Key Points for Thoroughly Studying and Deeply Understanding Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought

Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping, standing at the strategic height of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation, has scientifically answered a series of major theoretical and practical questions concerning fundamental issues such as what banner to raise and what path to follow in cultural development in the New Era, thereby forming Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought. The *Study Outline for Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought* systematically explains the basic spirit, basic content, and basic requirements of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, comprehensively reflects the original contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the cultural field, and serves as an authoritative auxiliary reading for deeply studying and understanding Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought. To thoroughly study and deeply understand Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, one must make good use of this authoritative reading, following the requirements of studying the original text thoroughly and systematically, integrating it with reality and focusing on key points, and drawing inferences by analogy and achieving comprehensive mastery, continuously making efforts in comprehensive study, comprehensive grasp, and comprehensive implementation, so as to truly integrate learning, thinking, and application, and unify knowledge, conviction, and action.

党的十八大以来，习近平总书记站在强国建设、民族复兴的战略高度，围绕新时代文化建设举什么旗、走什么路等根本问题，科学回答了一系列重大理论和实践问题，形成了习近平文化思想。《习近平文化思想学习纲要》系统阐释了习近平文化思想的基本精神、基本内容、基本要求，全面反映了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想在文化领域的原创性贡献，是深入学习领会习近平文化思想的权威辅助读物。学深悟透习近平文化思想，要用好这一权威读物，按照原原本本、深入系统学，结合实际、聚焦重点学，触类旁通、融会贯通学的要求，不断在全面学习、全面把握、全面落实上下功夫，切实做到学思用贯通、知信行统一。

Studying the Original Text Thoroughly and Systematically

原原本本、深入系统学

Every time the Party’s theoretical innovation advances one step, theoretical armed forces must follow one step. Persisting in arming the entire Party, guiding practice, and promoting work with the latest achievements of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times is an important experience of our Party in creating history and achieving brilliance. An important step in conducting theoretical armed forces is to study the original texts and original works thoroughly and systematically. Engels said: “Studying the original works themselves will not lead one astray by some simplified readings and other secondary materials.” Original texts and original works best embody the spiritual essence and core meaning of the theory, and can best provide accurate navigation for our in-depth study and comprehensive grasp of the theory.

党的理论创新每前进一步，理论武装就要跟进一步。坚持用马克思主义中国化时代化最新成果武装全党、指导实践、推动工作，是我们党创造历史、成就辉煌的一条重要经验，进行理论武装的重要一步就是原原本本、深入系统读原著学原文。恩格斯说：“研读原著本身，不会让一些简述读物和别的第二手资料引入歧途。”原著原文最能体现理论的精神实质和核心要义，最能为我们深入学习和全面把握理论准确导航。

For thoroughly studying and deeply implementing Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, the original texts and original works are the most authoritative; only by studying them thoroughly can one comprehensively and accurately grasp their true meaning and ideological essence. To thoroughly study and deeply understand Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, the most effective method is to rely on authoritative readings such as the *Study Outline for Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought*, studying the original texts in their entirety and earnestly reading the original works. Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought is the theoretical summary of the Party’s practical experience in leading cultural construction in the New Era, a major achievement of adhering to the Two Integrations [1]1 The Two Integrations (两个结合) refers to the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with the best of traditional Chinese culture. and promoting the innovation of Marxist cultural theory, and constitutes the cultural chapter of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. One must earnestly read the original works, study the original texts, and comprehend the principles, deeply grasp the historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic contained in this thought, study and understand its core essence, spiritual substance, rich connotations, and practical requirements, strive to master the Marxist standpoints, viewpoints, and methods running through it, continuously deepen understanding, and comprehensively grasp and comprehend it.

深入学习贯彻习近平文化思想，原著原文是最权威的，学深学透才能全面准确把握其真谛真义、思想精华。学深悟透习近平文化思想，最有效的办法是以《习近平文化思想学习纲要》等权威读物为依托，原原本本学原文、认认真真读原著。习近平文化思想是新时代党领导文化建设实践经验的理论总结，是坚持“两个结合”、推进马克思主义文化理论创新的重大成果，构成了习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的文化篇。要认真读原著、学原文、悟原理，深入把握这一思想蕴含的历史逻辑、理论逻辑、实践逻辑，学习领会其核心要义、精神实质、丰富内涵、实践要求，努力掌握贯穿其中的马克思主义立场观点方法，不断深化认识，全面理解把握。

Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought has rich connotations and is broad and profound. It systematically answers the major questions of what kind of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics to uphold and develop in the New Era and how to uphold and develop socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, profoundly elucidates a series of directional, fundamental, and overall issues, and comprehensively expounds on the status and role, objectives and tasks, principles and policies, strategic paths, and practical requirements of cultural construction in the New Era. It includes both innovative breakthroughs in cultural theory and the layout and deployment of cultural work. It is a scientific system that understands the substance and applies it, integrating substance and application [2]2 “Understanding the substance and applying it, integrating substance and application” (明体达用、体用贯通) is a classical Chinese philosophical formulation, here used to describe the systematic unity of theory and practice in Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought.. To thoroughly study and deeply implement Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, one must highlight its holistic and systematic nature, persist in studying and understanding it in a connected rather than isolated, systematic rather than fragmented, and comprehensive rather than one-sided manner, comprehend and master its internal logic, so as to know its surface and its interior, know its words and its meaning, and know its what and its why.

习近平文化思想内涵丰富、博大精深，系统回答了新时代坚持和发展什么样的中国特色社会主义文化、怎样坚持和发展中国特色社会主义文化的重大课题，深刻阐明了一系列方向性、根本性、全局性问题，全面阐述了新时代文化建设的地位作用、目标任务、方针原则、战略路径、实践要求，既有文化理论上的创新突破，又有文化工作上的布局部署，是一个明体达用、体用贯通的科学体系。深入学习贯彻习近平文化思想，要突出整体性、系统性，坚持联系地而不是孤立地、系统地而不是零散地、全面地而不是片面地学习领会，理解掌握其内在逻辑，做到知其表更知其里，知其言更知其义，知其然更知其所以然。

Integrating with Reality and Focusing on Key Points

结合实际、聚焦重点学

The value of theory lies in guiding practice, and the purpose of learning lies entirely in application. A vibrant ideological theory always complements practice, revealing regularity and foresight. The practice of building socialist culture with Chinese characteristics has no end, and the tempering of thought and the improvement of theory likewise have no end. Only by combining the practical process of building socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, combining the real scenes of vibrant and vivid cultural life and cultural production to read classic texts and explore the source of theory, can one truly experience the vitality and charm of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought and perceive the powerful power of truth contained within it. As Marx pointed out: “The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.” The key to changing the world lies in starting from the correct standpoint, sublimating scientific theory from practice, and then guiding practice with scientific theory, effectively turning scientific theory into a powerful ideological weapon for transforming the subjective and objective worlds.

理论的价值在于指导实践，学习的目的全在于运用。有生命力的思想理论总是与实践相辅相成，揭示规律性、昭示前瞻性。中国特色社会主义文化建设实践没有止境，思想锤炼和理论提升同样没有止境。只有结合中国特色社会主义文化建设实践进程、结合鲜活而生动的文化生活和文化生产的真实场景阅读经典文本、探寻理论之源，才能够真切体会到习近平文化思想的活力、魅力，感悟其中蕴含的强大真理力量。正如马克思指出：“哲学家们只是用不同的方式解释世界，而问题在于改变世界。”改变世界，关键在于从正确的立场出发，从实践中升华出科学理论，又以科学理论指导实践，切实把科学理论变成改造主观世界和客观世界的强大思想武器。

Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought was formed in the historical process of the profound interaction between theoretical innovation and practical innovation in the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics. It originates from practice and guides and promotes the development of practice forward. It has a distinct practical character and provides scientific guidance for deeply advancing the practice of building a strong cultural country. To thoroughly study and deeply understand Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, one must promote the Marxist style of study that integrates theory with practice, persist in applying what is learned and unifying knowledge and action, deeply understand and penetrate the problem orientation and practice orientation within this ideological system, closely combine it with the strategic goals and key tasks of cultural construction in the New Era, closely combine it with the prominent issues facing China’s cultural development, consciously implement this thought in all aspects and the entire process of propaganda, ideology, and cultural work, enhance the principled, systematic, predictive, and creative nature of work, and effectively transform the learning results into a powerful driving force for promoting high-quality cultural development.

习近平文化思想是在中国特色社会主义文化建设理论创新和实践创新深刻互动的历史进程中形成的，源于实践又指导和推动实践向前发展，具有鲜明的实践品格，为深入推进文化强国建设实践提供了科学指引。学深悟透习近平文化思想，要弘扬理论联系实际的马克思主义学风，坚持学以致用、知行合一，深入理解贯通这一思想体系中的问题导向和实践导向，紧密结合新时代文化建设的战略目标和重点任务，紧密结合我国文化发展面临的突出问题，自觉把这一思想贯彻落实到宣传思想文化工作的各方面和全过程，增强工作的原则性、系统性、预见性、创造性，切实把学习成效转化为推动文化高质量发展的强大动力。

The vast number of Party members and cadres studying and implementing Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought must place themselves, their responsibilities, and their work within it, make efforts to deepen and solidify the study and application, effectively solve the problem of “who I am, for whom I act, and on whom I rely,” and continuously improve their political ability, strategic vision, and professional level in recognizing, analyzing, and solving problems. The study and implementation of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought should be combined with the work being advanced and the objects being served, combined with the actual situations and contradictions discovered through in-depth grassroots research, persist in focusing on what is needed for the work at hand and supplementing what is lacking, enhance the pertinence of learning, and strive to improve learning effectiveness. Facts have proven that only by closely linking with the concrete realities of the New Era, combining with one’s own work, and accurately grasping the worldview, methodology, and the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods running through this thought, can one better understand its essence and key points, get the thinking method right, get the problem comprehensive, get the cause thorough, and get the measures precise.

广大党员干部学习贯彻习近平文化思想，必须要把自己摆进去、把职责摆进去、把工作摆进去，在推动学习运用走深走实上下功夫，切实解决好“我是谁、为了谁、依靠谁”的问题，不断提高认识问题、分析问题、解决问题的政治能力、战略眼光和专业水平。要把学习贯彻习近平文化思想与所推进的工作、所服务的对象结合起来，与深入基层调研发现的实际情况、矛盾问题结合起来，坚持干什么就重点学什么、缺什么就重点补什么，增强学习的针对性，努力提高学习实效。事实证明，只有紧密联系新时代具体实际，结合本职工作，准确把握这一思想的世界观、方法论和贯穿其中的立场观点方法，才能更好领会其精髓要义，把思想方法搞对头，把问题搞全面，把原因搞透彻，把措施搞精准。

Drawing Inferences by Analogy and Achieving Comprehensive Mastery

触类旁通、融会贯通学

Learning is the foundation of thinking, and thinking is the deepening of learning. If one merely reads mechanically, accepts passively, and browses simply, without thinking, no matter how good the theory, it is difficult to be absorbed and digested. Confucius said: “Learning without thinking leads to confusion; thinking without learning leads to peril.” [3]3 This is a well-known saying from the *Analects of Confucius* (论语·为政), emphasizing the interdependence of learning and critical reflection. To thoroughly study and deeply implement Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought, one must persist in integrating learning, thinking, and application, and unifying knowledge, conviction, and action, truly understand, penetrate, and master it, strive to elevate perceptual knowledge into systematic rational knowledge, be able to draw inferences about other cases from one instance and understand by analogy, and achieve comprehensive mastery and overall grasp.

学习是思考的基础，思考是学习的深化。如果只是机械地阅读、被动地接受、简单地浏览，没有思考，再好的理论也难以被吸收和消化。孔子说：“学而不思则罔，思而不学则殆。”深入学习贯彻习近平文化思想，要坚持学思用贯通、知信行统一，真正学懂、学透、学通，努力把感性认识上升为系统的理性认识，能够举一反三、触类旁通，做到融会贯通、全面把握。

Authoritative study materials such as the *Study Outline for Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought* have been published and distributed one after another, providing solid support for the vast number of Party members and cadres to comprehensively and profoundly understand the basic viewpoints and scientific system of Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought. While studying these main contents, we must also strive to achieve overall grasp and comprehensive mastery, persist in combining history and reality, theory and practice, and international and domestic perspectives, conduct in-depth study and careful understanding from the whole to the part and then from the part to the whole, study Xi Jinping’s Cultural Thought within the historical context of the Party’s theoretical development, understand it within the scientific system of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, comprehend it within the new development stage of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and marching toward the second centenary goal [4]4 The second centenary goal (第二个百年奋斗目标) refers to building China into a modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, and harmonious by the middle of the 21st century, marking the centenary of the People’s Republic of China., and grasp it within the historic achievements and historic changes in cultural construction since the 18th National Congress of the CPC. While accurately understanding the important concepts and formulations within it, one must also pay attention to systematicity, holism, and coordination, strive to achieve thorough study and deep understanding, and clear grasp, and avoid forming fragmented and one-sided understandings like “seeing only the trees, not the forest.”

《习近平文化思想学习纲要》等权威学习材料相继出版发行，为广大党员干部全面深刻领会习近平文化思想的基本观点和科学体系提供了坚实支撑。在学习这些主要内容的同时，我们还要努力做到整体把握、融会贯通，坚持历史和现实、理论和实际、国际和国内相结合，从整体到局部、再从局部到整体进行深研细悟，把习近平文化思想放在党的理论发展的历史脉络中来学习，放在习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的科学体系中来领会，放在全面建设社会主义现代化国家、向第二个百年奋斗目标进军的新发展阶段中来理解，放在党的十八大以来文化建设取得的历史性成就、发生的历史性变革中来把握，既准确理解其中的重要概念和提法，又注重系统性、整体性、协同性，力求做到学深悟透、了然于胸，避免形成“只见树木、不见森林”的碎片化、片面性认识。

In the process of study, one must achieve mastery through comprehensive comprehension; one must learn to draw inferences about other cases from one instance and to draw parallels. [5]5 The Chinese idiom “触类旁通” (chù lèi páng tōng) means to understand a whole category by analogy from a single instance; “举一反三” (jǔ yī fǎn sān) means to infer three things from one given example. Together they emphasize learning by analogy and extrapolation. One must apply a holistic and interconnected perspective, combining the study and understanding of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought with the study of the basic principles of Marxism and fine traditional Chinese culture, and with the study and drawing upon of outstanding achievements of world civilizations, so as to deepen, from a broader scope and a wider dimension, one’s understanding of China’s historical and cultural traditions, one’s recognition of advancing civilizational renewal and creating a new form of human civilization, and to more profoundly perceive the civilizational breadth embodied in Xi Jinping’s cultural thought. One must integrate the study and implementation of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought with the study and implementation of Xi Jinping’s economic thought and others, accurately grasp the logical connections among them, and thus more comprehensively, deeply, and accurately understand Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. One must combine the study and understanding of Xi Jinping’s cultural thought with the study of the history of the Party, the history of the People’s Republic of China, the history of reform and opening up, the history of socialist development, and the history of the development of the Chinese nation, and with the implementation of the various strategic deployments of the Party Central Committee on cultural development since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, [6]6 The 18th National Congress of the CPC was held in 2012, marking the beginning of the Xi Jinping era and the launch of the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. and consciously embody the requirements of cultural development in all aspects and the entire process of economic construction, political construction, social construction, and ecological civilization construction.

在学习过程中要做到融会贯通，必须学会触类旁通、举一反三。要运用全面的、联系的观点，把学习领会习近平文化思想同学习马克思主义基本原理、中华优秀传统文化结合起来，同学习借鉴世界优秀文明成果结合起来，从更宽领域、更广维度加深对我国历史文化传统的理解，对推进文明更新、创造人类文明新形态的认识，更加深切感悟习近平文化思想所体现的文明胸襟。要把学习贯彻习近平文化思想同学习贯彻习近平经济思想等贯通起来，准确把握相互之间的逻辑联系，更加全面深入准确理解习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想。要把学习领会习近平文化思想同学习党史、新中国史、改革开放史、社会主义发展史、中华民族发展史结合起来，同贯彻落实党的十八大以来党中央关于文化建设的各项战略部署结合起来，自觉将文化建设要求体现到经济建设、政治建设、社会建设、生态文明建设各方面和全过程。

(The author Zhang Hao is a researcher at the Zhongshan University Base of the Guangdong Provincial Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)

（作者张浩系广东省习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心中山大学基地研究员）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧