Doctrine Political Work

The Philosophical Significance of Contemporary Chinese Marxist Military Outlook and Methodology

当代中国马克思主义军事观和方法论的哲学意蕴

PLA Daily (解放军报) 5 June 2026

Summary

A National Defense University researcher published a doctrinal exposition of the 'Five Upholds' framework drawn from Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, presenting it as the authoritative philosophical and methodological foundation for PLA force building and warfighting in the new era. The article documents how NDU's political-theoretical apparatus is systematizing this framework into a teachable cognitive system — linking political subordination, deterrence logic, proactive initiative, systems thinking, and fighting spirit into a unified military philosophy. This is standard political-theoretical content from the PLA's premier military education institution; its value is as a baseline record of how the institution is packaging Xi Jinping military thought for officer education, particularly the operationalization of 'dare to fight and be certain of victory' as both a spiritual and methodological category.

Translation

The Philosophical Significance of Contemporary Chinese Marxist Military Outlook and Methodology ■ Wang Qiang

Editor's Note: Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military is the latest achievement in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxist military theory. The core content of its military outlook and methodology is distilled into five principles: upholding political guidance (坚持政治引领), upholding the use of arms to stop arms (坚持以武止戈), upholding proactive initiative (坚持积极进取), upholding overall coordination (坚持统筹兼顾), and upholding the courage to fight and the certainty of victory (坚持敢打必胜). The "Five Upholds" are a vivid application of Marxist materialist dialectics, deepening our Party's understanding of the laws governing fundamental questions in the military domain. They constitute the path to building a strong military and winning wars for the People's Army in the new era, and must be studied well, mastered well, and applied well.

Great military theory often demonstrates its power through profound military-philosophical wisdom. The "Five Upholds" offer a deep exposition of the major dialectical relationships between military affairs and politics, war and peace, stabilizing the situation and shaping the posture (稳局与塑势), deterrence and actual combat, and man and weaponry. They creatively clarify a series of fundamental categories of military philosophy, enrich and develop our Party's thinking on military dialectics, and provide a "great cognitive instrument" for building a strong military and winning wars.

Revealing the Essential Laws of Building a Strong Military and Winning Wars

The military outlook and methodology concern the fundamental understanding of the essence of military activity. The "Five Upholds," grounded in the ontology of Marxist philosophy, profoundly reveal the essential attributes and internal laws of military affairs, war, and the armed forces. They clearly demarcate the fundamental standpoint, value orientation, and practical guidelines for the building and employment of contemporary Chinese military power—constituting, one might say, "the cognition of cognition, the method of methods."

Upholding political guidance reveals the fundamental attribute of military force building and employment. Chairman Xi has pointed out: "Military affairs are subordinate to politics; political character is the essential attribute of the armed forces." Surveying the history of military thought—from Clausewitz's classic proposition that "war is the continuation of politics," to Lenin's vivid metaphor that "war is politics carried on with the sword," to Mao Zedong's essential formulation that "war is politics with bloodshed"—all confirm that politics is the origin of military affairs and that military affairs are the material force serving politics. Upholding political guidance is a deepening of this objective law, and fundamentally establishes the logical starting point for thinking about and handling military questions.

Upholding the use of arms to stop arms reveals the fundamental mission, intrinsic function, and value destination of the People's Army. From the perspective of fundamental mission, building a strong military is not for the purpose of militarism and belligerence, but to give full play to the strategic functions of military power in shaping the posture, managing crises, deterring war, and winning wars. From the perspective of intrinsic function, the ability to fight is the prerequisite for stopping war; only by being able to win can war be deterred and peace ensured, thereby dissolving the destructive essence of war itself. From the perspective of value destination, engaging adversaries in "a language they can understand," stopping war with war and stopping arms with arms, is the only way to win peace and win respect through victory.

Upholding proactive initiative reveals the essential requirements for seizing the initiative in competition in the military domain. "The military domain is the most intensely competitive domain; only through proactive initiative can one seize the advantage and the initiative." Although military contradictions, war risks, and strategic competition objectively exist and do not shift with subjective will, consciousness exerts a powerful counter-effect on matter. We must uphold a posture of taking ourselves as the primary actor, give full play to conscious initiative, plan according to the situation, act in response to the situation, and move with the situation. We must be adept at making the first move and fighting on the initiative, adept at finding opportunity within danger and turning danger into opportunity, and strive for every possible victory.

Upholding overall coordination reveals the intrinsic interconnections among the constituent elements of military practice and the basic requirements for managing complexity. Chairman Xi has pointed out: "Military practice is filled with the movement of various complex contradictions; grasping interconnectedness and managing complexity are the basic requirements for advancing military development." Upholding overall coordination profoundly reveals the dialectical relationships between the present and the future, the whole and the part, and the process and the outcome in military activity. It clearly answers a series of questions about how to respond to and resolve the complex mega-systems of war and military affairs under the great changes unseen in a century (百年未有之大变局), giving us a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of military activity.

Upholding the courage to fight and the certainty of victory reveals what kind of martial spirit and courage (血性胆魄), struggle capabilities, and art of struggle are required in contests against powerful adversaries. War is a contest of material forces and also a contest of spiritual forces. In terms of spiritual strength, it is emphasized that the conviction of victory is forged in struggle; one must dare to confront hardship head-on, dare to draw the sword, and carry forward the fighting spirit of fearing neither hardship nor death. In terms of the art of struggle, it is emphasized that one must dare to struggle and be adept at struggling, must grasp the timing, degree, and effectiveness (时度效) of struggle, observe principle and restraint, and achieve tit-for-tat responses and contesting every inch of ground.

Constructing a Cognitive System for Building a Strong Military and Winning Wars

The "Five Upholds" are the essence and core of the military outlook and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military. More than that, they are an epistemological summation and systematic expression of the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods running throughout that thought. They endow Marxist military theory with new contemporary connotations and provide a sharp instrument for understanding war and mastering war.

Upholding political guidance establishes the fundamental standpoint of understanding military questions from a political height. Upholding political guidance establishes the fundamental principle that "building a strong military requires first being strong politically, and being strong politically is the most fundamental form of strength." In viewing the armed forces, one must recognize their political attributes, political mission, and political character. In viewing war, one must dig deeply into the political motivations behind it, the contest of interests, and the alignment of popular sentiment. In viewing the building of a strong military, one must understand its political significance in consolidating the Party's governing position, maintaining long-term national stability, and supporting the great cause of national rejuvenation. Only by standing firm on the political standpoint and grasping the essence of problems through the surface appearance of military affairs can one ensure correct judgment of the military situation, war risks, and the direction of military strengthening, and always maintain a global and directional perspective.

Upholding the use of arms to stop arms forms a scientific concept for viewing war and peace dialectically. The purpose of "using arms to stop arms" is to "stop arms"; the key lies in "perfecting arms." This both addresses the question of "what it is"—emphasizing that "military struggle must be used well and used flexibly"—treating war preparation and war prevention, deterrence and actual combat, and wartime military action and peacetime employment of military force as an integrated whole to be planned; and addresses the question of "how it should be"—emphasizing "winning peace and winning respect through victory"—vividly interpreting the purposive relationship between maintaining troops and employing troops, and enriching and developing Marxist military dialectics.

Upholding proactive initiative establishes a strategic vision of forward-looking assessment of the general trend and proactively seizing opportunities. In leading the practice of building and strengthening the military, Chairman Xi keeps close watch on the frontiers of the era, the frontiers of military affairs, and the frontiers of science and technology. He scientifically assesses the characteristics and trends of military struggle in the new era, enhances the initiative and proactiveness of military strategy, and cultivates a strategic posture favorable to us—reflecting a strategic outlook of proactive initiative (战略进取观) characterized by advance planning and proactive action. Here, "proactive" does not mean impatience for results or reckless advance; rather, it is the unity of strategic initiative and steady tactical consolidation—advancing steadily, acting effectively within stability—pointing the way toward seizing the military initiative.

Upholding overall coordination clarifies the systemic thinking of comprehensively connecting and holistically assessing the situation. Upholding overall coordination embodies systematic planning and strategic deliberation that penetrates the times and commands the overall situation. This requires us to be adept at applying systems science, systems thinking, and systems methods to research and resolve problems; to holistically plan military struggle across all directions and domains; to maintain strategic overall stability; to coordinate military struggle preparations across the military, political, logistical, and equipment dimensions; and to ensure that all aspects of military building are mutually connected, mutually reinforcing, and mutually complementary.

Upholding the courage to fight and the certainty of victory demarcates the martial spirit, courage, and capability and responsibility of the People's Army in the new era. Upholding the courage to fight and the certainty of victory has rich and profound connotations, including the conviction of certain victory, the will to dare to fight, a tenacious fighting style, and the capability to fight well—constituting a scientific revelation of the laws of war and the mechanisms of achieving victory. It both emphasizes that "in the past, we had less steel but more spirit; now that we have more steel, our spirit must be even greater and our backbone even harder"; and emphasizes "being adept at selecting rational methods of struggle according to the objectives of struggle, and grasping the timing, degree, and effectiveness of struggle"—opening new vistas and providing new thinking for ensuring the courage to fight and the certainty of victory.

Pointing the Way to the Path and Methods of Building a Strong Military and Winning Wars

The "Five Upholds" are the advanced concepts for building and governing the military in the new era and the wisdom and strategic acumen for military struggle. They provide scientific principles and methods for us to master the "art of swimming" in modern warfare and to grasp the "probabilistic nature (概然性)" of military struggle.

Upholding political guidance runs through the internal logic of military affairs being subordinate to politics and strategy being subordinate to policy (战略服从战略). From the perspective of fundamental orientation, grasping military building requires first viewing it from a political standpoint, strengthening political consciousness, overall-situation consciousness, core consciousness, and alignment consciousness. From the perspective of fundamental principles, our military is an armed group executing the Party's political tasks; we must unwaveringly uphold the Party's absolute leadership over the military and always listen to the Party and follow the Party. From the perspective of fundamental purpose, we must serve the people wholeheartedly and faithfully fulfill the mission tasks entrusted by the Party and the people, forever remaining the people's sons and daughters in arms. From the perspective of fundamental requirements, we must always think about and handle military questions from a political height, be adept at planning military actions with an eye on the overall situation of national politics and diplomacy and the overall national security strategy, and understand and plan war questions within the overarching goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Upholding the use of arms to stop arms highlights the key role of "arms" in the dialectical transformation between war and peace. Grasping the dialectics of war and peace is an important guide for our employment of military force in peacetime. We must respond to the uncertainty of war's occurrence with the certainty of war preparation, building military struggle preparations on the basis of responding to the most complex and most difficult circumstances. We must effectively respond to the contingency of war with the inevitability of "a victorious army first achieves victory and then seeks battle (胜兵先胜而后求战)," remaining vigilant and ready to fight at any moment. We must always maintain strategic clarity regarding possible war risks, fight on the basis of existing conditions, not fight battles without preparation or certainty, effectively deter war, and resolutely win wars.

Upholding proactive initiative embodies the strategic method of being adept at accumulating momentum, building momentum, and planning momentum (积势蓄势谋势), and of recognizing change, responding to change, and seeking change. Upholding proactive initiative reveals the dialectical relationships between offense and defense, initiative and passivity, and timing and opportunity—in particular, it reveals the basic law by which strength transforms from weak to strong and from inferior to superior in strategic competition. The more turbulent the situation, the more one must strive to forge ahead, upholding the unity of exercising subjective initiative and respecting objective laws, and unleashing the forward-driving force of unstoppable initiative.

Upholding overall coordination reflects the ideological method of consistently using a comprehensive viewpoint to guide building. By clarifying the dialectical relationships between the present and the future, structure and function, the whole and the part, and existence and interaction, it provides a scientific mode of thinking for resolving military systems problems. We must always emphasize forward-looking thinking and overall planning, coordinate economic construction and national defense construction, coordinate military struggle and other forms of struggle, coordinate the major tasks of warfighting, building, and preparation (战建备), use breakthroughs at key points to drive overall advancement, and use coordinated linkage to improve comprehensive effectiveness, thereby driving the resolution of other contradictions.

Upholding the courage to fight and the certainty of victory profoundly manifests the formula for victory and the unique advantages of our military's invincibility. Upholding the courage to fight and the certainty of victory reveals the dialectical relationships between material and spirit, will and strength, martial spirit and victory—and is a vivid hallmark of the People's Army's resolute and flexible conduct of military struggle in the new era. The conviction of victory is forged in struggle; the cause of building a strong military advances through struggle. This requires us to always uphold the martial spirit of drawing the sword upon meeting the enemy and fighting to the last, dare to overcome all difficulties, dare to overwhelm all enemies, master the art of struggle, observe the tactics of struggle, and win victory in the great struggle of the new era.

(The author's unit: Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, National Defense University)

Original Chinese

当代中国马克思主义军事观和方法论的哲学意蕴 ■王强编者按习近平强军思想是马克思主义军事理论中国化时代化的最新成果，其中凝练形成的坚持政治引领、坚持以武止戈、坚持积极进取、坚持统筹兼顾、坚持敢打必胜，构成其军事观和方法论的核心内容。“五个坚持”，是对马克思主义唯物辩证法的生动运用，深化了我们党对军事领域一些基本问题的规律性认识，是新时代人民军队的强军胜战之道，必须学习好、掌握好、运用好。伟大的军事理论，往往以深厚的军事哲学智慧彰显力量。“五个坚持”深刻阐发军事与政治、战争与和平、稳局与塑势、威慑与实战、人与武器等重大辩证关系，创造性阐明一系列军事哲学基本范畴，丰富发展了我们党的军事辩证法思想，为强军打赢提供了“伟大的认识工具”。揭示强军胜战本质规律军事观和方法论是关于军事活动本质的根本看法。“五个坚持”，以马克思主义哲学本体论为根基，深刻揭示军事、战争、军队的本质属性与内在规律，清晰标定当代中国军事力量建设与运用的根本立场、价值取向和实践遵循，可谓是“认识之认识、方法之方法”。坚持政治引领，揭示军事力量建设运用的根本属性。习主席指出：“军事服从政治，政治性是军队的本质属性。”纵观军事思想史，从克劳塞维茨“战争是政治的继续”的经典命题，到列宁“战争=‘以剑代笔’的政治”的生动比喻，再到毛泽东“战争是流血的政治”的本质表述，共同印证政治是军事的本源、军事是服务政治的物质力量。坚持政治引领，正是对这一客观规律的深化，从根本上确定了思考和处理军事问题的逻辑起点。坚持以武止戈，揭示人民军队的根本使命、内在功能、价值归宿。从根本使命看，强军不是为了穷兵黩武，而是为了充分发挥军事力量在塑造态势、管控危机、遏制战争、打赢战争方面的战略功能；从内在功能看，能战是止战的前提，能打赢才能遏制战争、确保和平，从而消解战争本身的破坏性本质；从价值归宿看，用敌人“听得懂的语言”同他们对话，以战止战、以武止戈，才能用胜利赢得和平、赢得尊重。坚持积极进取，揭示军事领域竞争主动权的本质要求。“军事领域是竞争最为激烈的领域，积极进取才能掌握先机和主动。”尽管军事矛盾、战争风险、战略博弈客观存在且不以主观意志为转移，但意识对物质具有强大反作用。必须坚持以我为主，充分发挥自觉能动性，因势而谋、应势而动、顺势而为，善于下先手棋、打主动仗，善于危中寻机、化危为机，争取一切可能的胜利。坚持统筹兼顾，揭示军事实践各构成要素内在关联、驾驭复杂性的基本要求。习主席指出：“军事实践充满各种复杂矛盾运动，把握关联性、驾驭复杂性是推动军事发展的基本要求。”坚持统筹兼顾，深刻揭示了军事活动现实与未来、整体与局部、过程与结果等辩证关系，鲜明回答了百年未有之大变局下如何应对和解决战争、军事这些复杂巨系统的一系列问题，让我们对军事活动机理有了更深入的认识。坚持敢打必胜，揭示与强敌对手较量应该有什么样的血性胆魄、斗争本领和斗争艺术。战争是物质的较量，也是精神的比拼。在精神力量上，强调胜利信念是在斗争中取得的，必须敢于碰硬、敢于亮剑，发扬一不怕苦、二不怕死的战斗精神；在斗争艺术上，强调敢于斗争、善于斗争，必须把握好斗争的时度效，讲究有理有节，做到针锋相对、寸土必争。构建强军胜战认知体系 “五个坚持”是习近平强军思想军事观和方法论的精髓要义，更是贯穿其中的立场观点方法的认识论概括和体系性表达，赋予了马克思主义军事理论以新的时代内涵，为我们认识战争、驾驭战争提供了锐利武器。坚持政治引领，确立从政治高度认识军事问题的根本立场。坚持政治引领，立起了“强军首先要在政治上强，政治上强是最根本的强”的根本原则。看待军队，要认清其政治属性、政治使命与政治本色；看待战争，要深挖背后的政治动因、利益博弈与民心向背；看待强军，要理解其巩固党的执政地位、维护国家长治久安、支撑民族复兴伟业的政治意义。唯有站稳政治立场，透过军事表象把握问题本质，才能确保对军事形势、战争风险、强军方向的正确判断，始终保持全局性、方向性。坚持以武止戈，形成辩证看待战争与和平的科学理念。以武止戈，目的是“止戈”，关键在“精武”，既解决“是什么”的问题，强调“要用好用活军事斗争这一手”，把备战与止战、威慑与实战、战争行动与和平时期军事力量运用作为一个整体加以运筹；又解决“应当如何”的问题，强调“用胜利赢得和平、赢得尊重”，生动诠释了养兵与用兵的指向性，丰富和发展了马克思主义军事辩证法。坚持积极进取，树立前瞻研判大势、主动抢抓机遇的战略视野。在领导强军兴军实践中，习主席紧盯时代前沿、军事前沿、科技前沿，科学研判新时代军事斗争的特点和趋势，增强军事战略的进取性和主动性，营造于我有利的战略态势，体现了超前谋划、主动作为的战略进取观。在这里，积极不是急于求成、急躁冒进，而是战略上进取和战术上稳扎稳打相统一，是稳中有进、稳中有为，为掌握军事主动权指明了方向。坚持统筹兼顾，明确全面联系、整体研判形势的系统思维。坚持统筹兼顾，体现了洞悉时势、总揽全局的系统谋划和战略运筹。这就要求我们善于运用系统科学、系统思维、系统方法研究解决问题，整体运筹各方向各领域军事斗争，维护战略全局稳定，统筹军事、政治、后勤、装备等方面军事斗争准备，确保军队各项建设相互衔接、相互促进、相得益彰。坚持敢打必胜，标定新时代人民军队的血性胆魄和本领担当。坚持敢打必胜，有着丰富而深刻的内涵，包括必胜的信念、敢打的意志、顽强的作风、善战的本领等，是对战争规律和制胜机理的科学揭示。既强调“过去，我们钢少气多，现在钢多了，气要更多，骨头要更硬”；又强调“善于根据斗争目的选择合理斗争方式，把握好斗争的时度效”，为确保敢打必胜打开了新视野、提供了新思路。指明强军胜战路径方法 “五个坚持”是新时代建军治军的先进理念和军事斗争的智慧韬略，为我们掌握现代战争的“游泳术”，把握军事斗争的“概然性”，提供了科学原则和方法。坚持政治引领，贯穿着军事服从政治、战略服从政略的内在逻辑。从根本指向看，抓军队建设首先要从政治上看，强化政治意识、大局意识、核心意识、看齐意识；从根本原则看，我军是执行党的政治任务的武装集团，必须毫不动摇坚持党对军队绝对领导，永远听党话、跟党走；从根本宗旨看，全心全意为人民服务，忠实履行党和人民赋予的使命任务，永远做人民子弟兵；从根本要求看，始终从政治高度思考和处理军事问题，善于着眼国家政治外交大局和国家安全战略全局筹划军事行动，把战争问题放在实现中华民族伟大复兴这个大目标下来认识和筹划。坚持以武止戈，突显了“武”在战争与和平矛盾转化中的关键作用。把握战争与和平的辩证法，是我们和平时期军事力量运用的重要遵循。以战争准备的确定性应对战争发生的不确定性，把军事斗争准备建立在应对最复杂最困难情况的基础上；以“胜兵先胜而后求战”的必然性有效应对战争偶然性，做到枕戈待旦，随时准备打仗；对可能发生的战争风险始终保持战略清醒，立足现有条件打仗，不打无准备无把握之仗，有力慑止战争，坚决打赢战争。坚持积极进取，体现了善于积势蓄势谋势、识变应变求变的战略方法。坚持积极进取，揭示了进攻与防御、主动与被动、时与机等辩证关系，特别是揭示了战略博弈中力量由弱转强、由劣转优的基本规律。越是风云变幻，越要奋力争先，坚持发挥主观能动性与尊重客观规律性相统一，迸发出一往无前的进取力量。坚持统筹兼顾，反映了坚持用全面的观点抓建设的思想方法。通过阐明现实与未来、结构与功能、整体与局部、存在与互动的辩证关系，为解决军事系统问题提供了科学思维方法。要始终注重前瞻性思考、全局性谋划，统筹经济建设和国防建设，统筹军事斗争和其他方面斗争，统筹战建备重大任务，以重点突破带动整体推进，以协调联动提高综合效能，从而带动其他矛盾的解决。坚持敢打必胜，深刻彰显了我军无往不胜的制胜密码与独特优势。坚持敢打必胜，揭示了物质与精神、意志与力量、血性与胜利的辩证关系，是新时代人民军队坚定灵活开展军事斗争的鲜明标识。胜利的信念是在斗争中取得的，强军事业是在斗争中前进的。这就要求我们始终秉持逢敌亮剑、血战到底的血性，敢于战胜一切困难，敢于压倒一切敌人，掌握斗争艺术、讲究斗争策略，赢得新时代伟大斗争的胜利。（作者单位：国防大学习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心）