From Enriching the People and Cherishing Life to Common Prosperity: The Modern Transformation of Traditional Economic Ethics and Its Inner Mechanism

In June 2023, at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “From enriching the people and cherishing life to common prosperity, Chinese civilization has opened up a new horizon, achieving a leap from tradition to modernity and developing the modern form of Chinese civilization.” The Communist Party of China has profoundly grasped the inner relationship between Marxism and excellent traditional Chinese economic ethics. On the basis of understanding the inner laws of Marxist theoretical innovation and the development of socialist culture, it has realized the modern transformation from enriching the people and cherishing life to common prosperity. This transformation is a vivid example of the Two Integrations. It reflects both the epochal requirement of promoting the renewal and modern transformation of Chinese civilization under the guidance of the truth-power of Marxism, and the civilizational commitment of continuously promoting the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times, supported by the profound heritage of excellent traditional Chinese culture. It reflects the distinctive feature of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, which integrates ancient and modern, and connects China and abroad. Exploring the inner mechanism of this civilizational transformation can further deepen our understanding of the scientific power of Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, providing reference and inspiration for better shouldering the cultural mission of the New Era.

2023年6月，习近平总书记在文化传承发展座谈会上指出，“从富民厚生到共同富裕，中华文明别开生面，实现了从传统到现代的跨越，发展出中华文明的现代形态”。中国共产党深刻洞察马克思主义和中华优秀传统经济伦理的内在关系，在把握马克思主义理论创新和社会主义文化发展内在规律的基础上，实现了从富民厚生到共同富裕的现代转化。这一转化是“两个结合”的鲜活范例，既体现了以马克思主义真理力量为引领推进中华文明生命更新和现代转型的时代要求，也体现了以中华优秀传统文化深厚底蕴为支撑不断推动马克思主义实现中国化时代化的文明坚守，反映出习近平文化思想熔铸古今、汇通中外的显著特征。探究这一文明转型的内在机理，能够进一步加深对习近平文化思想科学力量的体悟，为更好担负起新时代文化使命提供借鉴启发。

I. The Historical Formation and Core Connotations of the Value Concept of Enriching the People and Cherishing Life

一、富民厚生价值理念的历史形成及其核心意涵

Enriching the people and cherishing life embodies a simple concern for the people, centrally reflecting China’s traditional governance concepts and economic ethical requirements. It is a guiding ideology for governing the country that runs through the entire process of traditional society, and also the source from which modern and contemporary ideas of managing state affairs and benefiting the people have further developed.

富民厚生蕴含朴素的为民情怀，集中反映了我国传统治理理念和经济伦理要求，是贯穿传统社会全过程的治国理政指导思想，也是现当代经世济民思想获得进一步发展的源头活水。

(A) The Historical Formation of the Value Concept of Enriching the People and Cherishing Life

（一）富民厚生价值理念的历史形成

As a practical activity, China had already begun simple explorations of enriching the people and cherishing life before the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. Measures recorded in the *Records of the Grand Historian*, such as those taken by the Yellow Emperor and other ancient ancestors—cultivating virtue, deploying troops, planting the five grains, and conserving resources—can all be seen as concrete practices guided by this value concept. Early classics such as the *Guanzi*, the *Book of Documents*, and the *Zuo Commentary* already contain related concepts like “enriching the people” and “cherishing life.” The *Guanzi·Governing the State* states, “The way to govern a state is to first enrich the people; when the people are rich, they are easy to govern; when the people are poor, they are difficult to govern.” Here, the people’s wealth is regarded as the foundation of social governance. The term “cherishing life” appears in the *Book of Documents·Counsels of the Great Yu*, which, after proposing that “virtue lies in good governance, and governance lies in nourishing the people,” emphasizes the three matters of “rectifying virtue, utilizing resources, and cherishing life.” The *Zuo Commentary·Duke Wen, Sixth Year* also states, “Intercalary months are used to correct the seasons; the seasons are used to conduct affairs; affairs are used to cherish life. The way of nurturing the people lies herein.” This holds that conducting agricultural activities in accordance with the laws of the four seasons can make the people prosperous.

就作为一种实践活动而言，中国在夏商周三代以前就开始了朴素的富民厚生的探索，《史记》中记载的黄帝等先民所采取的修德振兵、种植五谷、节用材物等举措都可看作是在这一价值理念指导下的具体实践。《管子》《尚书》《左传》等早期典籍中就已出现“富民”与“厚生”等相关概念。《管子·治国》中讲，“凡治国之道，必先富民；民富则易治也，民贫则难治也”，这里将民富看作是社会治理的基础。《尚书·大禹谟》中出现了“厚生”一词，它在提出“德惟善政，政在养民”的主张之后，重点强调了“正德、利用、厚生”三件事。《左传·文公六年》中也讲，“闰以正时，时以作事，事以厚生，生民之道，于是乎在矣”，认为按照四时运行规律开展农事活动就可使百姓富足。

As a clear ethical requirement, the establishment of the value concept of enriching the people and cherishing life and its profound influence on later generations is closely linked to the maturation of Confucian thought. The *Analects·Zilu* records that after Confucius saw the large population of the state of Wei, he put forward the requirement to “enrich them.” Zhu Xi commented on this: “If the population is numerous but not wealthy, then the people’s livelihoods are not fulfilled,” meaning that if the population is large but not prosperous, it indicates that the rulers have not properly solved the people’s livelihood issues, and thus their achievements are insufficient. The *Analects·Yanyuan* also records an event where Duke Ai of Lu consulted You Ruo, a disciple of Confucius, about measures to take when the harvest was poor and resources were insufficient. You Ruo proposed reducing taxes, intending for Duke Ai to “economize in order to enrich the people.” Thus, Confucius’s requirements for enriching and benefiting the people were actually an intrinsic part of his thought on benevolent governance. For a monarch to practice benevolent governance, it first manifested in nourishing and benefiting the people. Mencius inherited Confucius’s view on enriching the people, demanding that rulers “improve their fields and reduce their taxes,” believing that doing so would “make the people wealthy” (*Mencius·Jinxin I*). Confucius, Mencius, and others embedded the value concept of enriching the people and cherishing life within the organic whole of benevolent thought, establishing its guiding role in values throughout history.

就作为一种明确的伦理要求而言，富民厚生价值理念的确立并对后世产生深远影响是与儒家思想的成熟紧密联系在一起的。《论语·子路》中记载，孔子在看到卫国人口众多之后，提出了“富之”的要求。朱熹对此注释：“庶而不富，则民生不遂”，意思是人口多但并不富庶，说明执政者没有很好地解决民众的生计问题，也就意味着事功不达。《论语·颜渊》中还记载了鲁哀公向孔子弟子有若咨询年成不好、用度不足时的应对之策的事件，有若对此提出减轻税收的办法，意欲鲁哀公“节用以厚民”。由此可见，孔子的富民、厚民要求实际上是其仁政思想的一个内在组成部分，君王推行仁政首先就表现为养民和惠民。孟子继承了孔子的富民观，对君主提出“易其田畴，薄其税敛”的要求，认为这样做，则“民可使富也”（《孟子·尽心上》）。孔孟等人将富民厚生的价值理念内置于仁爱思想的有机整体之中，奠定了其在历史长河中的价值引导作用。

(B) Defining the Concept of Enriching the People and Cherishing Life

（二）富民厚生的概念界定

According to the *Explaining Graphs and Analyzing Characters*, the character “富” (fu, wealth) combines the meanings of “complete” and “abundant,” referring to having all necessities, or having a solid family foundation. The character “厚” (hou, thick) is explained as “the thickness of mountains and hills,” extended here to mean sufficiency. Unlike the modern concept of “people,” the “民” (min, people) in “enriching the people and cherishing life” refers to “commoners,” carrying a strong hierarchical connotation. For example, Xunzi once said, “A true king enriches the people; a hegemon enriches the knights; a state barely surviving enriches the high officials; a doomed state enriches its chests and fills its treasuries” (*Xunzi·On the Regulations of a King*). This outlines the differences in the governing strategies of kings, hegemons, surviving, and doomed rulers, and also reflects the different groups under the traditional hierarchy—commoners, knights, and high officials. The “people” mentioned by the Confucian sages refers specifically to the “commoners,” distinct from other groups, that is, the common people who constitute the majority of the population. The character “生” (sheng, life) refers to existence, livelihood, and living. It is concretely manifested in the conditions necessary for the common people to maintain survival, such as food, drink, shelter, clothing, and marriage. Possessing these conditions and raising their quality to a certain level can be considered meeting the requirements of “wealth” and “abundance.”

按照《说文解字》的解释，“富”字兼具“备”和“厚”的意思，指所需皆备，或可言家底厚实；“厚”字的解释是“山陵之厚”，用在这里引申为充裕的意思。与现在定义的“人民”概念不同，富民厚生中的“民”意指“庶民”，具有浓厚的等级色彩。例如荀子曾讲，“王者富民，霸者富士，仅存之国富大夫，亡国富筐箧、实府库”（《荀子·王制》），这里勾画了王霸存亡之君在施政方略中的区别，也反映了传统等级制下存在的庶民、士、大夫等不同群体，而儒家先贤所提到的“民”指的就是有别于其他群体的“庶民”，也就是占人口大多数的平民百姓。“生”字指的是生存、生活与生计，具体表现为黎民百姓为了维持生存所需要满足的饮食、住穿、婚配等条件，拥有这些条件并将其质量提升到一定程度即可认为达到了“富”和“厚”的要求。

The bearers of the obligation for enriching the people and cherishing life are the rulers. It constitutes the main content of China’s traditional political ethics, along with integrity, prudence, and diligence. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the Confucians had already formed the understanding that “establishing a ruler is for the sake of the people.” The *Lüshi Chunqiu·Bensheng Pian*, compiled by drawing on the strengths of various schools, also states directly: “Establishing officials is for the sake of preserving life.” This reveals that the original intention of establishing official positions is to preserve the lives of the people and make their lives peaceful. Chao Cuo of the Han Dynasty once mentioned the principle that “human nature desires wealth; the Three Kings [1]1 The Three Kings (三王) traditionally refer to the founders of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties: Yu the Great, King Tang, and King Wen or King Wu of Zhou. They are idealized as sage rulers in Chinese historiography. made them abundant without hardship,” indicating that enriching the people and cherishing life is the proper action for rulers to conform to the people’s needs. The *Records of the Grand Historian·Biographies of the Marquess of Pingjin and the Chief Commandant of the Palace* further cites the words of Empress Wang Zhengjun, wife of Emperor Yuan of Han, to explain the common sense of governance that “the way to govern a state begins with enriching the people.” Thus, making the people’s lives abundant is both the moral duty of the rulers and a necessary means to stabilize the regime. This endows enriching the people and cherishing life with both the value orientation of managing state affairs and benefiting the people, and the guiding significance for governing the country. In summary, the concept of enriching the people and cherishing life can be defined as the economic ethical requirement and political governance concept in traditional Chinese society, directed at rulers, to make the people’s livelihoods warm and abundant, and their lives prosperous.

富民厚生的义务承担者是为政者，它同清、慎、勤等构成我国传统政德的主要内容。在春秋战国时期，儒家就形成了“立君所以为民”的认识。采众家之长编撰而成的《吕氏春秋·本生篇》中也直言：“立官者，以全生也。”这揭示了官职设立的初衷正在于要保全百姓生命，使其生活安泰。汉代晁错曾提到“人情莫不欲富，三王厚而不困”的道理，说明富民厚生是为政者顺应百姓需要的应然之举。《史记·平津侯主父列传》中则借引汉元帝皇后王政君的话进一步说明了“治国之道，富民为始”的为政常识。可见，使民众生活充裕既是为政者的道义所在，也是使政权稳固的必要手段，这使得富民厚生兼具经世济民的价值取向与治国理政的指导意义。综上所述，可以将富民厚生的概念界定为我国传统社会针对为政者提出的使百姓生计温厚、生活充裕的经济伦理要求和政治治理理念。

(C) Practical Requirements for Enriching the People and Cherishing Life

（三）富民厚生的实践要求

Based on the reality that traditional society primarily relied on agriculture to solve the people’s livelihoods, the practical requirements for enriching the people and cherishing life also mainly revolved around agricultural production. These include: First, ensuring that the people possess land, the fundamental means of production. The *Guanzi·Chengma* chapter regards solving the land problem as the “foundation of governance,” requiring the rational distribution of land. Mencius’s demand to “improve their fields” was also a call for rulers to help the people manage their land. The *Book of Wei·Annals of Emperor Gaozu* records, “Now we send envoys to travel through the provinces and commanderies, to distribute the land of the empire equally to the people together with the provincial governors, with allocation and return determined by life and death, to encourage agriculture and sericulture, and to establish the foundation for enriching the people.” This clearly states that enabling the people to possess land is the basis for encouraging them to farm and weave, and for achieving abundant livelihoods. Besides possessing land, it is also necessary to make the best use of the land, as the saying goes, “The former kings demarcated and ordered the land of the world, adapting to the suitability of the soil and distributing its benefits” (*Zuo Commentary·Duke Cheng, Second Year*). Second, the continuous improvement of labor tools is an inherent requirement for raising the level of agricultural production. From stone tools and bronze tools to the invention and use of iron tools, this marks the progress of productive forces in China’s agricultural society and provides basic conditions for improving the people’s living standards. Third, rulers need to ensure the smooth progress of agricultural activities through external conditions, which specifically includes a series of measures such as employing the people according to the seasons, formulating calendars, and reducing taxes.

基于传统社会主要依靠农业解决百姓生计的现实，富民厚生的实践要求也主要围绕农业生产展开。这包括：其一，使百姓拥有土地这一根本生产资料。《管子·乘马》篇中将解决土地问题看作是“政之本”，要求合理分配土地；孟子“易其田畴”的要求也是在呼吁为政者帮助百姓治理田地；《魏书·高祖纪上》记载，“今遣使者，循行州郡，与牧守均给天下之田，还受以生死为断，劝课农桑，兴富民之本”。这里明确提出使百姓拥有土地是鼓励民众耕织，实现生活充裕的基础。除了拥有土地，还要做到地尽其利，所谓“先王疆理天下，物土之宜，而布其利”（《左传·成公二年》）。其二，劳动工具的不断改进是提升农业生产水平的内在要求。从石器、青铜器到铁器的发明和使用，是中国农业社会生产力发展进步的标志，也为百姓生活水平的提升提供了基本条件。其三，为政者需要通过外在条件保障农业活动的顺利开展，这具体又包括使民以时、制定历法、减轻赋税等一系列举措。

Based on the multiple needs of the people’s livelihood, the proposition of enriching the people and nurturing life, in addition to emphasizing agricultural production, also attached a certain degree of importance to the value of commercial activities. For instance, the *Guanzi* states that “without markets, the people will be in want” (*Guanzi*, “On Horse-Cart Taxation”), and holds that “the market is where the goods of heaven and earth are assembled, and where the myriad people harmonize and benefit; this is precisely the Way” (*Guanzi*, “Questions”). This means that through market circulation, the people can each obtain what they need, and goods can be put to their proper use. Regarding the “three affairs” of “rectifying virtue, facilitating use, and nurturing life” proposed in the *Book of Documents*, the Song Confucian Cai Chen believed that “facilitating use” here refers to “such things as making tools and implements, and merchants circulating goods and wealth,” with the purpose still being to facilitate the daily needs of the people. Furthermore, in order to make the people’s lives prosperous, traditional society also valued the auxiliary role of laws and regulations and official governance. For example, Zhang Juzheng emphasized the need to “constantly cultivate and clarify the ancestral laws and regulations, and rigorously examine the competence of officials, thereby enriching the state and enriching the people.”

基于百姓生活的多方面需要，富民厚生的主张在强调农业生产之外，商业活动的价值也受到一定程度的重视。如《管子》中提出“无市则民乏”（《管子·乘马》），认为“市者天地之财具也，而万人之所和而利也，正是道也”（《管子·问》），意思是通过市场流通，能够使百姓各取所需，物得其用。针对《尚书》提出的“正德、利用、厚生”三事，宋儒蔡沈认为，这里的“利用”指的就是“工作什器、商通货财之类”，目的仍在于便利百姓的日常用度。此外，为了使民众生活富裕，传统社会也重视法度、吏治的辅助作用，如张居正强调要“时时修明祖宗法度，精核吏治能否，由此富国富民”。

II. The Inheritance of the Value Concept of Enriching the People and Nurturing Life by Common Prosperity

二、共同富裕对富民厚生价值理念的继承

General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Fine traditional Chinese culture is the ‘root’ of our Party’s innovative theories.” The formation of the value concept of common prosperity is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture, drawing the ideological essence of enriching the people and nurturing life from various aspects such as value orientation, specific connotations, and practical methods.

习近平总书记指出：“中华优秀传统文化是我们党创新理论的‘根’。”共同富裕价值理念的形成深深扎根于中华文化沃土，从价值取向、具体内涵、实践方式等各方面汲取了富民厚生的思想精髓。

(I) Caring for the People’s Livelihood with Sincere Emotion

（一）以真挚情感关切百姓生计

Common prosperity and enriching the people and nurturing life have an inherent consistency in value orientation, namely, the requirement that those in power should care for the people’s livelihood with genuine emotion is consistent throughout. The *Mencius*, “King Hui of Liang, Part I,” records that upon hearing that King Xuan of Qi, unable to bear the trembling of an ox, substituted a sheep for it, Mencius inspired King Xuan to further expand his heart of compassion, extending it to the people, so as to secure the people’s means of livelihood, enabling them “to serve their parents above and to support their wives and children below; in good years to be always full, and in bad years to escape death.” Mencius’s advocacy clearly explains the emotional source of the governing principle of enriching the people and nurturing life, namely, that it is expanded from the ruler’s heart of compassion. In fact, in Mencius’s theoretical construction, compassion is not only the virtue of governance but also the foundation of all morality, establishing an inner human basis for Confucius’s outward-directed “love.” Benevolence first requires extending it to one’s own relatives and friends, and in the political sphere, it manifests as pity and care for the people. This emotional requirement is internally supported by “sincerity” and “reverence,” emphasizing practicality, so as to truly “eagerly use the heart of benevolence toward the people to implement the policies of nurturing the people.”

共同富裕与富民厚生在价值取向上具有内在一致性，即对为政者应以真情实感关切百姓生计的要求是一以贯之的。《孟子·梁惠王上》中记载，听闻齐宣王因不忍看到牛战栗而以羊易牛的事件，孟子启发齐宣王进一步扩充恻隐之心，将其施及民众，以制民之产，使其“仰足以事父母，俯足以畜妻子，乐岁终身饱，凶年免于死亡”。孟子的倡导清楚阐释了富民厚生这一为政理念的情感源头，即它是由为政者的恻隐之心扩充出来的。事实上，在孟子的理论建构中，恻隐不仅是为政之德，而且是一切道德的根基，为孔子指向外的“爱”确立了内在的人性依据。仁爱首先要求施及自己的亲人朋友，在政治领域就表现为对百姓的怜恤。这种情感要求以“诚”“敬”为内在支撑，讲求实实在在，以真正做到“汲汲然以仁民之心而行其养民之政”。

Common prosperity inherits the value foundation of the traditional spirit of benevolence. This is, on the one hand, because the very conception of common prosperity originates from the classical Marxist writers’ sympathy for the oppressed classes and is a manifestation of the original aspiration and founding mission of the Chinese Communists. On the other hand, only by harboring deep feelings for the people can the ideas and propositions of common prosperity be continuously advanced in actual practice. “Lying in the government office, listening to the rustling bamboo, I suspect it is the sound of the people’s suffering; though we are but petty officials in a county, every twig and leaf is always connected to our feelings.” In December 2012, when inspecting poverty alleviation and development work in Fuping County, Hebei Province, General Secretary Xi Jinping quoted these lines by the Qing Dynasty poet Zheng Banqiao and emphasized: “We Communists should have even more such feelings for the suffering of the masses. We must have a heart of benevolence and a heart of care, pay more attention to the disadvantaged, and continuously raise the living standards of all the people.” This emotional requirement is precisely a contemporary interpretation of “governing with a heart that cannot bear the suffering of others, implementing policies that cannot bear the suffering of others” (*Mencius*, “Gongsun Chou, Part I”). The Chinese Communists, precisely because of this emotional resonance, accepted Marxism, and under the guidance of Marxism, further implemented this people-centered sentiment into concrete practical processes.

共同富裕继承了传统仁爱精神的价值底色。这一方面是因为共同富裕构想的提出本身即渊源于马克思主义经典作家对被压迫阶级的同情，是中国共产党人初心和使命的体现；另一方面，只有怀有对人民的深厚感情，共同富裕的理念主张才能够在现实实践中不断推进。“衙斋卧听萧萧竹，疑是民间疾苦声，些小吾曹州县吏，一枝一叶总关情。”2012年12月，习近平总书记在河北省阜平县考察扶贫开发工作时引用了清代郑板桥的诗句，并强调：“我们共产党人对人民群众的疾苦更要有这样的情怀，要有仁爱之心、关爱之心，更多关注困难群众，不断提高全体人民生活水平。”这种情感要求正是“以不忍人之心，行不忍人之政”（《孟子·公孙丑上》）的当代演绎。中国共产党人既因这种情感上的契合而接受了马克思主义，同时在马克思主义的指导下进一步将这种人民情怀落实到具体的实践过程之中。

(II) Improving the People’s Material Living Standards Step by Step

（二）在循序渐进中提升百姓物质生活水平

In traditional values, the sufficiency of the people’s life mainly referred to material abundance, and so-called “abundance” also had certain limits. Mencius once used the phrase “the elderly wear silk and eat meat, and the common people are neither hungry nor cold” (*Mencius*, “King Hui of Liang, Part I”) to describe the vision of implementing benevolent governance. From this, it can be seen that the criteria for judging “wealth” and “nurturing” are dynamically adjusted according to age and physiological changes. Being free from hunger and cold before old age, and being able to wear silk and eat meat upon entering old age—such a quality of life could be regarded as a manifestation of “wealth” and “nurturing.” To realize this vision, the basic requirement for those in power was to proceed step by step. On the one hand, regarding the groups to be concerned about, priority should be given to ensuring the livelihood of the widowed, orphaned, childless, and disabled. “When King Wen issued decrees and practiced benevolence, he gave priority to these four groups” (*Mencius*, “King Hui of Liang, Part II”). On the other hand, regarding the path of advancement, the first emphasis was on basic security, strengthening defense, building water conservancy facilities, and doing a good job of disaster prevention and relief work. On this basis, appropriate measures were taken to encourage the people to cultivate land and weave, so as to further enrich the people’s material goods.

在传统价值观念中，百姓生活充裕主要指的是物质生活上的丰富，所谓“丰富”实际上也有一定的限度。孟子曾用“老者衣帛食肉，黎民不饥不寒”（《孟子·梁惠王上》）的句子描述推行仁政的愿景，从这里可以看出，所谓“富”和“厚”的判断标准是依据年龄和生理变化而动态调整的，老年之前能够不受饥寒所迫，步入老年能够衣帛食肉，这样的生活品质即可看作是“富”和“厚”的表征。为了实现这样的愿景，对为政者的基本要求是循序渐进。一方面，就关注的群体而言，首先要重视对鳏寡孤独者的生活保障，“文王发政施仁，必先斯四者”（《孟子·梁惠王下》）。另一方面，就推进的路径而言，首先强调基本的安全保障，加强防卫，修筑水利设施，做好灾害防治以及赈灾救济工作；在此基础上，通过适当举措鼓励民众开垦耕织，以进一步丰富民众的生活物资。

Although compared with traditional society, the level of productive forces and the abundance of material goods in modern society have undergone tremendous changes, and the significance of material needs in advancing historical progress is understood more deeply, common prosperity has indeed inherited the material propositions of enriching the people and nurturing life to a certain extent. First, common prosperity also prioritizes the improvement of the people’s material living standards. When discussing the diverse needs of the people, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Material needs come first; eating is the most important, hence the saying ‘food is the first necessity of the people.’” It is precisely based on this understanding that taking the path of common prosperity requires “continuously liberating and developing the social productive forces, and striving to solve the production and livelihood difficulties of the masses.” Second, promoting common prosperity always follows the principle of proceeding step by step. The basic livelihood of key regions and key groups must first be guaranteed. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has paid more attention to tilting resources and policy support toward rural areas, grassroots units, and underdeveloped regions, and toward disadvantaged groups. With the basic goal of achieving “two assurances and three guarantees” [2]2 “Two assurances and three guarantees” (两不愁三保障) refers to the basic goals of China’s poverty alleviation campaign: ensuring that the rural poor do not worry about food or clothing, and have guaranteed access to compulsory education, basic medical services, and safe housing., the task of poverty alleviation was completed on schedule, substantially advancing the historical process of common prosperity. Furthermore, the Party repeatedly emphasizes the need for historical patience in solidly promoting common prosperity, both valuing the guiding role of long-term goals and focusing on reality, “accumulating small victories into big victories, and continuously advancing toward the goal of common prosperity for all the people.”

虽然相较于传统社会，现代社会的生产力水平和生活物资丰富程度发生了巨大改变，对物质需要在推进历史进步中的意义理解得更加深刻，但共同富裕确实在一定程度上继承了富民厚生的物质主张。其一，共同富裕同样优先重视人民物质生活水平的提升。习近平总书记在谈到人民多样化的需求时指出：“物质需求是第一位的，吃上饭是最主要的，所以说‘民以食为天’。”正是基于这种认识，走共同富裕的道路就要“不断解放和发展社会生产力，努力解决群众的生产生活困难”。其二，推进共同富裕始终遵循循序渐进的原则。首先要保障重点地区、重点人群的基本生活。党的十八大以来，我国更加注重将资源和政策支持向农村、基层、欠发达地区倾斜，向困难群众倾斜，以实现“两不愁三保障”为基本目标按时完成脱贫攻坚任务，实质上推进了共同富裕的历史进程。此外，党在扎实推进共同富裕中反复强调要具有历史耐心，既重视长期目标的引导作用，又着眼现实，通过“积小胜为大胜，不断朝着全体人民共同富裕的目标前进”。

(III) Taking the People’s Livelihood and Well-being as the Basic Criterion for Judging Good Governance

（三）将百姓生计温厚作为评判良政善治的基本标准

Based on the operational logic of Chinese ethical culture, which “takes the other as the standard,” only when those in power genuinely think for the people can they win the people’s heartfelt love and support. As the saying goes, “Those who rejoice in the joy of the people, the people also rejoice in their joy; those who worry about the worries of the people, the people also worry about their worries” (*Mencius*, “King Hui of Liang, Part II”). This is also the basic rationale underlying experiences such as “water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.” The support of the people can be seen as an emotional recognition of good governance. As a value judgment, the fundamental basis of good governance lies in whether the methods and actual effects of governance satisfy the people. The people often judge based on their own quality of life. When basic survival is guaranteed, a scene of “the people turning to him, like water flowing downward” (*Mencius*, “King Hui of Liang, Part I”) will appear. However, if a situation arises where “the people are exhausted, and the orphaned, widowed, old, and weak cannot support each other,” it portends the “collapse” of the regime.

基于中国伦理文化“互以对方为重”的运行逻辑，只有为政者真心实意为百姓着想，才能赢得百姓发自内心的爱戴拥护，正所谓“乐民之乐者，民亦乐其乐；忧民之忧者，民亦忧其忧”（《孟子·梁惠王下》）。这也是潜在于“水则载舟，水则覆舟”等经验背后的基本依据。民众的拥护可看作是对善治的一种情感认同。善治作为一种价值评判，其根本依据在于施政方式与实效能够使百姓满意。百姓往往从自身的生存质量出发作出评判，在基本生存得到保障的情况下，就会出现“民归之，由水之就下”（《孟子·梁惠王上》）的繁荣景象；而若出现“百姓靡弊，孤寡老弱不能相养”的局面，则预示着政权的“土崩之势”。

Although the governance level of modern society and feudal society cannot be compared, as a criterion of evaluation, the ability to ensure the people’s livelihood is warm and ample has always been a basic requirement of good governance and good politics. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Realizing common prosperity is not only an economic issue but also a major political issue concerning the Party’s governing foundation.” The Chinese Communist Party’s governing position is not secured once and for all; the consolidation of this position ultimately depends on the people’s support and endorsement. In modern society, people’s evaluation of a political party’s governance level also proceeds from the most basic and practical experience of life to give an answer. In March 2023, when participating in the deliberation of the Jiangsu delegation at the First Session of the 14th National People’s Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that Party committees and governments at all levels must bear in mind that “grassroots governance and livelihood security concern the people’s vital interests and are the foundational projects for promoting common prosperity and creating a high-quality life.” Placing the realization of common prosperity at the height of the overall political situation and effectively raising the people’s happiness index is not only an inevitable requirement for advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity but also an important measure for winning popular support and consolidating the Chinese Communist Party’s governing position.

虽然现代社会和封建社会的治理水平不可同日而语，但就作为一种评判标准而言，能够使百姓生计温厚始终都是良政善治的基本要求。习近平总书记指出：“实现共同富裕不仅是经济问题，而且是关系党的执政基础的重大政治问题。”中国共产党的执政地位并不是一劳永逸的，这种地位的巩固归根结底要靠百姓的支持拥护。现代社会中人们对政党治理水平的评判同样会从最基本、最实际的经验生活出发给出答案。2023年3月，习近平总书记在参加十四届全国人大一次会议江苏代表团审议时强调，各级党委和政府必须牢记“基层治理和民生保障事关人民群众切身利益，是促进共同富裕、打造高品质生活的基础性工程”。将实现共同富裕置于政治全局的高度，切实提升人民生活幸福指数，既是推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的必然要求，也是赢得民心、巩固中国共产党执政地位的重要举措。

III. The Transformation and Development of the Value Concept of Enriching the People by Common Prosperity

三、共同富裕对富民厚生价值理念的转化与发展

Exploring the development and change of ideology from the evolution of the actual social structure is a basic principle of historical materialism. In this regard, under the epochal conditions where the economic form and forms of interaction have undergone fundamental changes compared with traditional society, common prosperity, on the basis of embodying the continuity of Chinese civilization, inevitably presents more distinct innovative characteristics. This requires us to fully explain the transformation and development of the value concept of enriching the people by common prosperity, so as to deeply understand how Marxism has made “fine traditional Chinese culture become modern.”

从现实的社会结构演变出发探求意识形态的发展变化是唯物史观的基本原则。就此而言，在经济形态、交往形式与传统社会相比发生根本性改变的时代条件下，共同富裕在体现中华文明连续性特征的基础上势必呈现出更加鲜明的创新性特征。这要求我们充分阐释共同富裕对富民厚生价值理念的转化与发展，以深刻理解马克思主义如何使“中华优秀传统文化成为现代的”。

(I) Coverage of the Population: From the “Wealth” of the Common People to the Shared Wealth of All the People

（一）覆盖人群：从庶民之“富”到全体人民的共享之富

In traditional hierarchical society, the sages and worthies saw the hardships of the common people’s livelihood and, out of compassion and the need to maintain rule, put forward the vision of making the common people’s lives abundant; this is worthy of affirmation. But this understanding also precisely reflects that under the hierarchical system, the common people were a vulnerable group; their lives not only differed significantly from those of the nobility, scholar-officials, and other groups, but this gap was inevitable. This is because, under traditional relations of production, the strata from the monarch to the scholar-officials lived and enjoyed themselves by exploiting the people; their interests were in fact in conflict with the people’s interests. Hence, exhortations that the monarch should reduce corvée and taxes ran through the entire traditional society. Furthermore, under private land ownership, the encroachment by powerful clans and large families on the land of the lower-class people was a natural trend, leading to enormous wealth disparity, to the point where the phenomenon of “those poor people resenting the rich and wanting to destroy them for a long time” became the norm in history, also making enriching the people a illusory idea.

在传统等级制社会中，圣哲先贤看到庶民生活的艰辛，出于恻隐之心和维护统治的需要，提出让庶民生活丰裕起来的愿景，这是值得肯定的；但这种认识也恰恰反映出等级制下的庶民是弱势群体，他们的生活不仅和贵族、士等群体存在显著差异，而且这种差距是不可避免的。这是因为在传统生产关系下，从君主到士的阶层依靠盘剥百姓而生存及享乐，他们的利益事实上与百姓的利益相冲突，因此对君主应轻徭薄赋的规劝才会贯穿整个传统社会；此外，在土地私有情形下，豪强大族对底层百姓土地的侵吞是一种自然趋势，这导致极大的贫富差距，以至“彼贫民忌恨富民而欲坏之久矣”的现象成为历史中的常态，也使富民厚生成为一种虚幻设想。

Common prosperity can only be realized under the socialist system; this institutional premise fundamentally differs from the political soil and social conditions from which enriching the people emerged. Entering the primary stage of socialism, the Chinese people achieved being masters of the country and equality in personality and status among themselves. Therefore, the traditional aspiration for the common people’s lives to become abundant inevitably transformed into the pursuit of all the people jointly enjoying a good life. In October 1955, when discussing the prospects of socialist development, Mao Zedong emphasized that under the socialist system arrangement and planned guidance, China could gradually move toward greater wealth and strength, “and this wealth is common wealth, this strength is common strength,” holding that “this common prosperity is assured.” In the 1957 Government Work Report, Zhou Enlai pointed out that the purpose of the socialist revolution and construction was to enable all working people in society to “commonly enjoy a wealthy, cultured, and happy life,” and emphasized that “this is the great ideal that the working people of our country have longed for for many years.” Through the practical exploration of reform and opening up, the Chinese Communist Party further recognized that common prosperity is the greatest superiority of socialism and the essential requirement of socialism.

共同富裕只有在社会主义制度下才能实现，这一制度前提根本区别于富民厚生所赖以生成的政治土壤和社会条件。进入社会主义初级阶段，中国人民实现了当家作主以及彼此间人格与地位上的平等，因此传统社会对庶民生活丰裕起来的向往必然转化为对全体人民共同享有美好生活的追求。1955年10 月，毛泽东在谈及社会主义发展前景时强调，在社会主义制度安排和计划指导下，中国是能够逐步走向更富更强的，“而这个富，是共同的富，这个强，是共同的强”，认为“这种共同富裕，是有把握的”。周恩来在1957年的《政府工作报告》中指出，社会主义革命和建设的目的是要使社会中的一切劳动者“都能够共同享受富裕的有文化的幸福生活”，并强调“这是多少年来我国劳动人民所向往的伟大理想”。经过改革开放的实践探索，中国共产党进一步认识到共同富裕是社会主义最大的优越性，是社会主义的本质要求。

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes that we must “enable all the people to steadily advance toward common prosperity, and must never allow the phenomenon of ‘the rich amass huge fortunes while the poor eat chaff and husks.’” The transformation from the “wealth” of the common people to the shared wealth of all the people is the natural result of Chinese Communists accepting Marxism and successfully applying it to social practice, reflecting the unremitting pursuit of eliminating exploitation and ultimately realizing human liberation. This transformation is not only a theoretical renewal but also a transformation in the mode of practice, which is concretely manifested in the continuous improvement of the institutional system and the active creation of conditions for the productive forces. First, the establishment of the people’s political power guarantees the people’s position as masters of the country; the Chinese Communist Party proposes to further “concretely and realistically embody the people being masters of the country in all aspects of national political life and social life.” Second, the establishment of public ownership makes the means of production owned by the whole people; the Chinese Communist Party has no special interests of its own, “the Party always puts the interests of the masses first at all times,” which enables the wealth created by the people to be owned by the people and to serve the people’s long-term interests. Furthermore, under the guidance of the new development concept, the emergence of new quality productive forces represented by artificial intelligence technology continuously accumulates material wealth for the ultimate realization of common prosperity.

习近平总书记强调，要“使全体人民朝着共同富裕方向稳步前进，绝不能出现‘富者累巨万，而贫者食糟糠’的现象”。从庶民之“富”到全体人民共享之富的转化是中国共产党人接受马克思主义并将其成功运用于社会实践的自然结果，体现了对消灭剥削以及最终实现人类解放目标的不懈追求。这一转化不仅是理论上的更新，更是一种实践方式上的转型，这具体表现在对制度体系的不断完善以及对生产力条件的积极创造上。其一，人民政权的建立保障了人民当家作主的地位，中国共产党提出要进一步“把人民当家作主具体、现实体现到国家政治生活和社会生活各方面”；其二，公有制的建立使生产资料为全民所有，中国共产党没有自己特殊的利益，“党在任何时候都把群众利益放在第一位”，这使人民创造的财富能够为人民所有，并为人民的长远利益服务；此外，在新发展理念指导下，以人工智能技术为代表的新质生产力的勃发为最终实现共同富裕不断积累物质财富。

(II) Value Orientation: From Ensuring Survival to Promoting People’s All-Round Development

（二）价值旨归：从保障生存到促进人的全面发展

Both common prosperity and enriching the people focus on people’s actual lives and attach importance to the improvement of people’s material living standards, but their understanding of people’s quality of life and meaning of life differs significantly. Traditional society mainly focused on people’s basic physiological desires, that is, as revealed in the Book of Rites·Li Yun: “Drink, food, men and women; these are the great desires of people.” A qualified ruler lies in striving to satisfy all these basic desires of the people, so that they “have no regrets in nurturing the living and burying the dead” (Mencius·King Hui of Liang I). On this basis, through moral education, people are made to abide by their proper station and fulfill their duties; on the one hand, they enjoy the happiness of family life, and on the other hand, a good social order is maintained; this is the embodiment of the ideal kingly way. As Huang Zongxi said in Waiting for the Dawn: Knowing that the world cannot be without sustenance, he granted them land to cultivate; knowing that the world cannot be without clothing, he granted them land for mulberry and hemp; knowing that the world cannot be without education, he established schools to promote it, instituted marriage rites to prevent licentiousness, and instituted military levies to prevent chaos.

共同富裕与富民厚生都着眼于人的现实生活，重视人们物质生活水平的提升，但是它们对人的生存质量和生存意义的理解却有着显著差异。传统社会关注的主要是人的基本生理欲望，即《礼记·礼运》中所揭示的“饮食男女，人之大欲存焉”，合格的为政者就在于努力使人们的这些基本欲望都能够得到满足，使其“养生丧死无憾”（《孟子·梁惠王上》）。在此基础上通过道德教化使人们安伦尽分，一方面在生活中尽享天伦之乐，另一方面得以维持良好的社会秩序，这就是理想中王道的体现了。正如黄宗羲在《明夷待访录》中所言：知天下之不可无养也，为之授田以耕之；知天下之不可无衣也，为之授地以桑麻之；知天下之不可无教也，为之学校以兴之，为之婚姻之礼以妨其淫，为之卒乘之赋以防其乱。

It can be seen that traditional society’s understanding of people’s survival needs has historical consistency; this coherent understanding is based on the reality of the low level of productive forces in traditional society and is also influenced by Confucian values such as being content in poverty and devoted to the Way, “nourishing the mind, nothing is better than reducing desires” (Mencius·Jin Xin II), and Daoist values such as quietism and inaction, contentment and detachment. As some scholars believe, this survival does not seem to include “the various enjoyments of life brought by the continuous enrichment of material means of subsistence and the continuous improvement of living standards.”

可见，传统社会对人的生存需要的理解具有历史一致性，这一连贯认识建立在传统社会生产力水平低下的现实基础之上，也受到儒家安贫乐道、“养心莫善于寡欲”（《孟子·尽心下》），道家清静无为、知足淡泊等价值理念的影响。正如有学者所认为的，这一生存看来并不包括“物质生活资料的不断丰富和生活水平的不断提高所带给生命的各种享受”。

Common prosperity’s requirement for people’s quality of life is much higher than that of traditional society. It not only demands more abundant means of subsistence in terms of material living standards but also attaches importance to people’s spiritual needs and creative activities, requiring the promotion of people’s free and all-round development. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Promoting common prosperity and promoting people’s all-round development are highly unified.” People’s all-round development not only means that the governing subject must create conditions to continuously meet the people’s growing spiritual and cultural needs but also must provide a good external environment, encouraging people to fully develop their own potential and achieve development and enjoyment in all aspects of virtue, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor.

共同富裕对人的生存质量的要求与传统社会相比要高得多，不仅在物质生活水平上要求更加充足的生活资料，而且重视人的精神需要和创造活动，要求推进实现人的自由而全面发展。习近平总书记指出：“促进共同富裕与促进人的全面发展是高度统一的。”人的全面发展不仅意味着治理主体要创造条件不断满足人民群众日益增长的精神文化需要，而且要提供良好的外部环境，激励人们充分开发自身潜能，获得在德智体美劳等各方面的发展和享受。

In fact, this difference in governance requirements is a natural reflection of the differing understandings of the mode of human existence between ancient and modern societies. In traditional society, “the people” (min) were understood as a holistic entity, with individuals dissolved into the whole, thus becoming passively arranged “subjects.” Constrained by the level of development of the productive forces and the need to maintain rule, value concepts represented by enriching the people and generous livelihood emphasized fulfilling one’s allotted role and duty based on ensuring survival; here, “enrichment” and “generosity” actually referred to the absence of scarcity. Marxism, however, solemnly proclaims the pursuit of human liberation, where “human” refers to people with rich and complete needs. From the perspective of contemporary Marxism, social development and harmony not only do not come at the cost of sacrificing human creativity but instead rely on and are committed to ensuring people’s free and conscious activity. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Human beings, in essence, are cultural beings, not ‘reified’ beings; they are active, comprehensive beings, not rigid, ‘one-dimensional’ beings.” [1]1 The Three Kings (三王) traditionally refer to the founders of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties: Yu the Great, King Tang, and King Wen or King Wu of Zhou. They are idealized as sage rulers in Chinese historiography. This profoundly reveals that the principle of comprehensive human development conforms to the trend of historical development and responds to the practical needs of the people.

实际上，这种为政要求上的差异是古今社会对人的生存方式存在不同认识的自然反映。在传统社会，“民”是从整体意义上理解的人，个体消融于整体之中，因此成为被动接受安排的“民”。受制于生产力发展水平和维护统治的需要，以富民厚生为代表的价值理念强调的是基于保障生存基础上的安伦尽分，这里的“富”和“厚”实际上指的就是不匮乏。而马克思主义庄严宣告了对人的解放的追求，这里的“人”是具有丰富和完整需要的人。在当代马克思主义视域下，社会的发展与和谐不仅不以牺牲人的创造性为代价，反而依赖和致力于保障人的自由自觉活动。习近平总书记指出：“人，本质上就是文化的人，而不是‘物化’的人；是能动的、全面的人，而不是僵化的、‘单向度’的人。”这深刻揭示出人的全面发展原则符合历史发展趋势，顺应人民现实需求。

(3) Governance Requirements: From Moral Advocacy to the Fundamental Principle Internalized in Institutions

（三）施政要求：从道德倡导到内化为制度的根本原则

Dai Zhen once said: “‘The people’s substance lies in daily food and drink’ [2]2 “Two assurances and three guarantees” (两不愁三保障) refers to the basic goals of China’s poverty alleviation campaign: ensuring that the rural poor do not worry about food or clothing, and have guaranteed access to compulsory education, basic medical services, and safe housing. — this is nothing other than the way of humanity by which life is sustained. When one person fulfills their life and extends it so that all under heaven together fulfill their lives, this is benevolence.” [3]3 “The rich amass huge fortunes while the poor eat chaff and husks” (富者累巨万，而贫者食糟糠) is a classical allusion from the Han dynasty historian Ban Gu’s Book of Han, describing extreme wealth inequality. This actually represents the mainstream view of traditional society: that the concept of enriching the people and generous livelihood is, in the final analysis, a concrete manifestation of “benevolence” (ren’ai) in the virtue of governance. Precisely because of this, the degree of its realization depended mainly on the moral cultivation of the rulers and the moral exhortations of others. The detailed practices of self-cultivation in traditional classics were primarily directed at rulers; the so-called “correcting the ruler’s heart of error” (ge jun xin zhi fei) speaks to this principle. [4]4 Waiting for the Dawn (明夷待访录) is a political treatise by the late Ming/early Qing thinker Huang Zongxi (1610–1695), critiquing autocratic monarchy and advocating for the people’s welfare. It was precisely because of the powerlessness of moral advocacy that rulers found it difficult to truly think for the people, instead pursuing their own selfish interests. Even if “there were hundreds of households with moderate property,” it was “not enough to cover the ruler’s single day’s expenditure.” [5]5 This is a reference to the concept of “correcting the ruler’s heart of error” (ge jun xin zhi fei), a traditional Confucian idea that the primary task of ministers was to rectify the moral failings of the monarch. In such circumstances, traditional scholar-officials naturally attributed the unreality of the situation to the moral defects of the rulers. For instance, Zhu Xi lamented that, due to the ruler’s lack of cultivation, “in the fifteen hundred years since, it has been precisely because of this that things have merely been patched up and dragged along, passing the time. Although there may have been occasional periods of modest peace, the Way transmitted by Yao, Shun, the Three Kings, the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius has never for a single day been able to prevail between heaven and earth.” [6]6 This is a quotation from the Book of Songs (Shijing), a classic collection of ancient Chinese poetry. “Never for a single day been able to prevail” can be seen as a penetrating revelation of the illusory nature of the value concept of enriching the people and generous livelihood.

戴震曾言：“‘民之质矣，日用饮食’，无非人道所以生生者。一人遂其生，推之而与天下共遂其生，仁也。”这实际上代表了传统社会的主流认识，即富民厚生理念归根结底是“仁爱”在为政之德上的具体体现，正因此，其实现程度主要依赖于为政者的道德修养以及他人的道德规劝。传统典籍中详密的修身功夫主要是针对为政者提出的，所谓“格君心之非”讲的就是这个道理。正是因为道德提倡的无力，为政者难以做到真正为民着想，而是自私其利，即使有“中人之产数百家”，也“未足充君一日费”。在这种情况下，传统士大夫自然把现实的不理想归结为为政者的道德缺陷，如朱熹就曾感叹，由于君主修养欠缺，“千五百年之间，正坐如此，所以只是架漏牵补，过了时日。其间虽或不无小康，而尧、舜、三王、周公、孔子所传之道，未尝一日得行于天地之间也”。“未尝一日得行”，可以看作是对富民厚生价值理念虚幻性的精辟揭示。

As a crystallization of modern civilization, common prosperity, while also emphasizing the people-centered sentiment and moral integrity of rulers, is more fundamentally a principled institutional stipulation. The term “stipulation” (guiding) has two interrelated meanings. First, from the epistemological level, common prosperity is an inherent essential requirement of the socialist system. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Realizing common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism, an important manifestation of our Party’s adherence to the fundamental purpose of wholeheartedly serving the people, and a major responsibility of the Party and the government.” This expression achieves a fundamental epistemological shift — from “bestowal” to “obligation” — and is also a theoretical reflection of the transformation of the people’s status from being oppressed to being masters of their own affairs. Second, from the practical level, the realization of common prosperity depends on the hard institutional stipulations. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasizes: “We must adhere to development for the people, development relying on the people, and development achievements shared by the people, making more effective institutional arrangements.” Being elevated to an institutional arrangement means that advancing the realization of common prosperity not only has a clear timetable and roadmap but also involves the coordinated cooperation of governance strategies, assessment standards, and oversight mechanisms. This series of institutional arrangements ensures the effective implementation of the value concept of common prosperity.

作为现代文明的结晶，共同富裕虽然也强调为政者的人民情怀和道德操守，但是它更根本的是一种制度的原则规定。“规定”一词有相互联系的两种含义。其一，从认识层面而言，共同富裕是社会主义制度的内在本质要求。习近平总书记指出：“实现共同富裕是社会主义的本质要求，是我们党坚持全心全意为人民服务根本宗旨的重要体现，是党和政府的重大责任。”这种表述实现了认识论上的一种根本转变，即由“施与”向“义务”的转变，也是人民地位由受压迫向当家作主转变的理论反映。其二，从实践层面而言，共同富裕的实现依赖于制度的硬性规定。习近平总书记强调，“我们必须坚持发展为了人民、发展依靠人民、发展成果由人民共享，作出更有效的制度安排”。上升为制度安排，意味着推进实现共同富裕不仅有明晰的时间表和路线图，更有施政方略、考核标准、监督机制的协同配合，这一系列制度安排保证了共同富裕价值理念的有效落实。

In fact, the shift from one-dimensional moral advocacy to institutional internal stipulations reflects the ancient-to-modern transformation of China’s ethical structure. From the progressive path of “cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to all under heaven” (xiu qi zhi ping) in the Great Learning, it can be seen that traditional society primarily directed ethical requirements at specific individuals, while the ethical demands of social justice long escaped ethical design. Social justice represents the pursuit of the rationality of social order. It was only in modern times, under the influence of modern civilization, and especially after the introduction of Marxism into China, that this understanding was widely accepted and practically advanced. In the New Era, it has been further promoted and implemented through the proposal of the core socialist values and the continuous improvement of the distribution system. This means that the socialist system possesses both ethical legitimacy and practical coercive force, enabling the Communist Party of China, through the coordination of moral reason and institutional authority, to continuously achieve more obvious substantive progress in promoting common prosperity for all the people.

实际上，从单维道德倡导向制度内在规定的转变，反映出来的是中国伦理结构的古今嬗变。从《大学》中“修齐治平”的进阶路径可以看出，传统社会主要针对具体的个人提出伦理要求，社会维度的正义要求则长期逃逸于伦理设计之外。社会正义代表的是对社会秩序合理性的追求，只有到了近代，在现代文明的影响下，尤其是在马克思主义传入中国之后，这种认识才被广泛地接受和现实地推进，并在新时代通过社会主义核心价值观的提出以及分配制度的不断完善而进一步得以弘扬和落实。这意味着，社会主义制度既具有伦理正当性又具有现实强制性，所以能够使中国共产党在道德的情理与制度的威严相配合中推进全体人民共同富裕不断取得更为明显的实质性进展。

IV. The Internal Mechanism of Common Prosperity’s Modern Transformation of Enriching the People and Generous Livelihood

四、共同富裕对富民厚生进行现代转化的内在机理

The inheritance, transformation, and development of enriching the people and generous livelihood by common prosperity is a vivid manifestation of the modern renewal of Chinese civilization. It empirically demonstrates the broad space for theoretical and practical innovation opened up by the Two Integrations [7]7 This is a paraphrase of a passage from Dai Zhen’s (1724-1777) work, Mengzi ziyi shuzheng (An Evidential Study of the Meanings of Terms in the Mencius). and holds important exemplary significance. Clarifying the internal mechanism of common prosperity’s modern transformation of enriching the people and generous livelihood can provide reference and inspiration for further promoting the inheritance and development of fine traditional Chinese culture and unleashing the modern power of Chinese civilization.

共同富裕对富民厚生的继承与转化发展是中华文明实现现代更新的生动体现，它实证了“两个结合”所开创的广阔理论和实践创新空间，具有重要示范意义。明辨共同富裕对富民厚生进行现代转化的内在机理能够为进一步推进中华优秀传统文化传承发展和中华文明迸发现代力量提供借鉴启发。

(1) Guided by Historical Materialism, Comprehensively Analyze the Essence and Limitations of the Value Concept of Enriching the People and Generous Livelihood

（一）以唯物史观为指导全面分析富民厚生价值理念的精华与局限

The ideas of statecraft and people’s welfare represented by enriching the people and generous livelihood were nurtured and grew at the dawn of Chinese civilization. Through the systematic construction and widespread dissemination by Confucianism and other schools, they profoundly influenced and shaped the Chinese people’s psychological expectations for good governance and their basic conceptions of how to achieve it. They are valuable intellectual resources for continuing to advance social governance in the New Era. After undergoing modern transformation, these resources can be integrated into the theoretical system and practical practice of governance, highlighting the cultural attributes and national characteristics of the Party’s innovative theory. General Secretary Xi Jinping points out: “Only by comprehensively and deeply understanding the history of Chinese civilization can we more effectively promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture.” [8]8 This is a reference to the concept of “correcting the ruler’s heart of error” (ge jun xin zhi fei), a traditional Confucian idea that the primary task of ministers was to rectify the moral failings of the monarch. This indicates that to realize the modern transformation of traditional resources, it is first necessary to restore them historically, objectively interpret their process of formation and development, fully develop their inherent core meanings, and on this basis, extract the essence and discard the dross. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of common prosperity’s modern transformation of enriching the people and generous livelihood first requires a correct historical analysis of enriching the people and generous livelihood, and obtaining such a correct understanding is inseparable from the guidance of historical materialism.

以富民厚生为代表的经世济民思想在中华文明诞生之初孕育生长，经过儒家等学派的系统建构和广泛传播，深刻影响和塑造了中国人对良政善治的心理预期以及对其实现方式的基本构思，是新时代继续推进社会治理的宝贵思想资源。这些资源在经过现代转化以后能够融入治国理政的理论体系和现实实践之中，彰显党的创新理论的文化属性与民族特质。习近平总书记指出：“只有全面深入了解中华文明的历史，才能更有效地推动中华优秀传统文化创造性转化、创新性发展。”这说明实现对传统资源的现代转化，首先需要对其进行历史的还原，客观阐释其形成发展过程，充分开发其内具的核心意涵，在此基础上做到取其精华、去其糟粕。因此，全面理解共同富裕对富民厚生的现代转化，首先需要对富民厚生进行正确的历史分析，而要获得这种正确的理解离不开唯物史观的指导。

Historical materialism proceeds from real practical productive activities to explore the origins of ethical concepts, holding that these concepts “are nothing but the ideal expression of the material relations of production.” [9]9 This is a paraphrase of a passage from the Tang dynasty poet Du Fu’s poem “Song of the War Chariots” (Bingche xing). This indicates that ethical concepts are adapted to specific modes of production. Therefore, the formation process of the concept of enriching the people and generous livelihood must be understood within specific historical conditions, and its ideological essence and historical limitations must be comprehensively explored in light of the “changes” and “continuities” in the structural factors of ancient and modern societies. On the one hand, under traditional ownership conditions and the autocratic hierarchical system, the concept of enriching the people and generous livelihood inevitably carried backward elements. For example, “the people” here referred to the commoners, who were the oppressed and exploited party; this also means that placing the hope of enriching the people and generous livelihood on the moral awakening of the rulers was illusory. On the other hand, although from an agricultural society to a modern industrial society, China’s level of productive forces and relations of production have undergone a revolutionary reshaping, the problem of development, especially the distribution of benefits in the development process, still needs to be addressed. The concept of enriching the people and generous livelihood contains a concern for the common people and governance requirements for improving their material living standards, which align with the developmental orientation of a socialist society, and thus still possess contemporary value.

唯物史观从现实的生产实践活动出发探求伦理观念产生的根源，认为这些观念“不外是移入人的头脑并在人的头脑中改造过的物质的东西而已”。这说明伦理观念是与一定的生产方式相适应的，因此必须置于特定的历史条件下来认识富民厚生理念的形成过程，并结合古今社会结构因子的“变”与“不变”全面探析其蕴含的思想精华与历史局限。一方面，在传统所有制条件和专制等级制度下，富民厚生理念不可避免带有落后因素，如这里的“民”指的是庶民，他们是受压迫和剥削的一方，这也意味着将富民厚生的愿望寄托在为政者的道德觉醒上是虚幻的；另一方面，虽然从农业社会到现代工业社会，中国的生产力水平以及生产关系发生了革命性重塑，但是仍然要着重解决发展问题特别是发展过程中的利益分配问题。富民厚生理念蕴含的百姓情怀以及提升百姓物质生活水平的施政要求与社会主义社会的发展导向相契合，因而依然具有时代价值。

(2) With the Consolidation of Cultural Subjectivity as the Fundamental Requirement, Achieve the Integration of the Value Concepts of Enriching the People and Generous Livelihood and Common Prosperity

（二）以巩固文化主体性为根本要求实现富民厚生与共同富裕价值理念的贯通

Upholding and consolidating cultural subjectivity is the fundamental foundation for the Chinese nation to achieve spiritual independence and self-strengthening. The consolidation of this subjectivity is inseparable both from a keen grasp of the spirit of the times and from fully tapping into profound cultural heritage, because “no modern cultural form emerges from nothing; rather, it has deep historical origins.” [14]14 “求木之长者，必固其根本；欲流之远者，必浚其泉源” (qiú mù zhī zhǎng zhě, bì gù qí gēnběn; yù liú zhī yuǎn zhě, bì jùn qí quányuán): A classical Chinese saying from the Tang dynasty statesman Wei Zheng (580–643 CE), meaning that to make a tree grow tall, one must secure its roots; to make a river flow far, one must dredge its source. It is often used to emphasize the importance of a solid foundation. Fine traditional Chinese culture is our deepest cultural soft power. Only by linking traditional cultural resources with the achievements of modern civilization and achieving continuity between past and present can we truly stand on our own ground and create a modern civilization suited to our national conditions with vigorous vitality. “In planning for the growth of a tree, one must secure its roots; in planning for the flow of a river, one must dredge its source.” [15]15 “求木之长者，必固其根本；欲流之远者，必浚其泉源”: See note [14]. The fundamental reason why Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is the most powerful embodiment of Chinese cultural subjectivity is precisely that it is deeply rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture, achieving in the New Era the continued development of the five-thousand-year Chinese civilization. This overarching guiding principle runs through the formation of the Party’s innovative theories and is also profoundly reflected in the inheritance of enriching the people and nurturing life by common prosperity.

坚持和巩固文化主体性是中华民族能够实现精神自立自强的根本依托，这一主体性的巩固既离不开对时代精神的敏锐捕捉，也离不开对深厚文化底蕴的充分开掘，因为“任何现代文化形态都不是凭空产生的，而是有着深厚的历史渊源”。中华优秀传统文化是我们最深厚的文化软实力，只有将传统文化资源同现代文明成果相衔接，实现古今相通，才能真正立足自身开创适合国情且具有旺盛生命力的现代文明。“求木之长者，必固其根本；欲流之远者，必浚其泉源。”习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想之所以是中华文化主体性的最有力体现，根本原因正在于其深深扎根于中华文化沃土，在新时代实现了对绵延五千年中华文明的接续发展。这一总的指导原则贯穿在党的创新理论形成过程之中，也深刻体现在共同富裕对富民厚生的继承上。

From enriching the people and nurturing life to common prosperity, although the connotations of the two have fundamentally diverged, the inheritance by common prosperity of the positive factors in the value concept of enriching the people and nurturing life is evident. The spiritual factors and practical wisdom that consistently run through them—such as valuing benevolence, emphasizing the people as the foundation, and upholding harmony and unity—possess eternal value and charm. Conducting a detailed comparative analysis of the value concepts of enriching the people and nurturing life and common prosperity, and clearly explaining the inheritance relationship between them, is not about forcibly piecing together the value propositions of traditional society with the achievements of modern civilization. Rather, it is about fully demonstrating the national cultural origins of the Party’s innovative theories and the immense potential for the modern renewal of cultural traditions through the organic linkage of their inner genes. Through this organic connection between concepts, it can both root the Party’s innovative theories such as common prosperity, extending the value concept of common prosperity deeper into history, and fully manifest the vibrant vitality of China’s five-thousand-year civilization. On the basis of strengthening cultural confidence, it promotes the understanding and emotional identification of the masses with the Party’s innovative theories.

从富民厚生到共同富裕，虽然两者的内涵已经有了根本区分，但是共同富裕对富民厚生价值理念中积极因素的继承是显而易见的，其中一以贯之的讲仁爱、重民本、尚和合等精神因子和实践智慧，具有永恒的价值与魅力。将富民厚生同共同富裕的价值理念进行细致对比分析，清楚阐释两者之间的承继关系，并不是要将传统社会价值主张同现代文明成果生硬拼凑在一起，而是通过两者内在基因的有机衔接，充分展现出党的创新理论的民族文化渊源以及文化传统实现现代更新的巨大潜能。经过这种理念之间的有机贯通，既能够为共同富裕等党的创新理论培根，让共同富裕的价值理念向历史纵深处延伸；又能够充分彰显中华五千年文明的勃勃生机，在坚定文化自信的基础上推动党的创新理论得到人民群众的理解与情感认同。

(III) Using the Guiding Power of Marxist Truth to Realize the Innovation of Discarding the Old for the New from Enriching the People and Nurturing Life to Common Prosperity

（三）以马克思主义真理力量为引领实现从富民厚生到共同富裕的推陈出新

Engels once pointed out that theoretical thought in every era “is a historical product, which at different times takes on completely different forms and, at the same time, completely different content.” [16]16 Engels, Friedrich. “Dialectics of Nature.” In Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Collected Works, vol. 25. Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1987, p. 492. (Paraphrased; the exact wording varies slightly in different translations.) Common prosperity has realized the modern transformation of enriching the people and nurturing life. This is manifested not only in the formal change of name but, more importantly, in the fundamental change of substantive content. That this transformation could be achieved is, in the final analysis, dependent on the theoretical guidance of Marxism. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “Marxism brought advanced ideological theory to China, activated the genes of Chinese civilization with the light of truth, and led China into the modern world.” [17]17 Xi Jinping. “Speech at the Symposium on Cultural Heritage and Development.” (2023). Source: Xinhua News Agency. Marxism was formed on the basis of a profound critique and analysis of capitalist civilization. It not only far surpassed the level of understanding of feudal society but also possessed a deep cognition of the ills of modern industrial civilization, thereby pointing the way to the broad path of human civilization’s development. From enriching the people and nurturing life to common prosperity, this profoundly embodies the activation of traditional cultural genes by Marxism through its fundamental methodology, core value pursuit, and basic viewpoints.

恩格斯曾指出，每一个时代的理论思维，“都是一种历史的产物，它在不同的时代具有完全不同的形式，同时具有完全不同的内容”。共同富裕实现了对富民厚生的现代转化，这不仅表现为名称的形式变化，更体现为实质内涵的根本变化。这一转化之所以能够实现，归根结底依赖于马克思主义的理论指导。习近平总书记指出，“马克思主义把先进的思想理论带到中国，以真理之光激活了中华文明的基因，引领中国走进现代世界”。马克思主义是在对资本主义文明进行深刻透视与批判的基础上形成的，它不仅远远超越了封建社会的认识水平，而且对现代工业文明的弊端有深刻认知，在此基础上指引了人类文明发展的康庄大道。从富民厚生到共同富裕，深刻体现了马克思主义以其根本方法论、核心价值追求和基本观点实现的对传统文化基因的激活。

First, dialectical materialism is the fundamental methodology of Marxism. Dialectics places any thing within the process of historical development, comprehending things in their affirmative understanding while simultaneously recognizing the negative factors inherent in them. It is precisely these inherent negative factors that make development possible, providing the fundamental theoretical guidance for the modern leap from enriching the people and nurturing life to common prosperity. Second, achieving human emancipation is the core value pursuit of Marxism, and adhering to the people-centered principle is the fundamental value stance of a Marxist party. Therefore, the people-centered character runs through this transformation from beginning to end: on the one hand, fully excavating the people-centered essence within the value concept of enriching the people and nurturing life; on the other hand, transforming the historically limited understanding of “the people” (min) into the people-centered theory under the Marxist perspective. Finally, Marxism holds that the contradictory movement between productive forces and relations of production, and between the economic base and the superstructure, is the basic driving force of social development. The transformation from enriching the people and nurturing life to common prosperity ultimately reflects the fundamental change in relations of production based on the development of productive forces, and the consequent fundamental reshaping of the value goals of social development. At the same time, it also points to the realistic path of promoting the realization of common prosperity through the further development of productive forces.

首先，唯物辩证法是马克思主义的根本方法论，辩证法将任何事物都置于历史发展的进程中，在对事物进行肯定性理解的同时认识到事物所具有的否定性因素，而正是事物内具的否定性因素使其有发展的可能，这为实现从富民厚生到共同富裕的现代跨越提供了根本理论遵循。其次，实现人的解放是马克思主义的核心价值追求，坚持人民至上是马克思主义政党的根本价值立场，因此人民性贯穿这一转化的始终：一方面，充分发掘富民厚生价值理念中的人民性精华；另一方面，将其中对“民”的具有历史局限性的理解转化为马克思主义视域下的人民性理论。最后，马克思主义认为，生产力和生产关系、经济基础和上层建筑的矛盾运动是社会发展的基本动力。从富民厚生到共同富裕的转化归根结底反映了建立在生产力发展基础上的生产关系的根本改变，以及由此带来的对社会发展价值目标的根本重塑，同时它也指明了依靠生产力的进一步发展推进实现共同富裕的现实路径。

(IV) Supported by the Great Practice of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Continuously Enriching the Contemporary Connotation of Common Prosperity

（四）以中国特色社会主义伟大实践为支撑，不断丰富共同富裕的时代内涵

The value concept of enriching the people and nurturing life has shaped the social psychology and value orientation of the Chinese people throughout history, laying the cultural foundation and group consciousness foundation for the proposal and deepening of the concept of common prosperity. Marxism, with its scientific grasp of the laws of social development and its moral imperative of seeking emancipation for humanity, has defined the goal orientation and fundamental path for the concept of common prosperity. The thought of common prosperity, generated through the integration of the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s fine traditional culture, manifests profound cultural heritage and lofty value pursuits, becoming an inherent requirement of Chinese-path modernization. Although the Communist Party of China has reached a certain height in its understanding of common prosperity by fusing the ancient and the modern and integrating China and the West, this theoretical innovation has not solidified. Instead, it continuously exhibits the characteristic of openness to further development in the process of interacting with practice. This is because realizing common prosperity is a process of economic and social development, during which new contradictions will inevitably arise. In the process of promoting the resolution of these contradictions, the theoretical connotation will be further enriched and the level of understanding elevated. This also means that the modern transformation from enriching the people and nurturing life to common prosperity is still ongoing.

富民厚生的价值理念在历史长河中塑造了中国人的社会心理和价值取向，为共同富裕概念的提出和深化奠定了文化根基和群体意识基础；马克思主义则以其把握社会发展规律的科学性以及为人类求解放的道义性为共同富裕概念规定了目标指向和根本路径。通过将马克思主义基本原理同中华优秀传统文化相结合而产生的共同富裕思想彰显出深厚的文化底蕴和崇高的价值追求，成为中国式现代化的内在规定。虽然中国共产党在熔铸古今、汇通中西中对共同富裕的认识已达到一定高度，但是这一理论创新并没有固化，而是在与实践互动的过程中不断呈现进一步发展的开放性特征。这是因为实现共同富裕是一个经济社会发展过程，在这一过程中势必会产生新的矛盾，而在推进矛盾解决的过程中会进一步丰富理论内涵以及提升认识水平，这也意味着从富民厚生到共同富裕的现代转化依然在进行之中。

Vivid social practice provides a broad problem domain and a source of innovation impetus for the development of the theory of common prosperity. By integrating new social practices and drawing on the achievements of different civilizations, the Communist Party of China’s understanding of common prosperity has become deeper and more concrete. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “After years of exploration, we have a complete set of methods for solving the problem of poverty, but we still need to explore and accumulate experience on how to become prosperous.” [18]18 Xi Jinping. “Speech at the Central Conference on Financial and Economic Affairs.” (2021). Source: Xinhua News Agency. In June 2021, the “Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Supporting Zhejiang Province’s High-Quality Development and Building a Demonstration Zone for Common Prosperity” stated: “Supporting Zhejiang Province in building a demonstration zone for common prosperity through high-quality development is conducive to further enriching the ideological connotation of common prosperity through practice, conducive to exploring effective ways to resolve the principal contradiction in society in the New Era, and conducive to providing a provincial-level example for promoting common prosperity nationwide.” [19]19 “Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Supporting Zhejiang Province’s High-Quality Development and Building a Demonstration Zone for Common Prosperity.” (2021). Source: Xinhua News Agency. It can be seen that how to concretely promote the realization of common prosperity in a country as vast as China with a huge population remains a question to be explored. Only by properly answering these questions can the value concept of common prosperity continuously become a reality while advancing with the times, and can the modern transformation of enriching the people and nurturing life be made more scientific and solid, thereby fully unleashing the great significance of civilizational inheritance and innovation.

鲜活的社会实践为共同富裕理论的发展提供了广阔的问题域和创新的动力源，中国共产党通过结合新的社会实践以及借鉴不同文明成果，对共同富裕的认识更加深入和具体。习近平总书记指出：“经过多年探索，我们对解决贫困问题有了完整的办法，但在如何致富问题上还要探索积累经验。”2021年6月，《中共中央国务院关于支持浙江高质量发展 建设共同富裕示范区的意见》提出，“支持浙江高质量发展建设共同富裕示范区，有利于通过实践进一步丰富共同富裕的思想内涵，有利于探索破解新时代社会主要矛盾的有效途径，有利于为全国推动共同富裕提供省域范例”。可见，如何在中国这样一个人口规模巨大、地域范围辽阔的国家具体推进实现共同富裕依然是一个有待探索的问题，只有回答好这些问题才能使共同富裕的价值理念在与时俱进中不断成为现实，也才能使富民厚生的现代转化更加科学和坚实，以充分发挥出文明传承创新的重大意义。

Online Editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆