，由于他们尚未触及对社会主义条件下可以克服的事物内在矛盾问题的探讨，因而，在他们的解读视域中，还没有出现能够解决事物客观矛盾的具体路径等理论维度。

In the process of elaborating the New Economic Policy, Lenin in fact advanced the study of the real economic contradictions faced by the Soviet regime, but he did not have time to elevate this study to the theoretical level of the principle of the movement of contradictions in things. Consequently, the theoretical effect of this part of his thought, especially its role in promoting the concretization of the basic principles of dialectical materialism, was not fully developed. The Chinese Communists, in various periods of China’s revolution and construction, on the basis of adhering to and applying the theory of the internal contradictory movement of things at the level of historical outlook, have continuously deepened the exploration of the path for concretizing this principle. Mao Zedong’s exposition of ten relationships, such as the relationship between heavy industry and light industry and agriculture, in *On the Ten Major Relationships* was carried out at the level of the movement of contradictions in things. “These ten relationships are all contradictions. The world is composed of contradictions. Without contradictions there would be no world. Our task is to correctly handle these contradictions.” Deng Xiaoping’s exploration of the dialectical relationship between socialism and the market economy in the context of reform and opening up was in fact also carried out at the level of the movement of contradictions in things.

列宁在阐释新经济政策的过程中事实上推进了对苏维埃政权所面临的现实经济矛盾的研究，但他还没来得及把这种研究提升到事物矛盾运动原理的理论层面，因而他这部分思想的理论效应尤其对辩证唯物主义基本原理的具体化所具有的推进作用没能得到充分的展开。中国共产党人在中国革命和建设的各个时期，在坚持和运用历史观层面的事物内在矛盾运动理论的基础上，不断深化对这一原理的具体化路径的探讨。毛泽东在《论十大关系》中对重工业与轻工业、农业的关系等十种关系的阐释，就是在事物矛盾运动的层面上加以展开的，“这十种关系，都是矛盾。世界是由矛盾组成的。没有矛盾就没有世界。我们的任务，是要正确处理这些矛盾”。邓小平在改革开放的语境中对社会主义和市场经济之间辩证关系的探讨，实际上也是在事物矛盾运动的层面上展开的。

As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping accurately grasped the new

中国特色社会主义进入新时代，习近平总书记准确地抓住了中国社会进入发展关键期、改革攻坚期、矛盾凸显期这一新的特点，在继续强调历史观层面事物内在矛盾运动的重要性的同时，从解决中国当下的现实矛盾的角度入手，强调了事物矛盾运动在当下语境中的表现形式，从而有力推进了对这一原理的具体化路径的研究。“矛盾是普遍存在的，矛盾是事物联系的实质内容和事物发展的根本动力，人的认识活动和实践活动，从根本上说就是不断认识矛盾、不断解决矛盾的过程。问题是事物矛盾的表现形式，我们强调增强问题意识、坚持问题导向，就是承认矛盾的普遍性、客观性，就是要善于把认识和化解矛盾作为打开工作局面的突破口”，明确地把问题视为事物矛盾的表现形式，这在辩证唯物主义基本原理的理解史上具有重要意义。这既是中国特色社会主义条件下中国人民能够面对和化解前进中遇到的各种矛盾的必然表现，也是中国社会进入新发展阶段、面临更加复杂的矛盾时深化对事物矛盾运动原理的认识的必要选择。如果说在资本主义批判的语境中事物矛盾的表现形式是“危机”的话，那么，在当代中国共产党人看来，在新时代中国特色社会主义建设的语境中，事物矛盾的表现形式是“问题”。坚持和运用事物矛盾运动的基本原理就是要增强问题意识、坚持问题导向、解决具体问题。这一观点不仅首次清晰地阐释了事物矛盾运动原理具体化的理论路径，从而为这一基本原理在各种实践语境中具体化的理论中介环节的研究奠定了方法论基础，而且为在社会主义建设语境中推进对事物矛盾运动原理的研究提供了正确的理论方向。应该说，这是马克思主义基本原理中国化时代化进程中的一个重要理论成果。

The fundamental method of materialist dialectics is the core viewpoint of the dialectical materialist methodology. Using the perspective of universal connection and developmental change to observe objects is the methodological criterion that materialist dialectics upholds when analyzing problems, while the law of the unity of opposites, the law of the mutual transformation of quality and quantity, and the law of the negation of the negation are the three basic laws of materialist dialectics. Marxist theorists in various periods of the scientific socialist movement have been identical in their adherence to and application of materialist dialectics; what differs is the theoretical purpose they seek to achieve through this adherence and application. In the practical context of their time, Marx and Engels’ application of materialist dialectics primarily confronted two major tasks: the elucidation of the scientific conception of history and the critique of actually existing capitalism. For instance, their in-depth exploration, in *The German Ideology*, of the dialectical relationship between productive forces and forms of intercourse using the law of the unity of opposites directly facilitated the scientific construction of historical materialism. Marx’s profound revelation, in *The Class Struggles in France, 1848 to 1850*, of the processual characteristics of the crisis of the capitalist mode of production represents a scientific application of the law of the mutual transformation of quality and quantity. Lenin’s adherence to and application of materialist dialectics had two main purposes: first, to scientifically elucidate the essence of materialist dialectics and thereby distinguish it from metaphysical materialism and subjective idealist epistemology; second, to scientifically clarify the necessity and importance of implementing the New Economic Policy under the conditions of the time, by applying materialist dialectics to the study of issues such as the economic construction of the nascent Soviet regime.

唯物辩证法的根本方法是辩证唯物主义方法论的核心观点。用普遍联系的、发展变化的观点来观察对象，是唯物辩证法在分析问题时所坚持的方法论准则，而对立统一规律、质量互变规律、否定之否定规律则是唯物辩证法的三大基本规律。马克思主义理论家在科学社会主义运动的各个时期对唯物辩证法的坚持和运用是相同的，有区别的是他们的这种坚持和运用所要达到的理论目的。马克思、恩格斯在当时的实践语境中对唯物辩证法的运用主要面对的是科学历史观的阐释和现实资本主义的批判这两大任务。譬如，他们在《德意志意识形态》中运用对立统一规律对生产力与交往形式的辩证关系等问题的深入探讨，直接促成了唯物史观的科学建构。马克思在《1848年至1850年的法兰西阶级斗争》中对资本主义生产方式危机的过程性特征的深刻揭示，则是对质量互变规律的科学运用。列宁对唯物辩证法的坚持与运用主要有两个目的：一是通过科学地阐明唯物辩证法的实质，把它与形而上学唯物主义及主观唯心主义认识论区别开来。二是通过把唯物辩证法运用于对新兴苏维埃政权的经济建设等问题的研究，科学地阐明在当时的条件下实行新经济政策的必要性和重要性。

Chinese Communists, in various periods of socialist revolution and construction, have continuously deepened their adherence to and application of materialist dialectics, achieving important theoretical and practical results. Mao Zedong’s theory of New Democracy, Deng Xiaoping’s theory of the primary stage of socialism, and others are representative achievements in this regard. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, have elevated the adherence to and application of materialist dialectics to a new height. This is mainly reflected in the following two aspects: First, the adherence to and application of materialist dialectics in the practical context of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era has been concretized into scientific methodologies such as the necessity of upholding systematic thinking. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “China is a large developing country still in the primary stage of socialism. It is undergoing a broad and profound social transformation. Advancing reform and development and adjusting relations of interest often involve a complex web of factors where a single move may affect the whole situation. We must be adept at seeing reality through history and grasping the essence through phenomena, and at correctly handling the relationships between the whole and the part, the present and the long term, the macro and the micro, the principal contradiction and secondary contradictions, and the particular and the general. We must continuously improve our capabilities in strategic thinking, historical thinking, dialectical thinking, systematic thinking, innovative thinking, rule-of-law thinking, and bottom-line thinking, so as to provide scientific methods of thinking for forward-looking thinking, overall planning, and holistic advancement of the various undertakings of the Party and the state.” The “necessity of upholding systematic thinking” within the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era refers to observing things with the perspective of universal connection, comprehensive system, and developmental change, and grasping the laws of the development of things. Therefore, its content is the sum total of various scientific methodologies needed when using materialist dialectics to solve specific practical problems in contemporary China, including methods of systematic thinking, dialectical thinking, innovative thinking, and historical thinking. Second, by applying materialist dialectics to the study of specific problems in Chinese society in the New Era, the understanding of the laws of socialist construction has been continuously deepened. For example, when discussing accurately grasping the new stage of development, General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “The primary stage of socialism is not a static, unchanging, or stagnant stage, nor is it a stage that can be crossed spontaneously, passively, or effortlessly. Rather, it is a dynamic, proactive process always brimming with vigorous vitality, a process of stepwise progression, continuous development and progress, and the quantitative accumulation and developmental change that increasingly approaches a qualitative leap. Comprehensively building a modern socialist country and basically realizing socialist modernization are not only the requirements for China’s development in the primary stage of socialism but also the requirements for China’s socialism to move from the primary stage to a higher stage.” Defining the essential characteristics of the new stage of development from the perspective of the stepwise progression of the primary stage of socialism and the process of quantitative accumulation that increasingly approaches a qualitative leap represents an important development of the law of the mutual transformation of quality and quantity in the practical context of China in the New Era. When discussing the construction of the new pattern of development, General Secretary Xi Jinping’s profound interpretation of the dialectical relationship between the domestic and international economic dual circulations also fully embodies the deepening and innovative development of the basic laws of materialist dialectics, such as the law of the unity of opposites, in the practical context of China’s new stage of development.

中国共产党人在社会主义革命和建设的各个时期不断深化对唯物辩证法的坚持和运用，取得了重要的理论和实践成果。毛泽东的新民主主义论、邓小平的社会主义初级阶段理论等，都是这方面的代表性成果。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为主要代表的中国共产党人把对唯物辩证法的坚持与运用提升到了一个新高度。这主要体现在以下两个方面：一是把在新时代中国特色社会主义实践语境中对唯物辩证法的坚持与运用，具体化为必须坚持系统观念等科学方法论。习近平总书记指出：“我国是一个发展中大国，仍处于社会主义初级阶段，正在经历广泛而深刻的社会变革，推进改革发展、调整利益关系往往牵一发而动全身。我们要善于通过历史看现实、透过现象看本质，把握好全局和局部、当前和长远、宏观和微观、主要矛盾和次要矛盾、特殊和一般的关系，不断提高战略思维、历史思维、辩证思维、系统思维、创新思维、法治思维、底线思维能力，为前瞻性思考、全局性谋划、整体性推进党和国家各项事业提供科学思想方法。”习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的世界观和方法论中的“必须坚持系统观念”，是指用普遍联系的、全面系统的、发展变化的观点观察事物，把握事物发展的规律，因而，其内容是指用唯物辩证法解决当下中国具体实际问题时所需要的各种科学方法论的总和，包括系统思维方法、辩证思维方法、创新思维方法、历史思维方法等。二是通过把唯物辩证法运用于对新时代中国社会具体问题的研究，不断深化对社会主义建设规律的认识。譬如，在谈到准确把握新发展阶段时，习近平总书记指出：“社会主义初级阶段不是一个静态、一成不变、停滞不前的阶段，也不是一个自发、被动、不用费多大气力自然而然就可以跨过的阶段，而是一个动态、积极有为、始终洋溢着蓬勃生机活力的过程，是一个阶梯式递进、不断发展进步、日益接近质的飞跃的量的积累和发展变化的过程。全面建设社会主义现代化国家、基本实现社会主义现代化，既是社会主义初级阶段我国发展的要求，也是我国社会主义从初级阶段向更高阶段迈进的要求。”从社会主义初级阶段的阶梯式递进、日益接近质的飞跃的量的积累发展过程的角度，来界定新发展阶段的本质特征，这是在新时代中国实践语境中对唯物辩证法的质量互变规律的重要发展。在谈到构建新发展格局时，习近平总书记对国内国际经济双循环之间辩证关系的深刻解读，也充分体现了对立统一规律等唯物辩证法基本规律在中国新发展阶段这一实践语境中的深化与创新性发展。

The principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice is the concrete application of materialist dialectics in epistemology. Adhering to the viewpoint that practice is primary, emphasizing the determining role of practice over knowledge, while simultaneously acknowledging the counteractive role of knowledge upon practice—this is the basic stance of materialist dialectics on this issue. Of course, in different practical contexts, the emphasis in upholding and applying this fundamental principle varies. For Marx and Engels, because they bore the heavy responsibility of theoretically criticizing various idealist erroneous trends of thought and practically drawing a clear line of demarcation from various movements of utopian socialism, when they upheld and applied the principles of materialist dialectics, they focused on emphasizing the determining role of practice over knowledge. Naturally, we cannot therefore overlook Marx and Engels’ emphasis on the counteractive role of knowledge. Their exploration and application of scientific knowledge such as historical materialism and the theory of surplus value is itself a recognition of the important role of scientific theory in the socialist movement, not to mention that Engels clearly elucidated this point in his “Late Letters on Historical Materialism”: “The development of politics, law, philosophy, religion, literature, art, etc. is based on economic development. But they all also react upon one another and upon the economic base.” [1]1 This refers to Engels’s series of letters in the 1890s (e.g., to Joseph Bloch, Conrad Schmidt) in which he clarified that the economic base is ultimately determinant but that the superstructure also exerts a reciprocal influence on the course of history. As for Lenin, the principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice was manifested in a richer content. On the one hand, in his *Philosophical Notebooks* he emphasized the foundational role of practice; on the other hand, in texts such as *“Left-Wing” Communism: An Infantile Disorder*, he clearly stressed the importance of revolutionary theory. When discussing the conditions for a revolutionary party to become the party of the advanced class, Lenin pointed out, “These conditions can be created only by prolonged effort and hard practice; correct revolutionary theory—and theory is not a dogma—will facilitate the creation of these conditions, but these conditions can be finally formed only when they are closely linked with the practice of a truly mass and truly revolutionary movement.”

认识和实践辩证关系的原理是唯物辩证法在认识论中的具体运用。坚持实践第一的观点，强调实践对认识的决定作用，同时承认认识对实践的反作用，这是唯物辩证法在这一问题上的基本观点。当然，在不同的实践语境中，对这一基本原理的坚持与运用是有不同侧重点的。对马克思、恩格斯来说，由于他们肩负着在理论上批判各种唯心主义错误思潮、在实践上与各种空想社会主义运动划清界限的重任，因而他们在坚持和运用唯物辩证法的原理时，重点强调实践对认识的决定性作用。当然，我们也不能因此忽略马克思、恩格斯对认识反作用的强调。他们对唯物史观、剩余价值理论等科学认识的探讨与运用，本身就是对科学理论在社会主义运动中的重要作用的认可，更不要说恩格斯在“晚期历史唯物主义书信”中还对这一点作过清晰的阐释：“政治、法、哲学、宗教、文学、艺术等等的发展是以经济发展为基础的。但是，它们又都互相作用并对经济基础发生作用。”而对于列宁来说，认识与实践辩证关系的原理则以一种更为丰富的内容展现出来。他一方面在《哲学笔记》中强调了实践的基础性作用，另一方面又在《共产主义运动中的“左派”幼稚病》等文本中明确强调了革命理论的重要性。在谈到一个革命政党成为先进阶级的政党的条件时，列宁指出，“只有经过长期的努力和艰苦的实践才能造成这些条件；正确的革命理论——而理论并不是教条——会使这些条件容易造成，但只有同真正群众性的和真正革命的运动的实践密切地联系起来，这些条件才能最终形成”。

Chinese Communists have advanced the Sinicization of the principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice well in various periods of revolution and construction, achieving important theoretical accomplishments. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, [2]2 The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held in November 2012, marked the beginning of Xi Jinping’s tenure as General Secretary and the official launch of the “New Era” of socialism with Chinese characteristics. General Secretary Xi Jinping, in the practical context of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, has concretized the study and mastery of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice into adhering to the viewpoint that practice is primary and continuously promoting theoretical innovation on the basis of practice. Specifically, this has two dimensions: First, elevating the dialectical unity of knowledge and practice to the level of objective laws for comprehension. “Once theory is divorced from practice, it becomes rigid dogma, losing its vitality and life force. If practice lacks the guidance of correct theory, it is easy to be like ‘a blind man riding a blind horse, approaching a deep pool at midnight.’ [3]3 A classical Chinese idiom (盲人骑瞎马，夜半临深池) from *Shishuo Xinyu* (A New Account of the Tales of the World), used to describe a situation of extreme danger and recklessness. The more profoundly theory reveals the laws of things, the more significant its guiding role in social development and transformation becomes.” Doing so can both reveal the importance of the laws of development of objective things, placing social practice on the level of a practical process possessing objective laws for understanding, and reveal the theoretical importance of such laws, deepening the development of knowledge to the level of theoretical innovation. Second, emphasizing the positive interaction between theoretical innovation and practical innovation. “We must, according to the changes of the times and the development of practice, continuously deepen understanding, continuously sum up experience, continuously carry out theoretical innovation, adhere to the dialectical unity of theoretical guidance and practical exploration, realize the positive interaction between theoretical innovation and practical innovation, and develop 21st-century Chinese Marxism in this unity and interaction.” This scientific thesis profoundly embodies the concretization of the principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice in the context of the New Era in China. As socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era, China has entered a critical period of development, a tough period of reform, and a period of prominent contradictions; the contradictions we face have become more complex. Under these circumstances, our upholding and application of the aforementioned fundamental principles cannot merely be reflected in letting established practice drive and determine the development of relevant knowledge or theory. Instead, we must both base ourselves on practical innovation, letting innovative practice resolve the contradictions and problems encountered on our path forward, and simultaneously promote theoretical innovation on the basis of practical innovation, letting innovative theory better guide our practice.

中国共产党人在革命和建设的各个时期都很好地推进了认识和实践辩证关系原理的中国化进程，并取得了重要的理论成就。党的十八大以来，习近平总书记在新时代中国特色社会主义的实践语境中，把对认识和实践辩证关系的学习与掌握具体化为坚持实践第一的观点，不断推进实践基础上的理论创新。具体来说有以下两个维度：一是把认识和实践的辩证统一提升到客观规律的层面上加以把握。“理论一旦脱离了实践，就会成为僵化的教条，失去活力和生命力。实践如果没有正确理论的指导，也容易‘盲人骑瞎马，夜半临深池’。理论对规律的揭示越深刻，对社会发展和变革的引领作用就越显著。”这样做既能够揭示客观事物发展规律的重要性，把社会实践放在具有客观规律性的实践过程的层面上来加以理解，又能够揭示这种规律的理论重要性，把认识的发展提升到理论创新的层面上来加以深化。二是强调理论创新和实践创新的良性互动。“我们要根据时代变化和实践发展，不断深化认识，不断总结经验，不断进行理论创新，坚持理论指导和实践探索辩证统一，实现理论创新和实践创新良性互动，在这种统一和互动中发展21世纪中国的马克思主义。”这一科学论断深刻地体现了认识和实践辩证关系原理在新时代中国语境中的具体化。中国特色社会主义进入新时代，我国已经进入了发展的关键期、改革的攻坚期、矛盾的凸显期，我们面临的矛盾变得更加复杂。在这种情况下，我们对上述基本原理的坚持和运用就不能仅仅体现在让既定的实践来推动和决定相关认识或理论的发展，而是既要立足于实践创新，让创新性的实践来破解我们前进道路上遇到的矛盾和问题，同时又要推进实践创新基础上的理论创新，让创新理论更好地指导我们的实践。

II. The Historical Materialist Worldview and Methodology Combined with China’s Specific Realities

二、历史唯物主义世界观和方法论与中国具体实际相结合

The principle of the movement of the basic contradictions of society is the foundational content of the historical materialist worldview. Historical materialism holds that productive forces determine relations of production, and the economic base determines the superstructure, while relations of production and the superstructure in turn react upon the productive forces and the economic base. The interaction and mutual conditioning between these two pairs of elements govern the entire process of social development. For Marxist theorists of different periods, the emphasis in mastering and applying this fundamental principle differed. For Marx and Engels, because they primarily contemplated this fundamental principle from the perspective of revolution, their emphasis was on the determining role of the first two elements (productive forces, economic base) over the latter two elements (relations of production, superstructure). Lenin, however, applied the principle of the movement of the basic contradictions of society from the dual dimensions of revolution and construction. This enabled him both to profoundly perceive, from the perspective of the economic base in texts such as *The Development of Capitalism in Russia*, the historical role of capitalism in Russia’s economic development and the historical transience and comprehensive contradictoriness of this economic system, and to profoundly reveal, in texts such as *On Cooperation*, the positive role of the new form of relations of production—cooperatives—in promoting the development of productive forces under the premise of Soviet state power.

社会基本矛盾运动原理是历史唯物主义世界观的基础性内容。历史唯物主义认为，生产力决定生产关系，经济基础决定上层建筑，而生产关系、上层建筑又对生产力和经济基础起反作用，这两对要素之间的相互作用及相互制约支配着整个社会发展的进程。对不同时期的马克思主义理论家来说，掌握和运用这一基本原理的侧重点是不同的。对马克思、恩格斯来说，由于他们主要从革命的视角来思考这一基本原理，因此，他们的侧重点是前两个要素（生产力、经济基础）对后两个要素（生产关系、上层建筑）的决定作用。而列宁则从革命和建设的双重维度来运用社会基本矛盾运动原理。这使他既能在《俄国资本主义的发展》等文本中从经济基础的角度深刻洞察资本主义在俄国经济发展中的历史作用以及这一经济制度的历史暂时性和全面矛盾性，又能在《论合作社》等文本中深刻揭示在苏维埃国家政权的前提下合作社这种新型生产关系形式对推进生产力发展的积极作用。

In every period of socialist revolution and construction, Chinese Communists have deepened their understanding of the concretization mechanism of the principle of the movement of the basic contradictions of society by integrating this principle with China’s concrete reality. As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, have elevated the

中国共产党人在社会主义革命和建设的各个时期，通过把社会基本矛盾运动原理与中国的具体实际相结合，深化了对这一基本原理的具体化机制的认识。中国特色社会主义进入新时代，以习近平同志为主要代表的中国共产党人把社会基本矛盾运动原理的中国化时代化水平提升到了一个崭新的层面。这具体表现在以下两个方面：一是整体性。习近平总书记指出：“只有把生产力和生产关系的矛盾运动同经济基础和上层建筑的矛盾运动结合起来观察，把社会基本矛盾作为一个整体来观察，才能全面把握整个社会的基本面貌和发展方向。”明确提出社会基本矛盾的整体性，这是习近平总书记在全面深化改革的语境中对社会基本矛盾运动原理中国化时代化作出的重要贡献。此处的整体性不仅包括覆盖面上的全面性，而且包括内容的有机统一性。正是这种整体性的解读视域，使当代中国共产党人明确提出了统筹推进“五位一体”总体布局、协调推进“四个全面”战略布局的重要思想，从而开创了党和国家事业新局面。同时，对社会基本矛盾的整体性解读还为加强党的全面领导提供了重要的学理支撑，这是因为处在全面深化改革语境中的我们所面对的社会矛盾不是零星的，而是具有整体性的，要想准确把握、科学解决这些具有整体性的社会矛盾，必须在中国共产党的领导下才能实现。二是不断发展性。习近平总书记指出：“社会基本矛盾总是不断发展的，所以调整生产关系、完善上层建筑需要相应地不断进行下去。我讲过，实践发展永无止境，解放思想永无止境，改革开放永无止境，改革开放只有进行时、没有完成时。这是历史唯物主义态度。”此处的不断发展性既包括新旧矛盾的前后相继性，也包含同一矛盾的不同阶段性特征。党的十九大报告明确提出我国社会主要矛盾已经转化为人民日益增长的美好生活需要和不平衡不充分的发展之间的矛盾，就是对社会基本矛盾（生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的矛盾）在新时代中国特色社会主义语境中的具体表现形式的准确把握，是对社会基本矛盾在不断发展过程中所凸显出来的阶段性特征的清晰界定。从社会基本矛盾与社会主要矛盾的辩证关系的角度来掌握和运用历史唯物主义的社会基本矛盾运动原理，体现了当代中国共产党人对这一基本原理的认识达到了新高度。也因为如此，我们对社会主要矛盾新变化的实践意义给予了高度的关注，并把它提升到了关系全局的历史性变化的高度来加以理解。

The view that “material production is the foundation of social life” is an important component of the historical materialist worldview and methodology. Historical materialism emphasizes that material production comprises two elements, productive forces and relations of production, which together constitute the economic base of society. Productive forces are the material precondition of social life; they are both the most active factor driving social progress and the fundamental criterion for measuring social development. The grasp and application of this important viewpoint of historical materialism have different emphases in different historical periods. In the context of revolution, Marx and Engels stressed the significance of the inner contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production for the critique of capitalism, clearly elucidating that capitalist relations of production had become an obstacle to the development of productive forces. Productive forces are the most active and most revolutionary factor driving social progress, not because productive forces alone can pull forward social progress and development, but because the dimension of the development of productive forces can highlight whether the corresponding relations of production possess historical rationality, thereby promoting the overall progress of society through the transformation of relations of production. In the context of Soviet economic construction, Lenin initiated explorations into issues concerning the means, pathways, and methods for enhancing the development of productive forces, achieving important theoretical and practical accomplishments.

“物质生产是社会生活的基础”的观点是历史唯物主义世界观和方法论的重要内容。历史唯物主义强调物质生产包含生产力和生产关系两个要素，它们共同构成了社会的经济基础。生产力是社会生活的物质前提，它既是推动社会进步的最活跃的要素，也是衡量社会发展的根本性标准。对历史唯物主义这一重要观点的掌握和运用在不同的历史时期有不同的侧重点。马克思、恩格斯在革命的语境中强调生产力与生产关系的内在矛盾运动对于资本主义批判的重要意义，清晰地阐明了资本主义生产关系已经成为生产力发展的障碍。生产力是推动社会进步的最活跃和最革命的要素，这不是因为单凭生产力一个要素就可以拉动社会的进步与发展，而是因为生产力发展的维度能够凸显与之相呼应的生产关系是否具有历史合理性，从而通过生产关系的变革来推动社会的整体进步。列宁在苏维埃经济建设的语境中开启了对提高生产力发展的手段、途径、方法等问题的探讨，并取得了重要的理论和实践成就。

Chinese Communists, in every period of revolution and construction, have been committed to integrating the important historical materialist view that “material production is the foundation of social life” with China’s concrete reality, thereby continuously deepening their understanding of this view. As socialism with Chinese characteristics entered the New Era, Chinese Communists with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, standing from the perspective of accurately grasping the major relationships in comprehensively deepening reform, have elevated the mastery and application of the view that “material production is the foundation of social life” to a new height. This is concretely manifested in the following two aspects: First, the correct application of the criterion of productive forces. Because historical materialism emphasizes that the development of productive forces is the fundamental criterion for measuring social development, whether it is directly promoting the development of productive forces through scientific and technological innovation or advancing the development of productive forces through the reform of relations of production, both are implementations and applications of the criterion of productive forces. Therefore, the theory of the criterion of productive forces can be said to be the core content of the important view that “material production is the foundation of social life.” In the practical context of comprehensively deepening reform, General Secretary Xi Jinping, from the height of grasping the laws governing the development of China’s productive forces, has emphasized the correct application of the criterion of productive forces, deepening the understanding of the historical materialist theory of the criterion of productive forces. “We have said that we should not simply judge success or failure by the growth rate of gross domestic product, but should look at the overall level of work. That is to say, we should develop in accordance with the laws governing the development of productive forces, and not act recklessly in violation of those laws. We must correctly apply the criterion of productive forces to promote the unity of the continuous enrichment of things and the all-round development of people.” The criterion of productive forces pursued by Chinese-path modernization is not a single-minded economic growth, but the development of productive forces within the perspective of a modernization that coordinates material and cultural-ethical progress. Contemporary Chinese Communists standing at the new stage of development have both clearly put forward the advanced concept of accelerating the development of new quality productive forces and emphatically stressed that the criterion of productive forces must be correctly understood from the perspective of achieving the unity of the continuous enrichment of things and the all-round development of people, and correctly applied from the height of implementing the new development philosophy and constructing the new development paradigm. The correct application of the criterion of productive forces from the perspective of dialectical materialism fully demonstrates that Chinese Communists have reached a new height in their understanding of the laws governing the development of productive forces. Second, a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the criterion of productive forces. The historical materialist worldview emphasizes understanding the essential connotations of elements such as the economy, politics, and culture from the perspective of the process of social-historical development. Therefore, the economy in the economic dimension as discussed by British classical economists like Adam Smith was, in the perspective of Marx and Engels’ historical materialism, transformed into an economic problem at the level of the socio-economic formation, which has a dialectical and unified relationship with elements such as politics and culture. Hence, for historical materialism, the theory of the criterion of productive forces by no means merely emphasizes the historical role of the single element of productive forces, but rather understands the view that “the development of productive forces is the fundamental criterion for measuring social development” from the dialectical unity of elements such as productive forces, relations of production, and the superstructure. In the practical context of socialism with Chinese characteristics for a New Era, this comprehensive and accurate understanding of the criterion of productive forces is particularly important. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “The criterion of

中国共产党人在革命和建设的各个时期，致力于把“物质生产是社会生活的基础”这一历史唯物主义的重要观点与中国的具体实际相结合，不断深化了对这一观点的认识。中国特色社会主义进入新时代，以习近平同志为主要代表的中国共产党人站在准确把握全面深化改革的重大关系的角度，把对“物质生产是社会生活的基础”的观点的掌握和运用水平提升到了一个崭新的高度。这具体体现在以下两个方面：一是对生产力标准的正确运用。由于历史唯物主义强调生产力发展是衡量社会发展的根本性标准，不管是通过科技创新等方式直接促进生产力的发展，还是通过对生产关系的改革来推进生产力的发展，都是对生产力标准的贯彻和运用，因此，生产力标准论可以说是“物质生产是社会生活的基础”这一重要观点的核心内容。在全面深化改革的实践语境中，习近平总书记从把握中国生产力发展规律的高度，强调了对生产力标准的正确运用，深化了对历史唯物主义生产力标准论的认识。“我们讲不要简单以国内生产总值增长率论英雄，要看全面工作水平，就是说要按照生产力发展规律去发展，而不要违背规律蛮干。我们要正确运用生产力标准，推动实现物的不断丰富和人的全面发展的统一。”中国式现代化所追求的生产力标准，不是单一的经济增长，而是物质文明和精神文明相协调的现代化视域中的生产力发展。站在新发展阶段的当代中国共产党人，既明确提出了加快发展新质生产力的先进理念，又着重强调了必须从实现物的不断丰富和人的全面发展相统一的角度来正确理解生产力标准，从贯彻新发展理念、构建新发展格局的高度来正确运用生产力标准。从唯物辩证法的角度对生产力标准的正确运用，充分表明中国共产党人对生产力发展规律的认识达到了新高度。二是对生产力标准的全面准确理解。历史唯物主义世界观强调从社会历史发展过程的角度来理解经济、政治、文化等要素的本质内涵，因而，亚当·斯密等英国古典经济学家所讲的经济学维度上的经济，在马克思、恩格斯的唯物史观视域中就转变成了社会经济形态层面上的经济问题，它跟政治、文化等要素之间存在着辩证统一的关系。因此，对历史唯物主义来说，生产力标准论绝非只是强调生产力一个要素的历史作用，而是从生产力、生产关系、上层建筑等要素的辩证统一来理解“生产力发展是衡量社会发展的根本标准”这一观点。在新时代中国特色社会主义的实践语境中，对生产力标准的这种全面准确的理解尤为重要。习近平总书记指出：“对生产力标准必须全面准确理解，不能绝对化，不能撇开生产关系、上层建筑来理解生产力标准。改革开放以来，我们党提出的一系列‘两手抓’，包括一手抓物质文明建设、一手抓精神文明建设，一手抓经济建设、一手抓法治建设，一手抓发展、一手抓稳定，一手抓改革开放、一手抓惩治腐败等，都是符合历史唯物主义要求的。”在强调生产力标准的全面性和整体性的同时，习近平总书记也强调了把握生产力标准的关键和重点。他指出，在全面深化改革中，我们要坚持发展是解决我国所有问题的关键这一重大战略判断，“只有紧紧围绕发展这个第一要务来部署各方面改革，以解放和发展社会生产力为改革提供强大牵引，才能更好推动生产关系与生产力、上层建筑与经济基础相适应”。对生产力标准的这种全面准确理解和正确运用，体现了当代中国共产党人对生产力发展规律的深刻认知，是对马克思主义生产力理论的创新发展。

The view that “the masses of the people are the creators of history” (the mass historical view) is a core tenet of historical materialism. Starting from this view, the theory of historical materialism not only clearly defines the value orientation of the theory itself, but also elevates the understanding of the essence of the socio-historical process to a new level. For Marx and Engels, the masses of the people are by no means an abstract concept in the idealist dimension, but a concrete and historical concept within the horizon of historical materialism. The connotation of the masses of the people is not judged by whether they possess self-evident truth, but is constructed by the concrete socio-historical process. Therefore, under capitalist conditions, the masses of the people are constituted by the proletariat and other social classes dominated and exploited by capital. For this reason, their exposition and argumentation of the revolutionary role of the proletariat in works such as *The Condition of the Working Class in England* and *The Communist Manifesto* are precisely an adherence to and application of the mass historical view. Lenin advanced the understanding of the mass historical view further in the dual contexts of the Russian Revolution and Soviet construction, which was concretely embodied in his in-depth understanding and grasp of issues such as the dictatorship of the proletariat and state capitalist economic policy. Chinese Communists, in various periods of revolution and construction, have combined the Marxist mass historical view with China’s concrete realities, greatly deepening the understanding and recognition of this basic viewpoint of historical materialism. For instance, in the context of the New Democratic Revolution, Mao Zedong not only applied the mass historical view to the field of epistemology in “Some Questions Concerning Methods of Leadership,” arriving at the Marxist epistemological view of “from the masses, to the masses,” but also explicitly put forward the important view in “On Coalition Government” that “the people, and the people alone, are the motive force in the making of world history.”

“人民群众是历史创造者”的观点（群众史观）是历史唯物主义的一个核心观点，历史唯物主义理论从这一观点出发，不仅明确界定了其理论自身的价值指向，而且还把对社会历史过程的本质的认识提升到了一个崭新的层面。对于马克思、恩格斯来说，人民群众绝非一个唯心主义维度的抽象概念，而是一个历史唯物主义视域中的具体的、历史的概念。人民群众的内涵不是由是否占有不言而喻的真理来判断的，而是由具体的社会历史过程建构的。因此，资本主义条件下的人民群众便是由无产阶级等受资本统治和剥削的社会阶级构成的。正因为如此，他们在《英国工人阶级状况》《共产党宣言》等著作中对无产阶级革命作用的阐释与论证，其实就是对群众史观的坚持与运用。列宁在俄国革命和苏维埃建设的双重语境中把对群众史观的理解向前推进了一步，具体体现在对无产阶级专政、国家资本主义经济政策等问题的深入理解和把握上。中国共产党人在革命和建设的各个时期都把马克思主义群众史观与中国具体实际相结合，极大地深化了对这一历史唯物主义基本观点的认识和理解。譬如，在新民主主义革命的语境中，毛泽东不仅在《关于领导方法的若干问题》中把群众史观运用到认识论领域，得出了“从群众中来、到群众中去”的马克思主义认识论观点，而且还在《论联合政府》一文中明确地提出了“人民，只有人民，才是创造世界历史的动力”的重要观点。

As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a New Era, Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, have applied the mass historical view of historical materialism to the interpretation of the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era and to the profound understanding of comprehensively deepening reform, achieving innovative theoretical accomplishments. This is concretely embodied in the following: First, standing at the dimension of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the mass historical view of historical materialism is concretized into the basic principle and scientific stance of adhering to putting the people first. The people-centered nature is the essential attribute of Marxism. Chinese Communists, guided by Marxism, will naturally take always representing the interests of the vast majority of the people as the starting point of their theory and practice. “The country is the people, and the people are the country. As we have fought to establish and consolidate our leadership over the country, we have in fact been fighting to secure the people’s support; when we say we have consolidated our leadership over the country, we mean we have won the people’s hearts.” The creative practice of the people is the inexhaustible source of theoretical innovation. Chinese Communists, whose fundamental purpose is to serve the people wholeheartedly, will naturally respect the people’s creativity, pool the people’s wisdom, and rely closely on the people to comprehensively deepen reform and push the great practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics to achieve greater historical accomplishments. Striving to solve the pressing problems of the people is the goal of practical innovation. Chinese Communists, who practice the people-centered development philosophy, will naturally take realizing, safeguarding, and developing the fundamental interests of the vast majority of the people as the starting point and落脚点 [n4] of advancing reform, so that the fruits of development benefit all people more and more fairly.

中国特色社会主义进入新时代，以习近平同志为主要代表的中国共产党人把历史唯物主义的群众史观运用于对新时代中国特色社会主义实践的解读中，运用到对全面深化改革的深刻理解中，取得了创新性的理论成就。这具体体现在：其一，站在习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的世界观和方法论的维度，把历史唯物主义的群众史观具体化为必须坚持人民至上的基本原则和科学立场。人民性是马克思主义的本质属性，以马克思主义为指导的中国共产党人当然会把始终代表最广大人民利益当作自己理论和实践的出发点。“江山就是人民，人民就是江山，打江山，守江山，守的是人民的心。”人民的创造性实践是理论创新的不竭源泉，以全心全意为人民服务为根本宗旨的中国共产党人当然会尊重人民创造、集中人民智慧，紧紧依靠人民来全面深化改革，推动中国特色社会主义伟大实践取得更大的历史成就。着力解决人民群众急难愁盼问题是实践创新的目标所向，践行以人民为中心的发展思想的中国共产党人当然会把实现好、维护好、发展好最广大人民根本利益作为推进改革的出发点和落脚点，让发展成果更多更公平地惠及全体人民。

Second, in the context of comprehensively deepening reform, understanding of the specific methods for upholding and applying the mass view of history has been advanced, and the dialectical relationship between respecting objective laws and developing subjective initiative has been emphasized. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “On the one hand, we must proceed from reality

其二，在全面深化改革的语境中推进了对坚持和运用群众史观的具体方法的认识，强调了要处理好尊重客观规律和发展主观能动性之间的辩证关系。习近平总书记指出：“一方面，要坚持一切从实际出发，按照客观规律办事，一张蓝图抓到底，抓好打基础利长远的工作，不能拍脑袋、瞎指挥、乱决策，杜绝短期行为、拔苗助长。另一方面，要鼓励地方、基层、群众大胆探索、先行先试，及时总结经验，勇于推进理论和实践创新，不断深化对改革规律的认识。我们提出加强顶层设计和摸着石头过河相结合、整体推进和重点突破相促进，这是全面深化改革必须遵循的重要原则，也是历史唯物主义的要求。”把强调人民群众历史主体性的群众史观与尊重事物发展客观规律的观点有机结合起来，并具体化为“加强顶层设计”和“摸着石头过河”相结合的实践原则，这是当代中国共产党人在新时代中国实践语境中对群众史观的创新性发展，凸显了中国共产党人对群众史观的具体化形式的深刻认知。

III. The Integration of the Dialectical Materialist and Historical Materialist Worldview and Methodology with Fine Traditional Chinese Culture

三、辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义世界观和方法论与中华优秀传统文化相结合

From the above analysis, it can be seen that the Chinese Communists, with Comrade Xi Jinping as their chief representative, have creatively advanced the adaptation of the Marxist worldview and methodology to the Chinese context and the needs of the times by integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with the concrete realities of China in the New Era, achieving important theoretical accomplishments. At the same time, we should also recognize that these accomplishments also stem from the Chinese Communists’ integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture. “To uphold and develop Marxism, it must be integrated with fine traditional Chinese culture. Only by taking root in the historical and cultural soil of one’s own country and nation can the tree of Marxist truth grow deep and flourish.” [5]5 Xi Jinping, “Hold High the Great Banner of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Strive in Unity to Build a Modern Socialist Country in All Respects” (Report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, October 16, 2022). If the “First Integration” provided the practical foundation for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context by using the Marxist worldview and methodology to solve China’s practical problems, then the “Second Integration” provides the cultural foundation for adapting Marxism to the Chinese context. It not only makes fine traditional Chinese culture modern, but also makes Marxism Chinese by enriching the cultural life of Marxism with fine traditional Chinese culture. The “Two Integrations” are in a dialectical unity, together constituting the greatest magic weapon for continuously achieving new accomplishments in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

从上述分析中可以看出，以习近平同志为主要代表的中国共产党人通过把马克思主义基本原理与新时代中国的具体实际相结合，创造性地推进了马克思主义世界观和方法论的中国化时代化，取得了重要的理论成就。同时，我们也应该看到，这些成就的取得还源自中国共产党人把马克思主义基本原理与中华优秀传统文化相结合。“坚持和发展马克思主义，必须同中华优秀传统文化相结合。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。”如果说“第一个结合”通过运用马克思主义的世界观和方法论来解决中国的实际问题而为马克思主义中国化提供了实践基础，那么，“第二个结合”则为马克思主义中国化提供了文化基础，它不仅使中华优秀传统文化成为现代的，而且还通过用中华优秀传统文化充实马克思主义的文化生命而使马克思主义成为中国的。“两个结合”之间是一种辩证统一的关系，它们共同构成了推动马克思主义中国化时代化不断取得新成就的最大法宝。

The view of constant change in things, such as “change is the nature of heaven and earth,” contained in fine traditional Chinese culture, is compatible with the dialectical interpretation of the movement of matter within the principle of the material unity of the world. This enables contemporary Chinese Communists, who are deeply versed in fine traditional Chinese culture, when mastering and applying the principle of the material unity of the world, to concretize this basic principle into proceeding from objective reality in everything, and moreover, this objective reality is constantly changing. Whether one proceeds from a constantly changing objective reality or from a static, ossified objective reality directly concerns whether one can correctly uphold and apply the principle of the material unity of the world, and whether one can correctly uphold and apply the stance, viewpoint, and method of seeking truth from facts. In the history of European thought, the classical economists of the British bourgeoisie also ostensibly proceeded from social reality, but the social reality in their eyes was a solidified, empirical reality, not a developing and changing objective reality. Consequently, their interpretive method could never break free from the shackles of empiricism. In contrast, the Marxist classical writers’ thought on the material unity of the world is closely integrated with their scientific method of materialist dialectics. Hence, the material determinacy at the ontological level and the developmental and changing nature of objective reality at the historical level complement each other. Therefore, only by accurately grasping the developmental and changing nature of objective reality can one truly uphold the basic principle of the material unity of the world, and can one truly promote the adaptation of this basic principle to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. The thought of the constant development and change of things contained in fine traditional Chinese culture provides an important cultural foundation for the Chinese Communists to continuously promote the adaptation of the basic tenets of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. Thus, the “Second Integration” not only demonstrates the prerequisite of mutual compatibility, but also shows the result of mutual achievement.

中华优秀传统文化中包含的“变化者，乃天地之自然”等事物不断变化的观点，与世界物质统一性原理中关于物质运动的辩证解读是彼此契合的。这就使深谙优秀传统文化的当代中国共产党人在掌握和运用世界物质统一性原理时，能够把这一基本原理具体化为一切从客观实际出发，而且这种客观实际还是不断变化的。是从不断变化的客观实际出发还是从静态的、僵化的客观实际出发，这直接关系到能否正确地坚持和运用世界物质统一性原理、能否正确地坚持和运用实事求是的立场、观点、方法的问题。在欧洲思想史上，英国资产阶级古典经济学家从表面上看也是从社会现实出发的，但他们眼中的社会现实是固化的、经验的现实，而不是发展变化的客观现实，因而他们在解读方法上始终无法挣脱经验主义的束缚。而马克思主义经典作家的世界物质统一性思想是与其唯物辩证法的科学方法论紧密结合在一起的，因而其本体论上的物质决定性与历史观上客观现实的发展变化性是相辅相成的。因此，只有准确把握客观实际的发展变化性，才能真正坚持世界物质统一性的基本原理，才能真正促进这一基本原理的中国化时代化。而中华优秀传统文化中所蕴含的事物不断发展变化的思想，为中国共产党人不断推进马克思主义基本原理的中国化时代化提供了重要的文化根基，从而使“第二个结合”不仅显示出了彼此契合的前提，而且也显示出了互相成就的结果。

The view of the universality of contradiction, such as “the alternation of yin and yang is called the Way,” contained in fine traditional Chinese culture, is compatible with the principle of the contradictory movement of things in dialectical materialism, which holds that “contradiction is the essence of the connection of things and the driving force of their development.” This gives contemporary Chinese Communists a more active cultural subjectivity when integrating the principle of the contradictory movement of things with the concrete realities of contemporary China. The Marxist classical writers’ grasp of the essence and objective laws of social history from the perspective of the internal contradictory movement of things is not only an important reason why they could construct scientific theories such as historical materialism and the theory of surplus value, but also a crucial factor in their thought transcending old materialism and idealist viewpoints. Whether one examines and grasps the essence of real life from the perspective of internal contradiction, or from the perspective of abstract reason or isolated empirical elements, directly concerns whether one can truly uphold and apply the basic principle of the contradictory movement of things. The Ricardian utopian socialists of the British bourgeoisie in the first half of the 19th century also saw the contradictory nature of distribution relations in the society of their time, but the British empirical cultural tradition prevented them from elevating this view to a holistic interpretive horizon of internal contradiction. Consequently, their understanding of social contradiction was limited to the level of distribution relations, and could not be further extended to the entire level of social relations, including relations of production. In contrast, the rich thought on the universality of contradiction contained in fine traditional Chinese culture not only enables the Chinese Communists, who are rooted in the historical and cultural soil of their own nation, to deepen their understanding of the principle of the contradictory movement of things from the dimension of enhancing problem awareness and adhering to a problem-oriented approach, but also enables them to make important developments to the above basic principle from the perspective of correctly grasping the dialectical relationship between principal contradiction and secondary contradiction, and between the principal aspect and the secondary aspect of a contradiction. Because fine traditional Chinese culture originally contains dialectical thought on the guiding principle and the details, the root and the branch, such as “when the main rope is lifted, the net opens by itself; when the root is grasped, the branches follow naturally,” [6]6 A classical Chinese idiom from the *Annals of the Three Kingdoms* (《三国志》), meaning that grasping the key or fundamental point allows everything else to fall into place. for the Chinese Communists, who are deeply versed in fine traditional Chinese culture, when integrating the dialectical materialist principle of the contradictory movement of things with China’s concrete realities, they naturally possess a more proactive theoretical innovation and a more conscious cultural subjectivity.

中华优秀传统文化中包含的“一阴一阳之谓道”等关于矛盾普遍性的观点，与辩证唯物主义的事物矛盾运动原理中关于“矛盾是事物联系的实质及事物发展的动力”的观点是相互契合的，这使当代中国共产党人在把事物矛盾运动原理与当代中国的具体实际相结合时有了更加积极的文化主体性。马克思主义经典作家从事物内在矛盾运动的角度对社会历史的本质及客观规律的把握，既是其能够建构唯物史观、剩余价值理论等科学理论的重要原因，也是其思想超越旧唯物主义和唯心主义观点的重要因素。是从内在矛盾的视角，还是从抽象理性或孤立的经验要素的视角来审视和把握现实生活的本质，直接关系到能否真正坚持和运用事物矛盾运动的基本原理。19世纪上半叶英国李嘉图派空想社会主义者也看到了当时社会中分配关系的矛盾性，但英国的经验主义文化传统使他们无法把这种观点提升到内在矛盾的整体解读视域，因而，他们对于社会矛盾的理解只限于分配关系层面，无法进一步拓展到包括生产关系在内的整个社会关系层面。而中华优秀传统文化所包含的矛盾普遍性的丰富思想，不仅使植根本民族历史文化沃土的中国共产党人，从增强问题意识、坚持问题导向的维度深化了对事物矛盾运动原理的认识，而且还从把握好主要矛盾和次要矛盾、矛盾的主要方面和次要方面的辩证关系的角度，对上述基本原理作出了重要的发展。因为中华优秀传统文化中本来就有“秉纲而目自张，执本而末自从”等关于纲与目、本与末的辩证法思想，因而，对于深谙中华优秀传统文化的中国共产党人来说，在把辩证唯物主义的事物矛盾运动原理与中国具体实际相结合时，自然就有了更主动的理论创新性和更自觉的文化主体性。

The views contained in fine traditional Chinese culture regarding the inherent laws of things and the internal patterns of their development and change—such as “every matter has its method, and only then can it be accomplished” and “principle is the inherent nature of things and the reason for their being as they are”—share many commonalities with the fundamental method of materialist dialectics. This has enabled Chinese Communists, in studying and mastering the Marxist materialist dialectic, to more consciously enhance their capacity for dialectical thinking and improve their ability to manage complex situations and handle intricate problems. The materialist dialectic founded by the classical Marxist writers is immanent in the analysis and resolution of real problems, not, as with Hegel, a dialectic first established in logic and then extended to the natural world and the spiritual realm. This means that the Marxist materialist dialectic places particular emphasis on the laws of development inherent in things themselves, rather than on so-called laws of development imposed on things by something external. In the history of European thought, Hegel and other classical German philosophers did indeed believe that things have their own laws of motion, but the idealist tradition of modern Germany meant that the laws of motion they identified were not the laws of development and change of things themselves, but merely the projection of the laws of motion of absolute spirit—a speculative rationality—onto the process of development of things. For Chinese Communists, the key to mastering and applying the materialist dialectic is undoubtedly to observe things and solve problems from the perspective of universal connection, comprehensive system, and development and change, and to continuously enhance the ability to handle complex problems through grasping the objective laws of development of things. It is precisely for this reason that we are able to handle many complex problems with ease. For example, on the issue of regulating and guiding the healthy development of capital in China in accordance with the law, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: “We must understand and grasp the various types of capital and their roles in our society historically, developmentally, and dialectically. Under the socialist market economy system, capital is an important link driving the agglomeration and allocation of various factors of production and an important force promoting the development of social productive forces. We must give full play to the positive role of capital in promoting the development of social productive forces. At the same time, we must recognize that capital has a profit-seeking nature; if not regulated and constrained, it will bring incalculable harm to economic and social development.” It should be said that fine traditional Chinese culture has enriched the cultural life of the materialist dialectic and propelled this scientific methodology to continuously achieve new leaps in its adaptation to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

中华优秀传统文化中包含的“事必有法，然后可成”“理者，物之固然，事之所以然也”等关于事物的固有法则和发展变化的内在规律的观点，与唯物辩证法的根本方法有很多的共通之处，这就使中国共产党人在学习掌握马克思主义的唯物辩证法时，能更加自觉地增强辩证思维能力，提高驾驭复杂局面、处理复杂问题的本领。马克思主义经典作家所创立的唯物辩证法，是内在于对现实问题的分析和解答之中的，而不是像黑格尔那样，先有逻辑学上的辩证法，然后再延展到自然界和精神世界之中。这就使马克思主义的唯物辩证法特别看重事物本身的发展规律，而不是某种外在的东西赋予事物的所谓发展规律。在欧洲思想史上，黑格尔等德国古典哲学家事实上也相信事物有其运动法则，但德国近代的唯心主义传统使其所认定的运动法则并非事物本身的发展变化规律，而只是绝对精神这一思辨理性的运动法则在事物发展过程中的投射。而对于中国共产党人来说，掌握和运用唯物辩证法的关键无疑是用普遍联系的、全面系统的、发展变化的观点来观察事物、解决问题，通过对客观事物发展规律的把握不断增强处理复杂问题的能力。正因为如此，我们才会在很多复杂问题的处理上游刃有余。譬如，在依法规范和引导我国资本健康发展的问题上，习近平总书记明确指出：“要历史地、发展地、辩证地认识和把握我国社会存在的各类资本及其作用。在社会主义市场经济体制下，资本是带动各类生产要素集聚配置的重要纽带，是促进社会生产力发展的重要力量，要发挥资本促进社会生产力发展的积极作用。同时，必须认识到，资本具有逐利本性，如不加以规范和约束，就会给经济社会发展带来不可估量的危害。”应该说，中华优秀传统文化充实了唯物辩证法的文化生命，推动了这一科学方法论不断实现中国化时代化的新飞跃。

The views on the relationship between knowledge and action contained in fine traditional Chinese culture share many similarities with the relevant views in the principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The ancient Chinese discussions on the unity of knowledge and action also emphasize the relationship between knowledge and practice. For example, Xunzi’s ‘Not hearing is not as good as hearing; hearing is not as good as seeing; seeing is not as good as knowing; knowing is not as good as acting’; Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty’s ‘Hearing with the ear is not as good as seeing with the eye; seeing with the eye is not as good as practicing with the foot; practicing with the foot is not as good as discerning with the hand’; Lu You of the Song Dynasty’s ‘What you get from books is ultimately shallow; to know a thing thoroughly you must practice it personally’; Wang Fuzhi of the Ming Dynasty’s ‘Knowledge and action mutually rely on each other for use,’ and so on.” These views in fine traditional Chinese culture have provided Chinese Communists with sufficient cultural confidence to creatively master and apply the Marxist principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice. The classical Marxist writers expounded the principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice on different occasions. In the field of historical outlook, they emphasized the foundational role of practice in the entire development of society and its decisive role in the development of knowledge. In the field of epistemology, while emphasizing the decisive role of practice over knowledge, they also emphasized the counter-effect of knowledge on practice. Precisely because of this, without sufficient cultural grounding in the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice, it is easy, when interpreting the basic principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice, to incline toward a one-sided emphasis on one of the elements. This easily leads to a misunderstanding of this basic principle, thereby producing serious negative effects in concrete practice. Chinese Communists, however, have opened up broad space for theoretical and practical innovation in mastering and applying this basic principle. Fine traditional Chinese culture has always emphasized that true knowledge comes from practice. Therefore, when grasping the dialectical materialist principle of the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice, Chinese Communists can accurately grasp the view that practice is not only the source and motive force of knowledge but also its purpose and ultimate belonging [7]7 The Chinese term 归宿 (guīsù) literally means “a place to return to” or “final destination,” and here it conveys that practice is the ultimate purpose and end-point of knowledge., thereby consistently adhering to seeking truth from facts in practice, and by exploring the objective laws of development of things, continuously creating new prospects for the development of the Party and the state’s undertakings. At the same time, fine traditional Chinese culture also strongly emphasizes that “knowledge and action mutually rely on each other for use.” Therefore, when grasping and applying the above basic principle, Chinese Communists can clearly uphold the guiding role of correct theory over practice, thereby elevating the dialectical relationship between knowledge and practice to the level of a positive interaction between theoretical innovation and practical innovation for understanding and deepening.

中华优秀传统文化中包含的关于知行关系的观点，与认识和实践辩证关系原理中的相关观点有很多相似之处。习近平总书记指出：“我国古人关于知行合一的论述，强调的也是认识和实践的关系。如荀子的‘不闻不若闻之，闻之不若见之，见之不若知之，知之不若行之’；西汉刘向的‘耳闻之不如目见之，目见之不如足践之，足践之不如手辨之’；宋代陆游的‘纸上得来终觉浅，绝知此事要躬行’；明代王夫之的‘知行相资以为用’，等等。”中华优秀传统文化中的这些观点为中国共产党人创新性地掌握和运用马克思主义的认识和实践辩证关系的原理提供了足够的文化自信。马克思主义经典作家是在不同的场合分别对认识和实践辩证关系的原理进行阐释的。在历史观领域，他们侧重于强调实践在整个社会发展中的基础性地位，强调实践对认识发展的决定性作用。而在认识论领域，他们在强调实践对认识的决定作用的同时，也强调了认识对实践的反作用。正因为如此，如果没有足够的关于认识与实践辩证关系的文化底蕴，就很容易在解读认识和实践辩证关系的基本原理时，走向对其中某一要素的单方面强调。这就很容易导致对这一基本原理的误解，从而在具体实践中产生严重的负面影响。而中国共产党人则在掌握和运用这一基本原理时开启了广阔的理论和实践创新空间。中华优秀传统文化始终强调实践出真知，因而，中国共产党人在把握辩证唯物主义的认识和实践辩证关系原理时，能够准确地抓住实践既是认识的源泉和动力，也是认识的目的和归宿的观点，从而在实践中始终坚持实事求是，通过探索事物发展的客观规律，不断开创党和国家事业发展的新局面。同时，中华优秀传统文化也非常强调“知行相资以为用”，因而，中国共产党人在把握和运用上述基本原理时，能明确地坚持正确理论对实践的指导作用，从而把认识和实践的辩证关系提升到理论创新与实践创新良性互动的层面上来加以理解和深化。

The historical materialist method of analyzing the basic contradictions of society elucidates the dialectical relationship between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure. However, because Marx and Engels were in the era of socialist revolution, the focus of their theoretical exposition was on criticizing the idealist conception of history and utopian socialist thought. Consequently, they did not conduct detailed research on some specific details within the theory of the basic contradictions of society, such as the contradictory relations among the various elements of the superstructure, or the contradictions between specific superstructural elements and the economic base, let alone analyze the stage-specific characteristics and forms of expression of the development of the basic contradictions of society under socialist conditions (i.e., the principal contradiction). This has provided Chinese Communists with sufficient intellectual space to achieve innovative theoretical results in the process of applying this basic principle and methodology to China’s concrete practice. When discussing the method of analyzing the basic contradictions of society, General Secretary Xi Jinping once pointed out: “The ancient Chinese sayings ‘The people regard food as their heaven,’ and ‘When the granaries are full, the people know propriety and righteousness; when food and clothing are sufficient, the people know honor and disgrace,’ also contain such simple materialist thought.” Fine traditional Chinese culture emphasizes understanding the role and significance of “full granaries” from the dialectical relationship between “full granaries” and “knowing propriety and righteousness.” This makes it impossible for Chinese Communists, when mastering and applying the method of analyzing the basic contradictions of society, to move toward a mechanical understanding of the decisive role of productive forces and the economic base. Instead, they will inevitably interpret the rich connotations of the method of analyzing the basic contradictions of society from a holistic perspective, and thereby, in the practice of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era, accurately grasp the importance of coordinated advancement of the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and balanced implementation of the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy. [8]8 The Five-Sphere Integrated Plan (五位一体总体布局) refers to China’s overall plan for promoting economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological progress. The Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy (四个全面战略布局) refers to comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively governing the country according to law, and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party.

历史唯物主义的社会基本矛盾分析法阐明了生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑之间的辩证关系，但由于马克思、恩格斯处在社会主义革命的年代，其理论阐述的重点在于批判唯心史观及空想社会主义思想，因而，他们对社会基本矛盾理论中的一些具体细节，如上层建筑诸要素之间的矛盾关系、具体的上层建筑要素与经济基础之间的矛盾等，尚未展开细致的研究，更不要说对社会主义条件下社会基本矛盾发展过程中的阶段性特征及其表现形式（即社会主要矛盾）展开分析。这就给中国共产党人在把这一基本原理和方法论运用到中国具体实践的过程中取得创新性的理论成果提供了足够的思想空间。习近平总书记在谈到社会基本矛盾分析法时曾指出：“中国古人说的‘民以食为天’、‘仓廪实则知礼节，衣食足则知荣辱’等，也包含着这样的朴素唯物思想。”中华优秀传统文化强调从“仓廪实”与“知礼节”的辩证关系来理解“仓廪实”的作用和意义，使中国共产党人在掌握和运用社会基本矛盾分析法时，不可能走向对生产力、经济基础的决定作用的机械式理解，而必然会从整体性的视角来深刻解读社会基本矛盾分析法的丰富内涵，并进而在新时代全面深化改革的实践中准确把握统筹推进“五位一体”总体布局、协调推进“四个全面”战略布局的重要性。

The historical materialist view that “material production is the foundation of social life” emphasizes that the development of productive forces is the fundamental criterion for measuring social progress. By applying this view, Marx and Engels not only constructed historical materialism, thereby establishing a new theoretical platform in the field of historical outlook, but also, starting from the perspective of the internal contradiction between productive forces and relations of production, provided a profound interpretation of the capitalist production process. Marx and Engels never regarded productive forces as some isolated element, but always placed them within the dialectical relationship with relations of production and the elements of the superstructure. The views contained in fine traditional Chinese culture, such as “Agriculture is the foundation of the world; no task is more important” and “Devote effort to agriculture and value the foundation; this is the great principle of the state,” fully reflect the importance that ancient Chinese thinkers attached to the foundational role of material production in the era of agricultural civilization. This exhibits a certain compatibility with the historical materialist view that “material production is the foundation of social life,” and also provides important cultural support for contemporary Chinese Communists, when applying this basic principle to the practice of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, to highlight economic construction as the central task and to closely focus on development as the top priority in deploying reforms in all areas. At the same time, fine traditional Chinese culture also contains simple dialectical ideas such as “Being and non-being give rise to each other; difficult and easy complement each other; long and short contrast with each other; high and low lean on each other; sound and voice harmonize with each other; front and back follow each other.” [9]9 This quotation is from Chapter 2 of the *Laozi* (also known as the *Dao De Jing*), a foundational text of Daoist philosophy. General Secretary Xi Jinping quoted this sentence in his speech at the 11th collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 18th Central Committee on December 3, 2013. This makes it impossible for Chinese Communists, when mastering and applying the historical materialist criterion of productive forces, to move toward an isolated and one-sided understanding of that criterion. Instead, they inevitably understand the driving forces and pathways for the development of productive forces from the perspective of the dialectical unity of productive forces and relations of production, and of the economic base and superstructure. At the practical level, contemporary Chinese Communists have proposed and implemented comprehensive and deepening reforms, rather than only speaking of economic system reform—this stems precisely from a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the criterion of productive forces. Furthermore, fine traditional Chinese culture also contains views on the regularity of things, such as “Observe the present to understand the past; observe the past to understand the future.” [10]10 This quotation is from the *Liezi*, a classical Daoist text attributed to Lie Yukou (c. 5th–4th century BCE). General Secretary Xi Jinping quoted this sentence in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Fourth China International Import Expo on November 4, 2021. This cultural tradition, rich in ideological depth, enables Chinese Communists, when adhering to and applying the historical materialist criterion of productive forces, not only to clearly grasp, from a developmental perspective, the rich connotations of the criterion of productive forces in the context of Chinese practice, but also to elevate this criterion of productive forces to the level of the laws governing the development of China’s productive forces, thereby deepening and advancing it.

历史唯物主义关于“物质生产是社会生活的基础”的观点强调了生产力的发展是衡量社会进步的根本性标准。马克思、恩格斯通过运用这一观点，不仅建构了唯物史观，从而在历史观领域搭建了一个崭新的理论平台，而且还从生产力与生产关系内在矛盾的视角入手，对资本主义生产过程进行了深刻的解读。马克思、恩格斯从来没有把生产力当作某种孤立的要素来看待，而是始终把它放在与生产关系、上层建筑各要素的辩证关系中来看待。中华优秀传统文化中包含的“农，天下之本，务莫大焉”、“务农重本，国之大纲”等观点，充分体现了我国古代思想家在农业文明时代对物质生产的基础性地位的重视，这与历史唯物主义关于“物质生产是社会生活的基础”的观点存在一定的契合性，也为当代中国共产党人把这一基本原理运用到新时代中国特色社会主义实践中时，突出以经济建设为中心，紧紧围绕发展是第一要务来部署各方面的改革提供了重要的文化支撑。同时，中华优秀传统文化中又有“有无相生，难易相成，长短相形，高下相倾，音声相和，前后相随”等朴素的辩证法思想，2013年12月3日习近平总书记在十八届中央政治局第十一次集体学习时的讲话中曾引用过这句话。这使中国共产党人在掌握和运用历史唯物主义的生产力标准论时，不可能走向对生产力标准的孤立化、片面化的理解，而必然会从生产力与生产关系、经济基础与上层建筑的辩证统一的角度来理解生产力发展的动力和路径。当代中国共产党人在实践层面提出和制定了全面深化改革，而不是只讲经济体制改革，这就是源自对生产力标准的全面和准确的理解。再者，中华优秀传统文化中还有“见出以知入，观往以知来”等关于事物发展规律性的观点，2021年11月4日习近平总书记在第四届中国国际进口博览会开幕式上的主旨演讲中曾引用这句话。这种颇具思想深度的文化传统使中国共产党人在坚持和运用历史唯物主义的生产力标准论时，不仅可以从不断发展的角度来清晰把握中国实践语境中生产力标准论的丰富内涵，而且还可以把这种生产力标准论提升到中国生产力发展规律的层面上来加以深化和推进。

The historical materialist view that “the masses are the creators of history” clearly elucidates the position and role of the masses in historical development, deepening the understanding and recognition of the essential connotations of historical materialism from the dimension of the historical subject, and resolving the major issue of the essential distinction between historical materialism and historical idealism in the view of social history. However, objectively speaking, due to the practical context of their socialist revolution, Marx and Engels’ interpretation of the above-mentioned view of the masses mainly emphasized the position and role of the masses, such as the proletariat, in revolution, without elaborating in detail on the role of the masses in the dimension of socialist construction. When grasping and applying the historical materialist view of the masses, Chinese Communists did not simply copy Marx and Engels’ relevant discussions on the view of the masses from the perspective of the revolutionary subject in the revolutionary context. Instead, they elevated the classical writers’ views to the level of the basic principles of the view of the masses, and then integrated these basic principles with the concrete realities of contemporary China, forming a view of the masses adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. The mass line proposed by our Party is a concrete manifestation of this view of the masses adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. In his speech at the symposium commemorating the 120th anniversary of Comrade Mao Zedong’s birth on December 26, 2013, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly elucidated the rich connotations of the mass line from six dimensions: that the mass line is the lifeline and fundamental working line of our Party, an important heirloom for our Party to maintain enduring vitality and combat effectiveness; that the mass line essentially embodies the Marxist basic principle that the masses are the creators of history; that adhering to the mass line means insisting that the people are the fundamental force determining our future and destiny; that adhering to the mass line means insisting on the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly; that adhering to the mass line means insisting on the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the masses; and that adhering to the mass line means truly letting the people judge our work. Contemporary Chinese Communists accurately implement and apply our Party’s mass line in the context of comprehensive and deepening reforms. This is concretely manifested as follows: they not only see the importance of releasing the productive forces inherent in the people, but also see the importance of stimulating the creativity of the masses; they not only see the importance of meeting the existing desires of the masses, but also see the importance of meeting the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life; they not only see that the purpose of socialist revolution and construction is to satisfy the fundamental interests of the masses, but also see the importance of elevating the people to the level of the country [11]11 The Chinese term here is *jiangshan* (江山), literally “rivers and mountains,” a classical metaphor for the state or the country as a whole. to emphasize that the Party’s roots lie in the people, its blood flows from the people, and its strength comes from the people. This is another example of the “Second Integration” opening up space for innovation.

历史唯物主义的“人民群众是历史创造者”的观点清晰地阐明了人民群众在历史发展中的地位和作用，从历史主体维度深化了对唯物史观本质内涵的认识和理解，解决了社会历史观上历史唯物主义与历史唯心主义的本质区别这一重大问题。但客观地说，马克思、恩格斯源于其社会主义革命的实践语境，他们对上述群众史观的解读主要侧重于强调无产阶级等人民群众在革命中的地位和作用，而没有详细展开对社会主义建设维度中人民群众的作用的论述。而中国共产党人在把握和运用历史唯物主义的群众史观时，没有简单地照搬马克思、恩格斯在革命语境中从革命主体的角度对群众史观的相关论述，而是把经典作家的观点上升到群众史观基本原理的层面，进而把这种基本原理与当代中国的具体实际相结合，形成中国化时代化的群众史观。我们党提出的群众路线，就是这种中国化时代化的群众史观的具体表现。在2013年12月26日纪念毛泽东同志诞辰120周年座谈会上的讲话中，习近平总书记从群众路线是我们党的生命线和根本工作路线、是我们党永葆生机活力和战斗力的重要传家宝、群众路线本质上体现的是马克思主义关于人民群众是历史的创造者这一基本原理、坚持群众路线就要坚持人民是决定我们前途命运的根本力量、坚持群众路线就要坚持全心全意为人民服务的根本宗旨、坚持群众路线就要坚持党同人民群众的血肉联系、坚持群众路线就要真正让人民来评判我们的工作等六个维度，对群众路线的丰富内涵进行深刻的阐发。当代中国共产党人在全面深化改革的语境中对我们党的群众路线加以准确地贯彻和运用，这具体体现为：不仅看到了释放蕴含在人民身上的生产力的重要性，而且还看到了激发人民群众的创造力的重要性；不仅看到了满足人民群众已有愿望的重要性，而且还看到了满足人民群众不断增长的美好生活需要的重要性；不仅看到了社会主义革命和建设的目的是满足人民群众的根本利益，而且还看到了把人民提升到江山的层面上来强调中国共产党的根基在人民、血脉在人民、力量在人民的重要性。这是“第二个结合”打开了创新空间的又一个例证。

It can be seen that the “Second Integration” empowers Chinese Communists not only to adhere to and apply the basic principles of Marxism completely and accurately, but also, through this integration, to enrich the cultural life of the basic principles of Marxism, to advance the new leaps in adapting the Marxist worldview and methodology to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, thereby making it display increasingly distinct Chinese style and Chinese manner. “The ‘Second Integration’ makes Marxism Chinese, makes fine traditional Chinese culture modern, and makes the new culture formed through ‘integration’ the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization.” [12]12 This is a direct quotation from General Secretary Xi Jinping’s speech at the symposium on cultural heritage on June 2, 2023. Chinese Communists have perfectly interpreted this through their innovative practice.

可以看出，“第二个结合”赋能中国共产党人不仅完整准确地坚持和运用马克思主义的基本原理，而且还通过这种结合，充实了马克思主义基本原理的文化生命，推进了马克思主义世界观和方法论不断实现中国化时代化的新飞跃，从而使其显示出日益鲜明的中国风格和中国气派。“‘第二个结合’让马克思主义成为中国的，中华优秀传统文化成为现代的，让经由‘结合’而形成的新文化成为中国式现代化的文化形态。”中国共产党人用创新性的实践完美地诠释了这一点。

Online editor: Paul

网络编辑：保罗