The Difference Between “Carrying” and “Holding” Reveals the Quality of the Outlook on Political Performance

Comrade Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out in *Zhi Jiang Xin Yu*: “Every leading cadre must carry the ‘official hat’ to work for the people, and must not hold the ‘official hat’ to be an ‘official’ for oneself.” [1]1 *Zhi Jiang Xin Yu* (《之江新语》) is a collection of short commentaries written “Carrying” and “holding,” differing by a single character, reflect a fundamental divergence in the outlook on political performance. In reality, a small number of Party members and cadres treat “avoiding affairs” as a talisman for “preserving their posts,” skirting around problems when they encounter them, shifting contradictions when they face them, and dodging responsibilities when they arise, preferring to do nothing rather than risk losing their positions. The essence of this is a deviation in the outlook on political performance. At present, the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century, accelerating in evolution, and the domestic tasks of reform, development, and maintaining stability are arduous and heavy. It is especially necessary for Party members and cadres to break free from the selfish distractions of “preserving posts and avoiding affairs” and to make a sober and resolute choice between “carrying” and “holding.”

习近平同志在《之江新语》中深刻指出：“每一个领导干部都要拎着‘乌纱帽’为民干事，而不能捂着‘乌纱帽’为己做‘官’。”“拎”与“捂”，一字之差，折射的是政绩观的根本分野。现实中，少数党员干部把“避事”当成“保官”的护身符，遇事绕着走、矛盾推着走、责任躲着走，宁可不干事也要保位子。究其实质，是政绩观存在偏差。当前，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，国内改革发展稳定任务艰巨繁重，尤其需要党员干部破除“保官避事”的私心杂念，在“拎”与“捂”间作出清醒而坚定的抉择。

The essence of “preserving posts and avoiding affairs” is the mentality of “holding” at work. Those who “hold” calculate everything for themselves, valuing official positions heavily and responsibilities lightly. When faced with practical issues concerning the interests of the masses, their first thought is not the people’s well-being but to emphasize objective reasons by all means, shift blame, and protect themselves. This mentality, on the surface, manifests as inaction and slow action; at a deeper level, it is selfish distractions obscuring the true nature of public service: they treat “avoiding affairs” as a shield for avoiding responsibility—what they avoid is not trouble but the heavy burden of duty on their shoulders; they treat “preserving posts” as the ultimate goal—what they preserve is not the interests of the Party and the people but their own official positions.

“保官避事”的本质，是“捂”的心态作祟。“捂”者，凡事为自己打算，把官位看得重、责任看得轻，遇到事关群众利益的现实问题，首先想到的不是百姓冷暖，而是千方百计强调客观原因、推卸责任、保全自己。这种心态，表面是不作为、慢作为，深层看，是私心杂念遮蔽了公仆本色：把“避事”当成了避责的盾牌，避的不是麻烦，而是肩上沉甸甸的责任；把“保官”当成了终极目标，保的不是党和人民的利益，而是一己之官位。

In contrast, those who “carry” place the cause of the Party and the people first, viewing the “official hat” as a heavy trust bestowed by the Party and the people. From Xu Limin, a “Role Model of the Times,” who rooted himself in grassroots work for over 30 years and dedicated his life to fulfilling his vow of loyalty to the Party, to Mijigedaoerji, a “National Outstanding Party Worker,” who has been rooted on the Hulunbuir grassland for more than 20 years, leading Manglai Gacha from an “empty-shell village” to a “National Model Village for Rural Governance,” [2] to Dong Yijun, another “Role Model of the Times,” who spent 36 years as a police officer always fighting on the front line of maintaining stability and serving the masses—none of them are anything other paragons of carrying the “official hat” to work for the people. For them, the “official hat” has never been an “ornament” for sitting comfortably in the temple of office, but a “document of responsibility” ready to charge at any moment. Wherever there are urgent, difficult, and dangerous tasks, there are figures stepping forward; wherever there are expectations of the masses, there is the accountability to act upon orders.

与之不同，“拎”者则把党和人民的事业放在第一位，把“乌纱帽”看作党和人民赋予的重托。从“时代楷模”徐利民扎根基层工作30余年、用一生奉献践行对党忠诚的无悔誓言，到“全国优秀党务工作者”米吉格道尔吉扎根呼伦贝尔草原二十余载，带领芒来嘎查从“空壳村”蝶变为“全国乡村治理示范村”，再到“时代楷模”董亦军从警36年始终战斗在维护稳定、服务群众第一线，他们无一不是拎着“乌纱帽”为民干事的典范。对他们而言，“乌纱帽”从来不是安坐庙堂的“装饰品”，而是随时准备冲锋的“责任书”，哪里有急难险重，哪里就有挺身而出的身影；哪里有群众期盼，哪里就有闻令而动的担当。

The clear distinction between “carrying” and “holding” ultimately boils down to the divide between public-mindedness and self-interest. The “official hat” is not a personal position but a responsibility entrusted by the people. Faced with conflicts of interest, Party members and cadres who carry the “official hat” dare to sacrifice the small self for the greater good; those who hold the “official hat” calculate everything for themselves at every turn. Marxism holds that state power belongs to the people in essence; power is “public” in nature, not “private.” Once power is turned into a personal possession, “preserving posts and avoiding affairs” becomes inevitable. To break free from the selfish distractions of “preserving posts and avoiding affairs,” one must constantly calibrate the outlook on political performance in the depths of thought, repeatedly asking: Who gave power? For whom is work done? Only by truly recognizing that power is conferred by the people and used for the people can “carrying the ‘official hat’ to work for the people” be internalized as a conscious action and externalized as tangible results. Breaking free from the selfish distractions of “preserving posts and avoiding affairs” depends on the Party spirit cultivation of Party members and cadres themselves, but even more so on the rigid constraints of institutional mechanisms. Let those who carry the “official hat” to work be given important posts, and let those who hold the “official hat” to muddle through have no market, forming a clear orientation of “the capable are promoted, the mediocre are demoted, and the inferior are eliminated.” Only in this way can those who “preserve posts and avoid affairs” have nowhere to hide.

“拎”与“捂”的泾渭之别，归根结底是公心和私心的分野。“乌纱帽”不是个人的位子，而是人民赋予的责任。面对利益冲突，拎着“乌纱帽”的党员干部敢于舍小我为大我；捂着“乌纱帽”的党员干部却处处为自己盘算。马克思主义认为，国家权力本质上属于人民，权力姓“公”不姓“私”。一旦把权力变成个人私有物，“保官避事”便成必然。破除“保官避事”的私心杂念，就要在思想深处时刻校准政绩观，反复叩问：权力是谁给的？工作为谁而干？只有真正认同权为民所赋、权为民所用，才能将“拎着‘乌纱帽’为民干事”内化为行动自觉、外化为实绩实效。破除“保官避事”的私心杂念，要靠党员干部自身的党性修养，更要靠制度机制的刚性约束。让拎着“乌纱帽”干事的人受重用，让捂着“乌纱帽”混日子的人没市场，形成“能者上、庸者下、劣者汰”的鲜明导向。唯有如此，才能使“保官避事”者无处遁形。

“Carrying” and “holding,” differing by a single character, are as far apart as heaven and earth. “Carrying” is the feeling of caring for the people; “holding” is the bureaucratic style that betrays the people’s will. As the 15th Five-Year Plan begins, advancing industrial transformation and upgrading, promoting high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, and enhancing the coordination and balance of urban-rural and regional development are the “hard bones” that test whether Party members and cadres “carry” or “hold.” [3] Every Party member and cadre should take pride in “carrying” and take warning from “holding,” focusing their minds on solving development difficulties and their energy on resolving the urgent and pressing problems of the masses, achieving solid results that can stand the test.

“拎”与“捂”，一字之差，天壤之别。“拎”是心系苍生的为民情怀，“捂”是背离民心的官僚做派。“十五五”开局，推进产业转型升级、推进高水平科技自立自强、增强城乡区域发展协调性均衡性等“硬骨头”，正是检验党员干部是“拎”还是“捂”的关键。每一位党员干部都应当以“拎”为荣、以“捂”为戒，把心思用在破解发展难题上，把精力花在解决群众急难愁盼问题上，干出经得起检验的实绩。