From “the Moon in the Heart” to “the Realm of Practice”: Deciphering Mao Zedong’s Textual Code

Mao Zedong was a thinker and also a great master of writing. His works are an epic inscribed on the soil of the East, an essential path for understanding and entering the China of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. The already canonized “Mao’s works” have become desk books, bedside books, study books, work books, and textbooks in classrooms for many people; they guide readers into history, enable them to experience wisdom, and help them seek experience.

毛泽东是思想家，亦是文章大家。其著述是写在东方大地上的史诗，是认识和走进昨天、今天和未来中国的必经路径。已经经典化的“毛著”，成为许多人的案头书，枕边书，学习用书，工作用书，以及课堂上的教科书，它导引读者走进历史，体验智慧，寻借经验。

Of course, there are also some unsatisfactory situations that affect the further dissemination of Mao Zedong’s writings and their further exertion of their due influence. For example, interpretations of Mao Zedong’s articles merely stop at what he said, with the result that a few dry concepts are extracted and then restated.

当然，也有一些不尽如人意的情况，影响着毛泽东著述文章的进一步传播，进一步发挥其应有影响。比如，解读毛泽东的文章，只停留在他说了什么，结果就抽出几条干巴巴的概念进行复述。

This leads one to think that reading Mao Zedong’s classics requires a great deal of background historical knowledge, even expertise in historiography and philology. If one only knows that Mao Zedong “said this” but does not know “why he said it,” then people’s understanding of the classics of Mao’s works remains merely a “rough idea,” limited, and it is hard to say that they have grasped the rich “ideational surplus value.” [1]1 A play on Marx’s concept of “surplus value,” here used metaphorically to mean the rich, unextracted ideological content of Mao’s texts. Hence the original intention of writing this book: to narrate the stories of the history of writing, dissemination, and reception of Mao Zedong’s articles, to do one’s utmost to “decipher” Mao Zedong’s “textual code,” and to hope to clarify the connecting channel between Mao Zedong’s “moon in the heart” and his “realm of practice.”

由此想到，阅读毛泽东的经典，需要很多历史背景知识乃至史料学、文献学方面的学问。如果只知道毛泽东“这样说”，不知道他“为什么这样说”，人们对毛著经典的认识也就是个“大概”，是有限的，很难说抓住了丰富的“思想剩余价值”。于是，便有了写这本书的初衷：书写毛泽东文章写作史、传播史和接受史上的故事，尽力“破译”毛泽东的“文本密码”，期望能够明晰毛泽东“胸中明月”和他的“实践天地”之间的连接通道。

Focusing on the History of the Writing of Mao Zedong’s Articles

聚焦毛泽东文章的写作史

Mao Zedong’s articles were all products of their era. He did not write for the sake of writing; he wrote by feeling the pulse of the times, and he wrote to answer and solve the problems of the times.

毛泽东的文章都是时代的产物，他不是为写作而写作，而是摸着时代脉搏写作的，是为回答和解决时代问题写作的。

For example, the Gutian Congress Resolution [2]2 The Gutian Congress (December 1929) was a meeting of the Fourth Red Army in Gutian, Fujian Province, whose resolution, drafted by Mao, established the principle of Party leadership over the military. is a foundational article in which the Chinese Communist Party established the principles of building the Party ideologically and building the army politically. This article emerged against the backdrop of a major debate within the Fourth Red Army in which neither side could convince the other. This storm once led to Mao Zedong being “laid off.” [3]3 In mid-1929, Mao was temporarily removed from his leadership position in the Fourth Red Army due to disagreements over military command and Party organization. After the “birth pangs,” “Zhu and Mao” [4]4 “Zhu” refers to Zhu De, commander of the Fourth Red Army; “Mao” refers to Mao Zedong, its Party representative. Together they symbolized the unity of the Red Army. achieved ideological unity, were of one heart and one mind, and jointly built the army, creating a completely new situation for Party and army building. “Zhu and Mao” also became the iconic image of the Communist Party and the people’s army.

比如古田会议决议，这是一篇中国共产党确立思想建党政治建军原则的奠基文章，这篇文章是在红四军内部发生谁也说服不了谁的大争论背景下出现的。这场风波，一度导致毛泽东“下岗”。经过“阵痛”之后，“朱毛”思想统一，同心同德，携手建军，开创出党和军队建设的崭新局面，“朱毛”也成为共产党和人民军队的标志性形象。

Another example is *On Protracted War*, which Mao Zedong wrote in the tenth month of the total War of Resistance Against Japan. At that time, the two theories of “national subjugation” and “quick victory” were prevalent throughout society. Chiang Kai-shek could not produce a convincing strategic policy. Under the iron heel of the enemy, panicked people even used the *Tuibei Tu* [5]5 *Tuibei Tu* (The Book of Reversals) is a traditional Chinese divination text attributed to the Tang dynasty figures Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang. and the *Shaobing Ge* [6]6 *Shaobing Ge* (The Cake-Selling Song) is a traditional Chinese prophecy text, also known as the *Shao Bing Ge*, attributed to the Ming dynasty figure Liu Bowen. to predict China’s fate. In a cave dwelling on the Northwest Plateau, Mao Zedong put forward an earth-shattering “prophecy of the War of Resistance”—it was ahead of the war’s progress and profoundly revealed the way for the Chinese nation to defeat a powerful foreign enemy. As the War of Resistance developed, history completely fulfilled the predictions Mao Zedong made in *On Protracted War*.

再比如《论持久战》，是毛泽东在全面抗战进行到第10个月的时候写作的。当时，全社会流行“亡国论”和“速胜论”两种论调，蒋介石拿不出令人信服的战略策略，铁蹄之下恐慌的人们甚至用《推背图》和《烧饼歌》对中国的命运进行预测。毛泽东在西北高原的窑洞里推出了石破天惊的“抗战预言”——它超前于战争进程，深刻揭示了中华民族外御强敌的胜战之道。随着抗战形势的发展，历史完全应验了毛泽东在《论持久战》中的预测。

Mao Zedong’s articles are the imprints of the era engraved on the earth. They both reflected that era and overcame that era, thereby rising above that era and becoming the essence of the spirit of the times. Having been tested by the changes of the times, they have become classic texts that are ever fresh when read. This book aims to study the history of the writing of Mao Zedong’s works, to seek out and display the stories of the “places of origin” of the works, to “archaeologically” discover the historical background and vivid context of their writing, and to reveal the “original aspiration” [7]7 “Original aspiration” (*chuxin*) is a key term in CCP political discourse, referring to the founding mission of the Party. and ideological thread of Mao Zedong’s articles.

毛泽东的文章是时代镌刻在大地上的印痕，既反映了那个时代，又克服了那个时代，从而高于那个时代，成为时代精神的精华，又经过时代变迁的检验，成为时读时新的经典文本。本书旨在研究毛泽东著作的写作史，寻找和展示著作“发生地”的故事，“考古”发现写作的历史背景和生动活泼的语境，展现出毛泽东的文章“初心”和思想脉络。

Exploring the History of the Dissemination of Mao Zedong’s Works

探讨毛泽东著作的传播史

Articles are meant to be read. Once an article is written, it can only have an impact if it is disseminated, comes into contact with large numbers of people, and inspires its readers. How were Mao Zedong’s articles disseminated after they were written? This is a key focus of the research and writing of this book.

文章是让人读的。一篇文章写出来之后，只有得到传播，与广大人群发生关系并使读者受到启发，才能产生影响。毛泽东的文章写出来后是如何传播的？这是本书研究和书写的一个重点。

For example, *Analysis of the Classes in Chinese Society* was written in the summer and autumn of 1925. It was first published in Issue 4 of *Revolution*, compiled and printed on December 1, 1925, by the Headquarters of the Second Army of the National Revolutionary Army. It was later published in *The Chinese Peasant* on February 1, 1926, and in Issues 116 and 117 of *The Chinese Youth* in March of the same year. At the same time, a separate edition was published in Shantou, Guangdong. Its dissemination enabled Communists to grasp the theoretical weapon of class analysis.

比如说，《中国社会各阶级的分析》写于1925年夏秋，首刊于国民革命军第二军司令部1925年12月1日编印的《革命》第4期，后来又刊登在1926年2月1日出版的《中国农民》和同年3月出版的《中国青年》第116、117期上，同时还在广东汕头出版了单行本。它的传播，使共产党人掌握了阶级分析的理论武器。

Another example: Mao Zedong coined the term “paper tiger” in a cave dwelling in the mountain valleys of northern Shaanxi and put forward the thesis that “imperialism and all reactionaries are paper tigers.” In an era when the media was still underdeveloped and under the strict blockade of the Kuomintang, how was this disseminated? Mao Zedong adopted the form of giving interviews to foreign journalists and answering their questions. This is the text “Talk with the American Correspondent Anna Louise Strong,” included in Volume 4 of the *Selected Works of Mao Zedong*. After this talk was published in the April 1947 issue of the American magazine *Amerasia*, the CCP’s Hong Kong magazine *The Masses* immediately reprinted it. Because an appropriate mode of dissemination was chosen, Mao Zedong’s thesis of the “paper tiger” was quickly accepted by people and spread widely throughout the world. It must be said that this was a miracle in the history of dissemination.

再比如,毛泽东在陕北山沟的窑洞里创造了“纸老虎”一词，提出了“帝国主义和一切反动派都是纸老虎”的论断，这在媒介尚不发达的时代，在国民党严密封锁下如何传播出去？毛泽东采取了接受外国记者采访、答记者问这种形式。这就是收入《毛泽东选集》第四卷的《和美国记者安娜·路易斯·斯特朗的谈话》，这篇谈话发表在美国《美亚》杂志1947年4月号上后，中共在香港的《群众》杂志立即转载。由于选择了一个恰当的传播方式，毛泽东的“纸老虎”之说，迅速为人们所认可，在全世界广泛流传，不能不说这是传播史上的一个奇迹。

For a long time in areas ruled by the Kuomintang and in the occupied territories, Mao Zedong’s works were listed as “banned books” and their dissemination was prohibited. Some works had to be printed in “disguised editions”—the cover bore the title of a martial arts novel or a Buddhist sutra, but inside were Mao Zedong’s articles. In this way, they escaped detection and were disseminated across regions. This unique mode of dissemination shows the difficulty of the revolutionary course of the Chinese Communist Party and also adds a touch of legend to the history of the dissemination of Mao Zedong’s works. This book researches and narrates the stories of the “layered accumulation” [8]8 A term from classical Chinese textual criticism, referring to the process by which texts accumulate layers of commentary, interpretation, and revision over time. in the process of the circulation of Mao Zedong’s works, exploring hidden details and revealing the subtle points, which fully demonstrates the unique interpretive space and immense theoretical charm of Mao Zedong’s works.

在国民党统治的很长时间里，在沦陷区，毛泽东的著作被列为“禁书”而禁止传播，有的著作不得不印刷成“伪装本”——封面印上武侠小说或佛经的名字，里面装的是毛泽东的文章，从而瞒天过海，跨域传播。这种独特的传播方式，显示出中国共产党革命历程的艰难，也为毛泽东著作传播史增加了几分传奇色彩。这本书研究和书写了毛泽东的著作在流传过程中“层累地造成”的故事，索隐发微，足见毛泽东著作特有的阐释空间和巨大的理论魅力。

Reviewing the History of the Reception of Mao Zedong’s Works

回顾毛泽东著作的接受史

For a work, being written is the first step; being disseminated is the second step; being received, entering the ears, entering the mind, and entering the heart, is the most important step. There were many articles contemporary with Mao Zedong, but looking at them today, how many have become classics? Many of Mao Zedong’s articles have become even more brilliant through the polishing of practice and time, possessing the sharp quality of a diamond that can cut through all things, and have become immortal classics.

一部作品，写出来，是第一步；传播出去，是第二步；被人接受，入耳入脑入心，是最重要的一步。与毛泽东同时代的文章多矣，如今看去，能够成为经典的，又有几何？毛泽东的许多文章经过实践和时间的打磨愈发闪亮，具有金刚石切割万物的锐利品质，成为不朽的经典。

Studying the history of the reception of Mao Zedong’s articles reveals that many of Mao Zedong’s articles were not accepted by people at the outset, and many articles were only accepted after people had experienced failure. After being accepted, they were applied to guide practice, thereby achieving great success and further strengthening people’s trust and confidence in Mao Zedong.

研究毛泽东文章的接受史可以发现，毛泽东的许多文章，在一开始并不被人们所接受，而许多文章是人们在经历失败后才接受的，在接受后运用于指导实践，从而取得巨大成功，进一步坚定了对毛泽东的信任和信赖。

Reviewing the history of the reception of Mao Zedong’s works leads to one conclusion: as Mao Zedong’s works entered the hearts of more and more people, the Communist Party won more and more people’s hearts; the history of the success of the Chinese Communist Party is the history of the reception of Mao Zedong’s thought.

回顾毛泽东著作的接受史，可以得出一个结论：毛泽东的著作走进越来越多的人心里，共产党就赢得越来越多的人心；中国共产党的成功史，就是毛泽东的思想的接受史。

Mao Zedong’s works possess a literary quality; their style is vigorous and handsome, and the force of the brush soars. This is a “secret” of their vividness and liveliness in attracting readers. In the process of creating this book, an attempt was also made to adopt a literary mode of expression, by collecting the stories of Mao Zedong’s articles, restoring the details of the plots, displaying the literary scenery and literary context of Mao Zedong’s articles, and reducing the dryness of theoretical reading.

毛泽东著作具有文学性，风神秀健，笔力飞动，这是他文章生动活泼、吸引读者的一个“秘诀”。在这本书的创作过程中，也尝试采用了文学化的表达，通过搜集毛泽东的文章故事，还原情节细节，展示毛泽东文章的文景与文脉，消减理论阅读的枯燥感。

Discarding impurities, the water becomes clear and the pearl glistens; the secret is revealed.

摒弃杂质，水澄珠莹，秘密呈现。

Returning to the textual scene of Mao Zedong and sensing the ideological power of Mao Zedong’s works may perhaps be the original pursuit of rereading Mao.

返回毛泽东的文本现场，感悟毛泽东著作的思想伟力，或许就是再读毛泽东的原本追求。

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧