Deepening the Systematic and Theoretical Research and Interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is the theoretical summation of the Party’s practical experience in leading cultural development in the New Era, a major achievement in upholding the Two Integrations and advancing the theoretical innovation of Marxist culture, and constitutes the cultural chapter of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that “on the new journey of the New Era, we must uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, focus on studying, propagating, and implementing the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, make dedicated efforts to deepen its systematic and theoretical research and interpretation, enhance the targetedness and effectiveness of study and propaganda, and enable the Party’s innovative theory to take deeper root in the hearts of the people.” [1]1 “Reaching the vast and great while exhausting the subtle and minute” (致广大而尽精微): A classical Chinese phrase from the *Doctrine of the Mean* (《中庸》), often used to describe the ideal of balancing broad, comprehensive understanding with meticulous attention to detail. On the new journey, deepening the systematic and theoretical research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and elucidating the principles, academic logic, and philosophical reasoning it contains is an important task for the propaganda, ideological, and cultural front.

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。习近平总书记指出，“新时代新征程，要坚持守正创新，聚焦学习宣传贯彻新时代中国特色社会主义思想，着力深化体系化、学理化研究阐释，着力增强学习宣传的针对性、实效性，推动党的创新理论更加深入人心”。新征程上，深化习近平文化思想的体系化学理化研究阐释，阐明其中蕴含的道理、学理、哲理，是宣传思想文化战线的重要任务。

1. Deeply Research and Interpret Concepts, Categories, and Theoretical Viewpoints

1.深入研究阐释概念、范畴和理论观点

Any system of thought is inseparable from concepts, propositions, arguments, and judgments. Engels pointed out: “Every new insight brought forward by a science involves a revolution in the terminology of that science.” Lenin believed that categories are the “knots in the net” that help us recognize and grasp the universal connections of things. Concepts, categories, and the judgments and viewpoints formed through their interconnections are the hallmarks of constructing a specific theoretical system and also the cornerstone for manifesting its systematic and theoretical content. Concepts and categories are the basic elements supporting the edifice of a system of thought; they embody the originality of the theory and also demonstrate the theory’s powerful ideological penetration and academic leadership, laying the foundation for further advancing theoretical innovation on the basis of practice. To further deepen the research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, it is necessary to delve into the level of important concepts, categories, and theoretical viewpoints, and systematically refine and summarize signature concepts and original theories.

任何一个思想体系，都离不开概念、命题、论证与判断。恩格斯指出：“一门科学提出的每一种新见解都包含这门科学的术语的革命。”列宁认为，范畴是帮助我们认识和掌握事物普遍联系之“网上纽结”。概念、范畴及其关联而形成的论断、观点，是构建特定理论体系的标志，也是彰显其体系化、学理化内涵的基石。概念和范畴是支撑思想体系大厦的基本要素，体现出理论的原创性，也展示了理论具有的强大思想穿透力、学术引领力，为深入推进实践基础上的理论创新奠定基础。进一步深化习近平文化思想研究阐释，需要深入重要概念、范畴和理论观点层面，系统提炼总结标识性概念、原创性理论。

Strengthening the research and interpretation of original concepts, categories, and theoretical viewpoints in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture helps to construct a system of thought that connects the past and the present and integrates China and the world. The major innovative viewpoints contained in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture embody innovation in ideas, leadership in values, and breakthroughs in thinking. For example, regarding promoting the coordinated development of material civilization and cultural-ethical progress, it emphasizes that “without the great enrichment of the people’s spiritual world and the continuous strengthening of the nation’s spiritual strength, a country or a nation cannot stand proudly among the nations of the world”; regarding upholding the Two Integrations, it emphasizes that “the Second Integration makes Marxism Chinese and makes fine traditional Chinese culture modern, and makes the new culture formed through ‘integration’ the cultural form of Chinese-path modernization”; regarding strengthening cultural confidence, it emphasizes that “with cultural subjectivity, there is a firm self in the cultural sense, and cultural confidence has a fundamental support”; regarding promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, it emphasizes that “civilizations become colorful through exchange and become rich through mutual learning”; and so on. This series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new conclusions inherits and develops Marxist cultural theory, deepening the understanding of the laws governing socialist cultural construction, the development of Chinese civilization, and the progress of human civilization with a broad historical depth and civilizational perspective.

加强习近平文化思想中原创性概念、范畴和理论观点的研究阐释，有助于构建贯通古今、融通中外的思想体系。习近平文化思想所蕴含的重大创新观点，体现了理念上的创新、价值上的引领、思路上的突破。比如，关于推动物质文明和精神文明协调发展，强调“没有人民精神世界的极大丰富，没有民族精神力量的不断增强，一个国家、一个民族不可能屹立于世界民族之林”；关于坚持“两个结合”，强调“‘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”；关于坚定文化自信，强调“有了文化主体性，就有了文化意义上坚定的自我，文化自信就有了根本依托”；关于促进文明交流互鉴，强调“文明因交流而多彩，文明因互鉴而丰富”；等等。这一系列新思想新观点新论断，继承和发展了马克思主义文化理论，以宏阔的历史纵深和文明视野深化了对社会主义文化建设、中华文明发展、人类文明进步的规律性认识。

2. Grasp the Basic Connotation of Systematic and Theoretical Research and Interpretation

2.把握体系化学理化研究阐释的基本内涵

Every step forward in theoretical innovation must be followed by a step forward in theoretical armament, and research and interpretation must deepen accordingly. Marx pointed out: “The weapon of criticism cannot, of course, replace criticism of the weapon; material force must be overthrown by material force; but theory also becomes a material force once it has gripped the masses.” Only by continuously advancing the systematization and theorization of theory can theory be better grasped by the people and truly become the ideological weapon for the broad masses of the people to understand and transform the world.

理论创新每前进一步，理论武装就要跟进一步，研究阐释就要深入一步。马克思指出，“批判的武器当然不能代替武器的批判，物质力量只能用物质力量来摧毁；但是理论一经掌握群众，也会变成物质力量”。唯有不断推进理论体系化、学理化，理论才能更好地被人们所掌握，才能真正成为广大人民群众认识世界和改造世界的思想武器。

Systematic research and interpretation emphasizes studying and interpreting Xi Jinping Thought on Culture from a connected, comprehensive, and developmental perspective. Lenin once likened Marxist philosophy to a theoretical system “cast from a single piece of steel.” Only by achieving the systematization, logicalization, and ordering of theory can thought become grand, content become profound, and structure become coherent, thereby forming an ideologically integrated and logically rigorous whole. In this sense, only

体系化研究阐释强调用联系、全面、发展的观点研究阐释习近平文化思想。列宁曾经把马克思主义哲学比喻为“由一整块钢铸成”的理论体系。只有实现理论的条理化、逻辑化、系统化，思想才能宏大、内容才能精深、结构才能圆融，进而形成思想融通、逻辑严密的整体。在此意义上，只有把习近平文化思想作为“一整块钢”来对待，才能深刻把握习近平文化思想与所属各要素之间、要素与要素之间的相互联系，习近平文化思想与其他分领域思想的关系、习近平文化思想主要内容与其所蕴含的世界观方法论的内在关系。把握习近平文化思想内在逻辑的总体性，不能靠零敲碎打，不能以学科、专业和领域的界限来条块分割式地加以研究，而是要遵循历史与逻辑相一致的、由抽象上升到具体的规律。

Theoretical research and interpretation emphasize using a scientific attitude, scientific methods, and academic expression to reveal the principled theoretical achievements within the new concepts and new judgments put forward by Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Marx pointed out that “the degree to which a theory is realized in a country always depends on the degree to which the theory meets the needs of that country.” Xi Jinping Thought on Culture adheres to the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method, adheres to a problem-oriented approach, studies new situations, new problems, and new contradictions, and through a series of new concepts, new categories, and new propositions, ensures that innovation always advances in the correct direction through upholding fundamental principles, achieves better upholding of fundamental principles through continuous innovation, and opens up a new realm for the cultural construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Promoting the theoretical research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture means deeply analyzing and summarizing its deep-seated internal logic, essential laws, and scientific methods, grasping the “living soul,” achieving an understanding of what it is, why it is so, and why it must be so, clearly explaining the original contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, presenting scientific theory as science, and presenting thorough theory as thoroughness.

学理化研究阐释强调用科学的态度、科学的方法和学术的表达，揭示习近平文化思想提出的新理念新论断中的原理性理论成果。马克思指出，“理论在一个国家实现的程度，总是取决于理论满足这个国家的需要的程度”。习近平文化思想坚持马克思主义立场观点方法，坚持问题导向，研究新情况、新问题、新矛盾，通过一系列新概念、新范畴、新命题，通过守正保证创新始终沿着正确方向前进，通过持续创新实现更好地守正，开辟了中国特色社会主义文化建设新境界。推进习近平文化思想学理化研究阐释，就是要深入分析和总结其深层的内在逻辑、本质规律和科学方法，把握住“活的灵魂”，做到知其然、知其所以然、知其所以必然，把习近平文化思想的原创性贡献讲清楚，把科学的理论讲科学，把彻底的理论讲彻底。

3. Enhancing the Depth and Breadth of Research and Interpretation

3.提升研究阐释的深度和广度

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture emerged against the backdrop of an era in which the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and changes unseen in a century in the world are intertwined and mutually influential, and was formed in the historical process of the profound interaction between theoretical innovation and practical innovation in the cultural construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Continuously deepening the systematic and theoretical research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture requires broadening horizons and innovating methods. With broad horizons and scientific methods, one can stand high and see far, using “telescopes,” “wide-angle lenses,” and “microscopes” to enhance the depth and breadth of research and interpretation, achieving the goal of “reaching the vast and great while exhausting the subtle and minute.”

习近平文化思想是在中华民族伟大复兴战略全局和世界百年未有之大变局相互交织、相互影响的时代背景下产生的，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。不断深化习近平文化思想体系化学理化研究阐释，要开阔眼界、创新方法。眼界开阔、方法科学，就能站得高、看得远，借助“望远镜”“广角镜”“显微镜”，提升研究阐释的深度和广度，做到“致广大而尽精微”。

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences that we must be adept at integrating various resources from ancient and modern times, China and abroad, and especially grasp three types of resources. The first is the resources of Marxism, which constitute the main content of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics and also the greatest increment in their development. The second is the resources of fine traditional Chinese culture, which are extremely valuable and rare resources for the development of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. The third is the resources of foreign philosophy and social sciences, which can serve as beneficial nourishment for philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. Only by adhering to the Two Integrations, taking root in Chinese soil, continuing the Chinese cultural lineage, and solidifying the academic foundation, making the past serve the present, making foreign things serve China, making dialectical choices, and discarding the old while introducing the new, broadening civilizational horizons, and integrating various resources from ancient and modern times, China and abroad, can we enhance the depth and breadth of research and interpretation, and promote theoretical innovation, practical innovation, institutional innovation, cultural innovation, and innovation in all other aspects.

习近平总书记在哲学社会科学工作座谈会上强调，我们要善于融通古今中外各种资源，特别是要把握好3方面资源。一是马克思主义的资源，这是中国特色哲学社会科学的主体内容，也是中国特色哲学社会科学发展的最大增量。二是中华优秀传统文化的资源，这是中国特色哲学社会科学发展十分宝贵、不可多得的资源。三是国外哲学社会科学的资源，这可以成为中国特色哲学社会科学的有益滋养。只有坚持“两个结合”，扎根中国大地、赓续中华文脉、厚植学术根基，做到古为今用、洋为中用、辩证取舍、推陈出新，开阔文明视野，融通古今中外各种资源，才能提升研究阐释的深度和广度，推进理论创新、实践创新、制度创新、文化创新以及其他各方面创新。

To continuously deepen the systematic and theoretical research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, one must persist in broadening the horizon from profound theoretical resources and extensive background knowledge, grasping the pulse of the times, responding to the calls of the era, and answering the questions of the age. This requires maintaining a broad theoretical horizon, analyzing in depth the formation, evolution, innovation, creation, and immense contributions of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture from the historical process of the development of Marxist cultural theory and from the development process of adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times; this requires maintaining a grand historical horizon, responding to the new issues raised by the development of Chinese civilization, realizing civilizational rejuvenation and cultural progress in the great tide of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, promoting civilizational renewal and creating a new form of human civilization on the basis of over five thousand years of Chinese civilization, and analyzing in depth the historical laws and historical foresight contained in Xi Jinping Thought on Culture; this requires maintaining a keen contemporary horizon, paying attention to the new characteristics presented by social thought and culture, focusing on the development pattern and evolutionary trends of world culture and human civilization, studying the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, and deeply elucidating the significant value and profound implications of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture for creating a new form of human civilization; this requires maintaining an innovative frontier horizon, conforming to the development trend of information technology, focusing on the rapid development of science and technology and the profound changes in the social structure, exploring the use of new technological means such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, and enhancing governance capabilities in the cultural field under the conditions of informatization; this requires maintaining a broad global horizon, tracking the new trends displayed in the turbulence of world culture, answering the questions of China, the questions of the world, the questions of the people, and the questions of the times, and analyzing in depth the Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions that Xi Jinping Thought on Culture contributes to the progress of human civilization.

不断深化习近平文化思想体系化学理化研究阐释，要坚持从深厚的理论资源和广博的背景知识中拓宽视野，把握时代脉动、因应时代呼声、回答时代之问。这需要保持开阔的理论视野，从马克思主义文化理论发展的历史过程，从马克思主义中国化时代化的发展进程，深入分析习近平文化思想的形成演进、创新创造和巨大贡献；这需要保持宏大的历史视野，回应中华文明发展提出新的课题，在中华民族伟大复兴的历史大潮中实现文明复兴、文化进步，在五千多年中华文明基础上推动文明更新、创造人类文明新形态，深入分析习近平文化思想所蕴含的历史规律性和历史预见性；这需要保持敏锐的时代视野，关注社会思想文化呈现的新特点，聚焦世界文化、人类文明的发展格局和演进态势，研究中华优秀传统文化的创造性转化、创新性发展，深入阐释习近平文化思想对创造人类文明新形态的重大价值和深厚意蕴；这需要保持创新的前沿视野，顺应信息技术发展潮流，聚焦科技快速发展和社会格局深刻变化，探索运用大数据、云计算、人工智能等新技术手段，提升信息化条件下文化领域治理能力；这需要保持宏阔的全球视野，追踪世界文化激荡展现的新态势，回答中国之问、世界之问、人民之问、时代之问，深入分析习近平文化思想为人类文明进步贡献的中国智慧、中国方案。

4. Conducting Interdisciplinary Research and Interpretation

4.开展跨学科的研究阐释

Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a scientific system that understands the substance and achieves its application, integrating substance and application. [2]2 "明体达用、体用贯通" (míng tǐ dá yòng, tǐ yòng guàn tōng): A classical Chinese philosophical formulation meaning to understand the fundamental substance (体) and to realize its practical application (用), with the two being thoroughly integrated. This thought has profound and extensive content, a rigorous and complete system, consciously adheres to and creatively applies the Marxist worldview and methodology, both deploys the task of "crossing the river" and solves the problem of the "bridge or boat," [3]3 "过河" (crossing the river) and "桥或船" (bridge or boat): A metaphor from Mao Zedong, meaning that theory must not only set the goal (crossing the river) but also provide the method (the bridge or boat) to achieve it. focuses on discerning the general trend of cultural development with a broad and profound historical perspective, focuses on grasping the function of cultural development from the grand logic of the relationship between the material and the spiritual, focuses on leading the direction of cultural development in the comprehensive observation of epochal changes, covering different aspects such as ideological theory, the spiritual world, cultural inheritance, and civilizational innovation, involving various disciplinary fields such as Marxist theory, philosophy, history, archaeology, literature, art studies, journalism and communication studies, religious studies, sociology, law, public management, and ethnology; it is a comprehensive theoretical achievement. The systematic and theoretical research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture is a systematic project. One should adhere to the systems concept, [4]4 "系统观念" (systems concept): One of the key methodological principles emphasized by the CPC, referring to a holistic, interconnected, and dynamic way of thinking. speaking both of the "theory of two points" and the "theory of priorities," [5]5 "两点论" (theory of two points) and "重点论" (theory of priorities): Dialectical materialist principles; the former means recognizing contradictions have two aspects, the latter means identifying the principal contradiction and the principal aspect of a contradiction. properly handling the relationships between autonomy and objectivity, Chineseness and globality, practice and theory, system and method, and inheritance and development, promoting disciplinary integration, academic convergence, and discourse fusion.

习近平文化思想是明体达用、体用贯通的科学体系。这一思想内容博大精深，体系严整完备，自觉坚持和创造性地运用马克思主义世界观方法论，既部署“过河”的任务，又解决“桥或船”的问题，注重以宽广深厚的历史视野洞察文化发展大势，注重从物质与精神关系的大逻辑把握文化发展功能，注重在全面观照时代变革中引领文化发展方向，涵盖思想理论、精神世界、文化传承、文明创新等不同方面，涉及马克思主义理论、哲学、历史学、考古学、文学、艺术学、新闻传播学、宗教学、社会学、法学、公共管理学、民族学等各学科领域，是一个集大成的理论成果。习近平文化思想体系化学理化研究阐释是一项系统工程，应坚持系统观念，既要讲“两点论”，又要讲“重点论”，处理好自主性与客观性、中国性与世界性、实践与理论、体系与方法、传承与发展的关系，推动学科融合、学术融汇和话语融通。

Promoting interdisciplinary research is the general trend of academic development. Currently, the philosophy and social sciences, on the basis of deep differentiation, are showing a development trend of high-level synthesis. Philosophy and social sciences are interpenetrating with natural sciences and technical sciences. Marginal disciplines, interdisciplinary disciplines, and emerging disciplines are emerging one after another. Relying solely on the resources of a single discipline can no longer provide answers to the "diagnosis of the times." This requires academic research to adhere more to holistic thinking and to take multidisciplinary cross-fertilization as an important research method. In the study of cultural issues, one must absolutely not discuss culture in isolation from culture, confining culture to a specific disciplinary field. Ignoring or not paying attention to the comprehensive, three-dimensional study of the theoretical system will not only lead to a tendency toward fragmentation but may even lead to severing the internal unity of the theoretical system in order to argue for a certain viewpoint. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture looks at both domestic and international contexts, focuses on cultural inheritance and development in the New Era, pays attention to fields such as ideology and spirit, civilized customs, culture and arts, cultural relic protection, and ethnic and religious affairs, analyzes the relationships between culture and politics, economy, society, etc., involves different aspects of the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics, and points the way for promoting cultural construction in the New Era. Only by continuously strengthening the overall coordination and integration of research forces and research resources, and actively carrying out interdisciplinary and cross-field collaborative research, can more high-quality results in the research and interpretation of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture be produced.

推动跨学科研究是学术发展的大势所趋。当前，哲学社会科学在深度分化的基础上呈现出高度综合的发展趋势，哲学社会科学与自然科学、技术科学相互渗透，边缘学科、交叉学科和新兴学科层出不穷，单凭一个学科的资源已无法给出“时代诊断”的解答。这就要求学术研究必须更多地坚持整体性思维，把多学科交叉融合作为重要研究方法。文化问题的研究，绝不能就文化谈文化，将文化局限于某一特定的学科领域。忽略或不重视理论体系的全方位、立体化研究，不仅会出现碎片化倾向，甚至会出现为了论证某个观点而割裂理论体系的内在统一性。习近平文化思想放眼国内与国外，聚焦新时代文化传承与发展，关注思想精神、文明风尚、文化艺术、文物保护、民族宗教等领域，分析文化与政治、经济、社会等之间的关系，涉及中国特色社会主义文化建设的不同方面，为推进新时代文化建设指明了方向。只有不断加强对研究力量、研究资源的统筹整合，积极开展跨学科、跨领域的协同攻关，才能推出更多习近平文化思想研究阐释的高质量成果。

(Author: Zheng Fei, Researcher at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

（作者：郑飞，系中国社会科学院习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心研究员）

Online Editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心