You must "learn extensively, inquire earnestly, think profoundly, discriminate clearly and practice sincerely." We should be adept at making time for study. I often hear officials say that they would love to study more, but they "just don't have time because of their busy work schedules." This sounds superficially plausible, but it can never be an excuse for slackening in study. In stressing the need to improve our work, the Party Central Committee has called that we spend more time thinking and studying, and cut down on meaningless partying and formalities.

—Speech given by Xi Jinping at the celebration assembly of the 80th anniversary of the Central Party School and the opening ceremony of  its 2013 spring semester, March 1, 2013

Learn Extensively, Inquire Earnestly, Think Profoundly,

Discriminate Clearly, and Practice Sincerely

—Valuing and being good at studying is an important part of transforming work styles

The phrase "learn extensively, inquire earnestly, think profoundly, discriminate clearly, and practice sincerely" originates from Section 19, The Book of Rites: The Doctrine of the Mean. The entire passage reads:

This involves broad learning, extensive inquiry, careful thought, clear discrimination, and earnest practice. When there is anything one has not studied, or has studied but been unable to understand, one will not give up. If there is anything one has not inquired into, or has inquired into but not understood, one will not give up. If there is anything one has not thought about, or has thought about but not understood, one will not give up. If there is anything one has not discriminated, or has discriminated but not been clear about, one will not give up. If there is anything one has not practiced, or has practiced but without being earnest, one does not give up. What another person can do through a single effort, one will accomplish in a hundred, and what another person can do in ten efforts, one will accomplish in a thousand. If one can follow this way, though ignorant, one will surely become intelligent; though weak, one will surely become strong.

Xi Jinping quoted this phrase in his speech to demonstrate the principle of advancing through study.

The Doctrine of the Mean is one book in The Book of Rites written by a descendant of Confucius, and revised and edited by scholars in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). It is an important early Chinese work discussing the theory of education. The entire book takes the "Doctrine of the Mean" as the greatest moral standard and natural law. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it was included as one of the "Four Books" along with The Great Learning, The Analects, and Mencius. The central thought of The Doctrine of the Mean is the Confucian way of the mean, which is not the same as neutrality and indifference as it is generally understood today, but rather in cultivating one's own character. The main idea of the Doctrine of the Mean is teaching people how to cultivate, supervise, educate, and improve themselves, to turn themselves into the "ideal person" with utmost kindness, benevolence, sincerity, morals, virtues, and sageliness. In doing this, a "peaceful and harmonious" realm can be created in which "once centrality and harmony are realized, Heaven and Earth take their proper places and all living things are nourished."

"Learn extensively, inquire earnestly, think profoundly, discriminate clearly, and practice sincerely" describes several layers of studying and several stages of advancement. "Learning extensively" means we must cast our net wide when we first start to study, and cultivate a mind full of curiosity. If we lose our curiosity, we lose our desire to study, making extensive learning impossible. That is why it is the first stage of learning. Without this first stage, there will be no roots or wellsprings for learning. "Inquiring earnestly" is the second stage, and it means pursuing something we do not understand to the end and being critical of what we learn. Once we have a question in mind, we must carefully consider and analyze it, otherwise we will not be able to use what we learn—this is "thinking profoundly," the third stage. The fourth stage is "discriminating clearly." The more we discriminate in our studies, the clearer the picture becomes. Without discrimination, "learning extensively" will result in a vast jumble of knowledge, the true will become indistinguishable from the false, and good knowledge will be mixed in with bad knowledge. If we say that "thinking profoundly" is self-interrogation and self-criticism, then "discriminating clearly" is mutual interrogation and criticism. "Practicing sincerely" is the final stage of learning. It means working hard to put into practice what you have already learned, turning learning into realization, and achieving "unity of knowledge and action."

There was practical significance in Xi Jinping telling certain officials who say they cannot study because they "just don't have time because of their busy work schedules" that they must "learn extensively, inquire earnestly, think profoundly, discriminate clearly, and practice sincerely." This is because it is not only an attitude towards study, but also an important part of transforming work styles. The only way to improve our moral outlook and have firm ideals and convictions is to continually study harder.

Mao Zedong once said that he read three Marxist works, including The Communist Manifesto, when he was young. This experience left a particularly deep impression on his mind and established his belief in Marxism as the correct interpretation of history. His conviction never wavered after that. During the early 1930s, after he was criticized and removed from his position by "Leftists," he simply said, "I'm going off to study." Through study, he further solidified his conviction in uniting Marxism with China's revolution. Deng Xiaoping also said: "When we become absorbed in day-to-day work to the neglect of study, we can easily get bogged down in the mediocrity of routine and become low-minded. This is a dangerous situation which could lead to political degeneration." During his removal from power during the "ten years of turmoil," when he was sent to labor in a tractor repair factory in Xinjian County, Jiangxi Province, Deng Xiaoping read many books, both contemporary and ancient, Chinese and foreign, in particular a lot of works by Marx and Lenin. He would think about them as he walked to work every day and after work, contemplating China's past, present, and future, and this solidified his convictions and will even further. After the international communist movement reached a low point, he still firmly believed that more people in the world would approve Marxism because of its scientific nature.

Xi Jinping brought a case full of books with him when he was sent to work in a production team in Liangjiahe Village, Yanchuan County. The maxim he gave himself was "Now I will start to refine myself. Knowing nothing about a certain issue is deeply humiliating, so I must quest for knowledge like a thirsty man seeking water." He read books while tending his sheep, and the local villagers all said he "loved to read" and "loved to study." Xi Jinping also said, "I learned a lot of fundamental knowledge during that time."

Being good at studying and continually improving one's study methods is the only way to continually advance and improve one's ability to serve the people. Being good at studying is why the CPC has been able to overcome all obstacles and maintain its vitality over time. Leading officials must have broad knowledge to give them a world vision and open mind—"The sea is fed by all rivers; it is vast because of its capacity." The only way to learn true theory and knowledge and scientifically analyze real-life problems is to ask in detail, contemplate carefully, and discriminate clearly, while always keeping in mind problems in society, theory, and the people's lives. The only way to see true results in our studies is through solid practice and finding solutions to existing problems.

(An excerpt from XI JINPING: WIT AND VISION -- SELECTED QUOTATIONS AND COMMENTARY, published by FOREIGN LANGUAGES PRESS in 2015)