We must not let up one iota in terms of governing the Party with strict discipline. We should continue to catch "tigers" as well as "flies"* when dealing with cases of leading officials in violation of Party, discipline and state laws as well as misconduct and corruption problems that directly affect the people's livelihood.

-- Speech given by Xi Jinping at the Second Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, January 22, 2013

* Referring to high-ranking offenders as well as petty ones.-Tr.

Hunting Tigers and Swatting Flies

-- Never let up in rooting out bad conduct and corruption

Tigers are ferocious wild animals that cause people to tremble in fear, and flies are pests detested by all. Here the tigers and flies stand for corrupt officials. The tigers refer to corrupt officials in the highest ranks of power, while the flies are the petty corrupt lower officials who hatch little schemes, always have their hands out, and bend the law for their own gain. The people loathe them as well.

Over the past few years, the word on the street has been that people are afraid that only the flies are being swatted, and the tigers are being left alone. After all, the old saying goes in China that "you can't touch the rear end of a tiger." To assuage the people's worries, Xi Jinping said, "You must hunt both the tigers and the flies," to show the resolve and clear stance of the CPC in dealing with corruption. There is an old Chinese saying that "if the top beam isn't straight, the bottom ones will be crooked." If the senior officials and those with real power take bribes that easily reach tens and even hundreds of millions of yuan, the impact on society will be devastating. If the tigers are left alone, their subordinates will imitate them, and the flies will proliferate, causing the country to fall apart.

Hunting tigers should therefore take center stage in the fight against corruption. But we also must recognize that often what the ordinary people encounter are the flies buzzing around their heads every day. The corruption of the flies usually involves the intimate interests of the people, such as misappropriating disaster relief funds, seizing land requisition compensation, and skimming from educational funds, migrant laborer wages, and subsidies for disadvantaged groups. Coupled with other injustices, the vile nature of these actions has a direct effect on the Party's relationship to the people. Unchecked, they will become like the tigers and threaten the Party's governing status and social stability. Hunting both tigers and flies is a dialectical method employed in the fight against corruption.

The people care most about what really gets done. Xi Jinping's mention of hunting both tigers and flies gave people hope. The focus and intensity of the CPC Central Committee's fight against corruption since the 18th CPC National Congress has bolstered the spirits of the populace. The people have been overjoyed over the fall of Zhou Yongkang, justice handed out to Bo Xilai and Xu Caihou, and fall of provincial and ministerial officials such as Liu Zhijun and Jiang Jiemin. Statistics show that from late 2012 to July, 2014, more than 40 provincial and ministerial level officials have been investigated and disciplined, and an innumerable number of regional and local flies have been punished, causing overseas media to state that the Communist Party "isn't playing around" this time.

Of course, the flip side of the coin is that the achievements in the fight against corruption reflect the immense, complex, and long-term nature of the task. Corruption is a problem everywhere in the world and not unique to any one country or party. It is a problem that has haunted the governments of all ages. As the ruling party, the CPC has always paid attention to anti-corruption work and boldly excised the tumors in its midst. The clear call and real actions of hunting both tigers and flies further shows the maturity, confidence, and resolve of the CPC. At the same time, we must also be aware that the conditions for corruption to grow and spread still exist, and the fight against corruption cannot be completed in a short period -- we must resolve to carry out a long-term struggle.

Xi Jinping's ingenious metaphor of tigers and flies draws a vivid picture of the principled standpoint and policy measures of the Central Committee of the CPC in the life-and-death problem of fighting corruption, and serves both as a warning to those in the wrong and encouragement in the hearts of the people. It is not only a political declaration, but also a solemn commitment with far-reaching significance and clear direction. Each carefully measured word of the phrase resonates with resoluteness.

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