Understanding Scientific Theory from Three Dimensions

Xi Jinping’s economic thought was formed and has continuously developed in the process where practical innovation nurtures theoretical innovation and theoretical innovation guides practical innovation. To thoroughly study and implement Xi Jinping’s economic thought, one can start from three dimensions—identifying concepts, law-based understandings, and original theories—deeply grasp the internal logic among them, and continuously promote greater results in systematic and theoretical research and interpretation.

习近平经济思想是在实践创新孕育理论创新、理论创新指导实践创新的过程中形成并不断发展的。深入学习贯彻习近平经济思想，可以从标识性概念、规律性认识、原创性理论三个维度入手，深刻把握三者之间的内在逻辑，不断推动体系化学理化研究阐释取得更大成效。

The so-called identifying concepts are important knowledge nodes and logical starting points of scientific theory, originating from profound insight and precise refinement of economic development practice in the New Era. Xi Jinping’s economic thought has put forward a series of identifying concepts such as the new development philosophy, high-quality development, the new development pattern, and new quality productive forces. These concepts did not emerge out of thin air but were proposed based on China’s actual conditions and in the process of answering and solving real problems; they possess distinct contemporaneity and practicality. For example, “new quality productive forces” scientifically reveals the profound connotation of using scientific and technological innovation to lead a qualitative leap in productive forces, while “the new development pattern” scientifically proposes the key path for a major economy to achieve smooth circulation and upgrading at a higher level; the two belong respectively to the internal category of productive forces and the external category of economic circulation. These identifying concepts constitute the basic elements of scientific theory, embody profound thinking on practical problems, and provide basic material and terminological support for the refinement of law-based understandings.

所谓标识性概念，是科学理论的重要知识节点和逻辑起点，源于对新时代经济发展实践的深刻洞察与精准提炼。习近平经济思想提出了诸如新发展理念、高质量发展、新发展格局、新质生产力等一系列标识性概念。这些概念并非凭空产生，而是立足中国实际、在回答和解决现实问题中提出的，具有鲜明的时代性和实践性。例如，“新质生产力”科学揭示了以科技创新引领生产力质态飞跃的深刻内涵，“新发展格局”则科学提出了大国经济在更高层次实现顺畅循环和升级的关键路径，两者分别属于内在的生产力范畴和外化的经济循环范畴。这些标识性概念构成了科学理论的基本元素，凝聚着对实践问题的深刻思考，为规律性认识的提炼提供了基本素材和术语支撑。

The so-called law-based understandings are the bridge connecting identifying concepts with original theories and the key link from concrete perceptual knowledge to abstract rational knowledge. Xi Jinping’s economic thought emphasizes in-depth exploration of the internal, essential, and necessary connections of economic development, forming a series of law-based understandings. For example, regarding the understanding of the relationship between government and the market, it scientifically proposes adhering to the combination of an effective market and a competent government, and continuously promotes theoretical innovation, providing theoretical guidance for scientifically grasping the operational laws of the socialist market economy and fully leveraging the advantages of the socialist market economy system. Regarding the law-based understanding of the path of modernization, it has formed the theory of Chinese-path modernization, clarifying the essential requirements and Chinese characteristics of Chinese-path modernization. These law-based understandings originate from extensive practical experience and, through dialectical grasp of major relationships such as “stability and progress,” “crisis and opportunity,” and “destruction and establishment,” manifest a scientific methodology, enrich the connotation of identifying concepts, make their connections clearer, and lay a solid foundation for the systematic construction of original theories.

所谓规律性认识，是连接标识性概念与原创性理论的桥梁，是从具体的感性认识走向抽象的理性认识的关键环节。习近平经济思想强调深入探究经济发展内在的、本质的、必然的联系，形成了一系列规律性认识。例如，关于对政府和市场关系的认识，科学提出坚持有效市场和有为政府相结合，并持续推动理论创新，为科学把握社会主义市场经济运行规律、充分发挥社会主义市场经济体制优势提供了理论指引。关于对现代化路径的规律性认识，形成了中国式现代化理论，阐明了中国式现代化的本质要求、中国特色等。这些规律性认识来源于大量实践经验，并通过对“稳与进”“危与机”“破与立”等重大关系的辩证把握，彰显了科学的方法论，使标识性概念的内涵更加丰富、联系更加清晰，为原创性理论的系统化构建奠定了坚实根基。

The so-called original theories are the theoretical crystallization of identifying concepts and law-based understandings in systematic construction. Xi Jinping’s economic thought, as a “systematized economic theory,” has put forward a series of original theories. For example, the new development philosophy of innovation, coordination, greenness, openness, and sharing, as a systematic theoretical system, answers a series of theoretical and practical questions concerning the purpose, driving force, mode, and path of development, and elucidates the value orientation, development model, and development path of development. The theory of high-quality development clarifies the status of high-quality development as the “primary task” in comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and defines the value connotation of development from the perspectives of higher quality, greater efficiency, more fairness, more sustainability, and greater security. These original theories integrate a series of identifying concepts and law-based understandings according to their internal connections into an organic and unified whole, forming a scientific theoretical system with rigorous logic and rich connotation.

所谓原创性理论，是标识性概念和规律性认识在系统化建构中的理论结晶。习近平经济思想作为“系统化的经济学说”，提出了一系列原创性理论。例如，创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享的新发展理念，作为一个系统的理论体系，回答了关于发展的目的、动力、方式、路径等一系列理论和实践问题，阐明了发展的价值导向、发展模式、发展道路。关于高质量发展的理论，明确了高质量发展在全面建设社会主义现代化国家中的“首要任务”地位，从更高质量、更有效率、更加公平、更可持续、更为安全等角度明确了发展的价值内涵。这些原创性理论将一系列标识性概念和规律性认识按照其内在联系，整合成一个有机统一的整体，形成了逻辑严密、内涵丰富的科学理论体系。

(The author is Vice President of the China Academy of Macroeconomic Research)

（作者系中国宏观经济研究院副院长）

Online editor: Chu Yang

网络编辑：初阳