Building a System for Inheriting Traditional Chinese Virtues

Traditional Chinese virtues are the essence of Chinese culture, an inexhaustible source for moral construction, and a beneficial resource for educating and guiding members of society to enhance moral cognition and strengthen moral practice. The *Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-Path Modernization* [n1], reviewed and approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, put forward the major deployment of “building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues.” This is of great significance for better inheriting traditional Chinese virtues on the new journey, cultivating social civility, promoting cultural prosperity, and advancing the all-round development of the individual. Building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues requires sustained and persistent efforts in areas such as excavation and interpretation, public opinion and propaganda, education and guidance, and institutional safeguards.

中华传统美德是中华文化的精髓，是道德建设的不竭源泉，是教育引导广大社会成员提升道德认知与加强道德实践的有益资源。党的二十届三中全会审议通过的《中共中央关于进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的决定》提出了“构建中华传统美德传承体系”的重大部署，对于在新征程上更好传承中华传统美德、涵养社会文明风尚、促进文化繁荣兴盛、推动人的全面发展具有重要意义。构建中华传统美德传承体系，需要在挖掘阐释、舆论宣传、教育引导、制度保障等方面久久为功。

1. Advancing Content Excavation and Interpretation

1.推进内容挖掘和阐释

Treating traditional Chinese virtues with an attitude of reverence and pride, and coordinately advancing their content excavation, interpretation, transformation, and innovation, is an important prerequisite for building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues.

以礼敬自豪的态度对待中华传统美德，协同推进其内容挖掘、阐释、转化、创新，是构建中华传统美德传承体系的重要前提。

Deeply excavating the resources of traditional Chinese virtues. The *Outline for the Implementation of Civic Moral Construction in the New Era* [n2], issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, proposes to “fully tap the rich moral resources carried by cultural classics, historical relics, and cultural heritage sites; promote the fine words and exemplary deeds of ancient sages, national heroes, and people of lofty ideals; and better root the genes of Chinese culture in people’s ideological awareness and moral concepts.” Traditional Chinese virtues are rich in content, borne both by tangible carriers such as ancient texts and by intangible carriers such as family traditions. Excavating the resources of traditional Chinese virtues requires not only using traditional methods such as textual interpretation, historical analysis, and cultural tracing, but also actively employing modern digital and intelligent technologies to deeply explore the beneficial content contained in various cultural carriers, such as patriotism and dedication, upholding justice and promoting good, aiding the distressed and relieving the needy, being dedicated and enjoying working with others, helping one another, filial piety and respect for the elderly, diligence and thrift in managing the household, ceaseless self-improvement, and being tolerant and upright.

深入挖掘中华传统美德资源。中共中央、国务院印发的《新时代公民道德建设实施纲要》提出，要“充分发掘文化经典、历史遗存、文物古迹承载的丰厚道德资源，弘扬古圣先贤、民族英雄、志士仁人的嘉言懿行，让中华文化基因更好植根于人们的思想意识和道德观念”。中华传统美德内容丰富，既承载于古代典籍等有形载体，又内蕴于家风等无形载体。挖掘中华传统美德资源，既要用好文本解读、历史分析、文化溯源等传统方法，又要主动运用现代数智技术，深入挖掘各类文化载体中蕴含的爱国奉献、扶正扬善、扶危济困、敬业乐群、守望相助、孝老爱亲、勤俭持家、自强不息、宽厚正直等有益内容。

Scientifically interpreting the essence of traditional Chinese virtues. Building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues should be based on the development of the times and the needs of practice. On the basis of a comprehensive grasp of the content system of traditional Chinese virtues, efforts should be made to explain the essence of traditional Chinese virtues accurately, comprehensively, and thoroughly, making them easier for people to understand, identify with, and practice. Improve the accuracy of interpretation by clarifying the core meaning and practical requirements of traditional Chinese virtues; ensure the comprehensiveness of interpretation by elucidating the moral norms advocated by traditional Chinese virtues at different levels—the nation, society, and the individual—and clarifying the internal logic between these different levels; emphasize the theoretical systematization of interpretation by advancing collaborative scientific research, elucidating the principles, theories, and philosophies contained in traditional Chinese virtues, and consolidating the theoretical support for the inheritance of traditional Chinese virtues, thereby making them more deeply rooted in people’s hearts.

科学阐释中华传统美德精髓。构建中华传统美德传承体系，应立足时代发展和实践需要，在全面把握中华传统美德内容体系的基础上，着力将中华传统美德精髓讲准、讲全、讲透，使其更易于为人们所理解、认同和践行。提高阐释的准确度，讲清楚中华传统美德的核心要义和实践要求；确保阐释的全面性，阐明中华传统美德在国家、社会和个人等不同层面倡导的道德规范，讲清楚不同层次间的内在逻辑；注重阐释的学理化，推进科研协同攻关，阐明中华传统美德蕴含的道理、学理、哲理，夯实中华传统美德传承的理论支撑，使其更加深入人心。

Endowing traditional virtues with new contemporary connotations. Traditional Chinese virtues originated in ancient China. After thousands of years of inheritance and development, some of their specific connotations and outdated forms of expression can no longer fully adapt to contemporary society, which also brings certain difficulties for people’s acceptance and promotion. Building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues must uphold fundamental principles and break new ground [n3]. Specifically, adhere to the guidance of Marxism, and based on the requirements of the times and the needs of reality, carry out the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese virtues, endowing them with new contemporary connotations. Fully leverage their role in promoting the core socialist values, continuing the spiritual lineage of Chinese Communists, and advancing civic moral construction in the New Era, making them more aligned with the moral needs of the people. At the same time, use modern discourse systems to endow traditional Chinese virtues with new forms of expression, making them more easily accepted by the broad masses of the people.

赋予传统美德新的时代内涵。中华传统美德源于古代中国，经过数千年的传承发展，有些具体内涵和陈旧表达形式已不能完全适应当今社会，也给人们的接受和弘扬带来一定困难。构建中华传统美德传承体系，必须坚持守正创新。具体而言，坚持以马克思主义为指导，根据时代要求和现实需要，对中华传统美德进行创造性转化和创新性发展，赋予其新的时代内涵，充分发挥其在弘扬社会主义核心价值观、赓续中国共产党人精神谱系、推进新时代公民道德建设等方面的作用，使其更加契合人民群众的道德需要。同时，运用现代话语体系赋予中华传统美德新的表达形式，使广大人民群众更容易接受。

2. Forming a Three-Dimensional Communication Matrix

2.形成立体化传播矩阵

Building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues requires linking online and offline communication, combining domestic and international publicity, and forming an all-encompassing, multi-level, three-dimensional communication matrix.

构建中华传统美德传承体系，需要将线上和线下传播联动起来，将对内和对外宣传结合起来，形成全方位、多层次、立体化的传播矩阵。

Currently, a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is developing rapidly, and significant changes are taking place in the public opinion ecosystem, media landscape, and communication methods. In particular, the internet has become the main channel for information dissemination. Building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues requires promoting traditional media and emerging media to fulfill their respective responsibilities and integrate and mutually reinforce each other. Traditional media should leverage their content advantages, not only telling stories of traditional virtues well and publicizing the deeds of moral models, but also criticizing phenomena of moral anomie and correcting erroneous moral concepts. Emerging media should leverage their advantages of immediacy, personalization, and interactivity, using digital and intelligent technologies to scientifically analyze the needs and preferences of different audiences, achieve precise and efficient communication, and enhance the audience’s identification with traditional Chinese virtues. Traditional media and emerging media should jointly draw concentric circles online and offline, engaging in deep interaction and complementary advantages in content creation, channel expansion, and platform building for the dissemination of traditional Chinese virtues. This guides the broad masses to consciously become practitioners, narrators, and promoters of traditional Chinese virtues, coalescing a powerful joint force for inheriting and promoting traditional Chinese virtues, and continuously enhancing the communication power and influence of traditional Chinese virtues.

当前，新一轮科技革命和产业变革迅猛发展，舆论生态、媒体格局、传播方式等发生重大变革，特别是互联网已经成为信息传播的主要渠道。构建中华传统美德传承体系，需要推动传统媒体与新兴媒体各尽其责、融合互促。传统媒体应发挥内容优势，既讲好传统美德故事、宣传道德模范事迹，又批判道德失范现象、纠正错误道德观念。新兴媒体应发挥即时性、个性化、互动性等优势，利用数智技术科学分析不同受众的需求和偏好，做好精准高效传播，增强受众对中华传统美德的认同。传统媒体和新兴媒体共绘网上网下同心圆，在中华传统美德传播的内容创作、渠道拓展、平台搭建等方面深度互动、优势互补，引导广大群众自觉做中华传统美德的践行者、讲述者、弘扬者，凝聚起传承弘扬中华传统美德的强大合力，持续提升中华传统美德传播力和影响力。

Traditional Chinese virtues are the spiritual symbol of the Chinese nation and also a spiritual treasure shared by all humanity. They hold significant value for effectively solving prominent problems faced by humanity and can provide Chinese wisdom for maintaining world peace and promoting common development. Therefore, building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues also requires promoting the interaction and mutual reinforcement of domestic and international publicity, so that they complement each other. Domestically, do a good job of publicizing and interpreting traditional Chinese virtues, promoting them into every household, and enabling the broad masses of the people to internalize them in their hearts and externalize them in their actions. Internationally, tell the stories of traditional Chinese virtues well, promote them to the world, and present a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China to the world. For example, do a good job of translating important classics of traditional Chinese virtues into foreign languages, launch high-quality cultural products on traditional Chinese virtues that overseas audiences love to watch and find easy to understand, hold international academic seminars on traditional Chinese virtues, and encourage scholars from various countries to come to China to study and research traditional Chinese virtues.

中华传统美德是中华民族的精神标识，也是全人类共有的精神财富，对于有效解决人类共同面对的突出问题具有重要价值，能够为维护世界和平、促进共同发展提供中国智慧。因此，构建中华传统美德传承体系，还要推动内宣与外宣互动互促、相得益彰。对内做好中华传统美德的宣传阐释，推动中华传统美德走进千家万户，使广大人民群众将其内化于心、外化于行。对外讲好中华传统美德故事，推动中华传统美德走向世界，向世界展现可信、可爱、可敬的中国形象。例如，做好中华传统美德重要典籍的外译工作，推出海外受众爱看易懂的中华传统美德文化精品，举办关于中华传统美德的国际学术研讨会，鼓励各国学者来华学习和研究中华传统美德等。

3. Consolidating the Synergistic Force of Multiple Subjects in Education

3.凝聚多主体育人合力

Building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues requires the coordinated efforts of schools, families, and society to jointly establish a three-dimensional educational framework and forge a synergistic force of multiple subjects resonating at the same frequency.

构建中华传统美德传承体系，需要学校、家庭、社会协同发力，共建立体化育人格局，携手打造多主体同频共振的育人合力。

Leverage the unique advantages of school education to advance the integrated construction of traditional Chinese virtues education in universities, middle schools, and primary schools. Deeply explore the laws of traditional Chinese virtues education and the laws of students’ moral formation, accurately grasp the characteristics of education at each school stage and students’ ideological characteristics. While doing a good job of top-level design and overall planning, clarify the key directions for carrying out traditional virtues education at each school stage, achieving effective articulation and progressive advancement. Optimize the educational plan for traditional Chinese virtues. Based on the ideological characteristics of students at different school stages, scientifically set up an educational goal system, precisely match the content and methods of traditional virtues education for each school stage, comprehensively improve the curriculum system for traditional virtues, and systematically arrange educational activities on traditional virtues, achieving step-by-step progression and spiral ascent. Strengthen the coordination of traditional Chinese virtues education across different school stages. Establish and improve communication and collaboration mechanisms between school stages, such as collective lesson planning, collaborative scientific research, and resource sharing, break down the “barriers” between school stages, and coalesce a powerful joint force for the collaborative development of traditional virtues education in universities, middle schools, and primary schools.

发挥学校教育的独特优势，推进大中小学中华传统美德教育一体化建设。深入探索中华传统美德教育规律和学生道德养成规律，准确把握各学段教育和学生思想特点，在做好顶层设计和整体规划的同时，明确各学段开展传统美德教育的重点方向，实现有效衔接、梯度推进。优化中华传统美德教育方案，依据不同学段学生的思想特点，科学设置教育目标体系，精准匹配各学段传统美德教育的内容和方法，全面完善传统美德课程体系，系统安排传统美德教育活动，做到循序渐进、螺旋上升。加强中华传统美德教育的各学段协同，建立健全集体备课、协同科研、资源共享等学段间的沟通协作机制，打破学段“壁垒”，凝聚起大中小学协同开展传统美德教育的强大合力。

The family is the starting point for moral formation. Building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues must give full play to the role of the family as the “first classroom” and create an immersive family education atmosphere. On the one hand, let traditional virtues such as fostering kinship and valuing righteousness, filial piety and respect for the elderly, a virtuous wife and a caring husband, a loving mother and filial children, fraternal respect among brothers, and diligence and thrift in managing the household take root and sprout within the family. Integrate them with modern concepts of family civility, form a good family tradition for the New Era, and create a new trend of family civility. On the other hand, focus on the role of teaching by personal example and imperceptible influence. Nurture a pure and kind heart with noble sentiments and good conduct, achieve mutual respect, love, and mutual promotion and progress among family members, and jointly cultivate moral sentiments and shape beautiful souls.

家庭是道德养成的起点，构建中华传统美德传承体系必须发挥好家庭的“第一课堂”作用，营造浸润型的家庭教育氛围。一方面，让敦亲重义、孝老爱亲、妻贤夫安、母慈子孝、兄友弟恭、勤俭持家等传统美德在家庭中生根发芽，使其与现代家庭文明观念相融合，形成新时代良好家风，营造家庭文明新风尚。另一方面，要注重发挥言传身教和耳濡目染的作用，以高尚的情操、良好的品行濡养纯善之心，实现家庭成员间互敬互爱、互促共进，共同陶冶道德情操、塑造美好心灵。

Taking into account the particularities of different audiences and fields, we should create a differentiated and targeted model for social education in traditional Chinese virtues. We must focus on leading cadres at all levels as the “key minority,” [4]4 “Key minority” (关键少数) is a term used by the CPC to refer to leading cadres at all levels, especially senior officials, whose conduct is seen as having a disproportionate influence on the political culture and the implementation of Party policies. advocating the traditional virtues of governing with virtue, exercising caution when alone and in small matters, and maintaining integrity in the family, so as to nourish Party conduct and government conduct with traditional Chinese political virtue, and to guide social conduct and popular customs with sound Party and government conduct. We should integrate traditional Chinese virtues such as honesty and trustworthiness, helping the needy and relieving the distressed, and dedication to work and delight in fellowship into corporate governance, cultural cultivation, talent development, and other links, extensively carry out professional ethics building, and encourage enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities. Through forms such as moral lecture halls, cultural performances, and volunteer services, we should use traditional Chinese virtues to build harmonious neighborly relations and contribute to the construction of harmonious communities. We should activate the resources of virtues such as diligence and thrift, respect for the elderly and love for the young, and mutual assistance and neighborly watchfulness in traditional local culture, elevate the moral realm of villagers, empower the cultivation of civilized village customs, and promote the building of beautiful and harmonious villages.

观照不同受众和场域的特殊性，打造分众化、精准化的中华传统美德社会育人模式。抓住各级领导干部这个“关键少数”，倡导为政以德、慎独慎微、廉洁齐家的传统美德，用中华传统政德涵养党风政风，以优良党风政风引领社风民风。将诚实守信、扶危济困、敬业乐群等中华传统美德融入公司治理、文化培育、人才培养等环节，广泛开展职业道德建设，鼓励企业践行社会责任。通过道德讲堂、文艺演出、志愿服务等形式，以中华传统美德构建和睦邻里关系、助益和谐社区建设。激活传统乡土文化中的勤俭节约、尊老爱幼、守望相助等美德资源，提升村民道德境界，赋能文明乡风培育，助推和美乡村建设。

4. Solidifying institutional guarantees on multiple dimensions

4.多维度夯实制度保障

Only by introducing a series of institutional measures in areas such as organizational leadership, legal norms, resource guarantees, and incentive orientation can we promote the normalized and long-term development of the inheritance of traditional Chinese virtues.

只有在组织领导、法律规范、资源保障、激励导向等方面推出一系列制度举措，才能推动中华传统美德传承发展常态化、长效化。

Improve the organizational leadership system. Uphold the leadership of the Party, give play to the Party’s core leadership role in overall planning and coordinating all parties in the inheritance of traditional Chinese virtues, accelerate the building of a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues, improve the institutional mechanisms for building social ethics, professional ethics, family virtues, and personal character, improve the long-term mechanism for building integrity, and educate and guide the whole society to consciously abide by the law and follow public order and good customs. Relevant departments should, in response to the actual needs of the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese virtues, issue a series of policy or guiding documents that are coordinated, mutually reinforcing, practical, and effective, to promote and ensure the efficient and orderly inheritance of traditional Chinese virtues.

完善组织领导制度。坚持党的领导，发挥党在中华传统美德传承中总揽全局、协调各方的领导核心作用，加快构建中华传统美德传承体系，健全社会公德、职业道德、家庭美德、个人品德建设体制机制，健全诚信建设长效机制，教育引导全社会自觉遵守法律、遵循公序良俗。有关部门应针对中华传统美德传承发展的实际需求出台一系列协同联动、相互促进、务实管用的政策性或指导性文件，推动和保障中华传统美德高效有序传承。

Build a strong normative system combining “soft” and “hard” elements. Building a system for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues requires both giving play to the “soft guidance” role of social norms and making good use of the “hard constraint” function of laws and regulations. On the one hand, give play to the unique role of social norms in guiding individual moral practice, regulating interpersonal relationships, and maintaining social order, fully integrate traditional Chinese virtues into social norms such as市民公约 (civic conventions), village rules and civil agreements, and student codes, and guide the broad masses of the people to consciously practice traditional Chinese virtues. On the other hand, incorporate moral requirements that are widely recognized by society, relatively mature in conditions, and highly operable into laws and regulations, and use legal means to solve prominent problems in the moral field.

建强“软”“硬”结合的规范体系。构建中华传统美德传承体系，既需要发挥社会规范的“软引导”作用，又需要用好法律法规的“硬约束”功能。一方面，发挥社会规范引导个体道德践行、调节人际关系、维护社会秩序的独特作用，将中华传统美德全面融入市民公约、村规民约、学生守则等社会规范，引导广大人民群众自觉践行中华传统美德。另一方面，将社会广泛认同、条件相对成熟、可操作性较强的道德要求写入法律法规，运用法治手段解决道德领域突出问题。

Improve multi-party guarantee systems. In terms of consolidating the talent foundation, we should both build a talent team with a solid professional foundation, strong innovative ability, and outstanding moral qualities, and extensively mobilize social figures to participate, continuously expanding the workforce for inheriting traditional Chinese virtues. In terms of technical support, do a good job in technical collaborative research, make good use of new technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality to empower the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese virtues, and enrich the technical “toolbox.” In terms of capital investment, for traditional Chinese virtue inheritance projects, increase financial support, coordinate and integrate existing funds, introduce financial support policies, and take multiple measures to ensure stable and strong financial support.

健全多方保障体制。在夯实人才基础方面，既要打造一支专业基础深厚、富有创新能力、道德素养突出的人才队伍，又要广泛动员社会人士参与，不断壮大中华传统美德传承工作队伍。在技术支持方面，做好技术协同攻关，善用大数据、人工智能、虚拟现实等新技术赋能中华传统美德传承发展，丰富技术“工具箱”。在资金投入方面，针对中华传统美德传承项目，加大财政支持力度，统筹整合现有资金，出台金融扶持政策，多措并举确保资金支持稳定有力。

Optimize the incentive orientation mechanism. Introduce incentive policies, and make a “combined policy punch” in areas such as selecting and establishing moral models, caring for advanced models, and creating a moral atmosphere. Carefully select moral models who consciously practice traditional virtues and outstanding workers who actively inherit traditional virtues, publicize their advanced deeds, care for their lives, and encourage people to move toward goodness. Tap local resources, highlight local characteristics, set up “Traditional Virtue Lecture Halls,” compile books of traditional virtue stories, plan traditional virtue cultural performances, establish a citizen moral quality evaluation and feedback mechanism, and guide the masses to strive to become practitioners and inheritors of traditional Chinese virtues.

优化激励导向机制。出台激励政策，在选树道德模范、关爱先进典型、营造道德氛围等方面打好政策“组合拳”。精心评选自觉践行传统美德的道德模范和积极传承传统美德的优秀工作者，宣传他们的先进事迹，关心关爱他们的生活，激励人们向善而行。挖掘本土资源、突出地方特色，开设“传统美德讲堂”，编纂传统美德故事书籍，策划传统美德文艺会演，建立公民道德素养评价反馈机制，引导群众争做中华传统美德的践行者和传承人。

(Author: Zhang Hongxia, specially appointed researcher at the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, professor at the School of Marxism, China Agricultural University)

（作者：张红霞，系北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、中国农业大学马克思主义学院教授）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧