Doctrine Political Work

One True Word Weighs a Thousand Jun; Half a False Word Makes All Things Void

一句真话千钧重，半点虚言万事空

PLA Daily (解放军报) 3 July 2026

Summary

A political work article in Chinese military media, authored by Xie Feiyue, instructs PLA leading cadres to speak, solicit, and accept candid feedback from subordinates, invoking Xi Jinping's directive at a senior cadre training course and the Zunyi Conference as historical precedent. The article documents a persistent institutional problem the PLA explicitly names: sycophancy, problem-concealment, and retaliation against subordinates who raise issues—conditions that distort the information environment available to commanders. This fits a recurring pattern in PLA political work literature where the institution diagnoses its own feedback-suppression pathology, providing a baseline record of how the military frames the loyalty-versus-candor tension for mid-to-senior officers without indicating any new policy mechanism to enforce the norm.

Translation

Speak True Words · Hear True Words · Accept True Words

■ Xie Feiyue

One true word weighs a thousand jun; half a false word makes all things void. What are true words? They are statements that accord with objective facts—genuine expressions from the heart, unadorned and unembellished. For Party member cadres, and especially for leading cadres, true words reflect the purity of Party spirit (党性), the firmness of responsibility, and the solidity of work style. Whether leading cadres dare to speak true words, are willing to hear true words, and are adept at accepting true words is by no means a trivial matter—it is a major matter bearing on political loyalty, strengthening the military and winning wars, and long-term development. Chairman Xi emphasized at the opening ceremony of the training course for senior military cadres: "Military leading cadres, especially senior cadres, must take the lead in conducting serious intra-Party political life, set an example in speaking true words, cultivate the magnanimity to accommodate others, and foster a strong atmosphere of speaking the truth, offering frank counsel, and daring to struggle." Leading cadres must treat speaking true words, hearing true words, and accepting true words as a required political course; they must uphold truth and seek truth from facts, and genuinely use true words to interpret loyalty, use true words to generate a sense of responsibility, and use true words to cultivate a healthy ecosystem.

True words embody loyalty; speaking true words is speaking Party spirit (党性). Words are the voice of the heart—in every phrase, the light of Party spirit is refracted and the true color of loyalty is displayed. Whether one speaks true words has never had anything to do with personal temperament or manner of expression; its essence is the direct embodiment of Party principles in speech. Only those with strong Party spirit and absolute loyalty to the Party have the courage and the conscious will to speak true words. Chairman Xi has pointed out that speaking true words is an important manifestation of a leading cadre possessing truth, holding justice, and having a public-minded spirit and integrity. Daring to speak true words and refusing to speak false words is a basic political requirement for Communist Party members; it is a touchstone for testing character and Party spirit cultivation, and it is also a fine tradition consistently upheld by our Party. At the Zunyi Conference, Bo Gu spoke in defense of himself and Li De. When Zhang Wentian took the floor, his very first sentence was: "I believe Comrade Bo Gu's report is fundamentally incorrect." His remarks set the tone for firmly supporting Comrade Mao Zedong's correct positions and thoroughly repudiating the "Left" opportunist military line. Historical practice has proven that only by opening one's heart and sincerely and candidly expressing the most truthful circumstances and feelings is one embodying loyalty to the Party and adherence to Party spirit. On the road ahead, leading cadres must take the lead in speaking true words, speaking plain words, and speaking words from the heart; they must dare to tear away the "veil of shame" and pierce the "window paper," ensuring there is nothing they cannot say to the Party and nothing they cannot report to the Party—not concealing problems, not evading contradictions, not covering up shortcomings—and must always interpret their wholehearted loyalty to the Party through an open and aboveboard attitude, a candid and forthright disposition, and actions that are consistent inside and out.

True words carry responsibility; only by hearing true words can one truly act. True words, though they may "grate on the ear," convey the truth of facts and embody the spirit of responsibility. For leading cadres, being good at hearing true words is both a reflection of political breadth of mind and a demonstration of leadership wisdom. "Those who know a roof leaks are those who live beneath it; those who know where governance fails are those in the countryside and fields." Grassroots officers and soldiers are at the front lines—they understand the real situation most clearly, are most aware of problems, and are most sensitive to contradictions. On the training ground, one blunt remark that "the tactics are divorced from actual combat" can compel a deeper coupling of combat training; in day-to-day management, one frank word that "formalism harms people" can drive the implementation of burden reduction and efficiency improvement... These true words, which may seem to expose faults and shortcomings, are in fact the most responsible expression of officers' and soldiers' commitment to the building of the force. The harm of not hearing true words is great; unwillingness to hear true words is a serious dereliction of duty. If leading cadres cannot hear true words, they are like soldiers marching blindfolded—their decisions will inevitably be off the mark and their work will inevitably go astray. Only by hearing more true words can one gain a real, comprehensive, and timely understanding of what grassroots officers and soldiers are thinking and what the actual situation at the grassroots level is, and then carry out work in a targeted manner. Therefore, leading cadres must proactively set aside their airs and get down to the ground level, going deep into squads, platoons, and guard posts and to the front lines of training, opening up channels to hear the words of soldiers, using the hearing of true words to confront shortcomings and dig out their root causes, and using direct engagement with problems to strengthen the sense of responsibility and work hard on concrete tasks. Only in this way can the immense force of unity from top to bottom and the ability to overcome difficulties be consolidated, driving the cause of military strengthening to continuously reach new heights.

True words manifest work style; only by accepting true words can the ecosystem be purified. "Hemp growing among artemisia grows straight without being propped up." When true words flow freely, the atmosphere is upright; when false words flourish, unhealthy tendencies grow. Whether leading cadres are willing to hear true words and whether they can proactively accept true words bears on the building of the political ecosystem and on the development and building of the force. If one is glad to accept true words, clearly and forthrightly backs and encourages those who speak true words, and actively draws genuine knowledge from different voices—especially critical opinions—one can effectively inspire the courage of officers and soldiers to dare to speak true words, and drive the formation of a vibrant situation of seeking truth from facts and speaking frankly and daring to remonstrate. Conversely, if one turns a deaf ear to honest counsel that grates on the ear, brushes off and indefinitely delays action on real problems raised by officers and soldiers, shelves reasonable suggestions, or even retaliates against those who speak true words, then over time no one will be willing to speak true words or report the real situation, and the inevitable result will be that flattery and sycophancy prevail and reporting only good news while concealing problems becomes the norm. Practice is the best teacher. On one hand, leading cadres must proactively create an atmosphere that encourages speaking true words, build platforms for speaking true words, and give care and support to those who speak true words, allowing them to set aside their concerns and speak freely; on the other hand, they must accept frank counsel with an open and all-embracing mind, achieving the state of "listening with humility and impartiality, with no bias toward compliance or defiance, following only what is right," ensuring that true words spoken receive a response and that the expectations of officers and soldiers can be fulfilled—thereby driving a vigorous trend of daring to speak frankly and daring to speak true words throughout the military barracks.

Original Chinese

讲真话·听真话·纳真话 ■谢飞跃一句真话千钧重，半点虚言万事空。何为真话？就是符合客观事实的言辞，发自肺腑、不事雕琢的真实表达。对党员干部特别是领导干部而言，真话映照的是党性纯度、担当硬度、作风实度。领导干部敢不敢讲真话、愿不愿听真话、善不善接纳真话，绝非小事，而是关乎政治忠诚、强军胜战、长远发展的大事。习主席在全军高级干部培训班开班式上强调：“军队领导干部特别是高级干部要带头严肃党内政治生活，当好讲真话的表率，涵养能容人的雅量，营造说实情、建诤言、敢斗争的浓厚氛围。”领导干部必须把讲真话、听真话、纳真话作为政治必修课，坚持真理、求真务实，切实做到以真话诠释忠诚、以真话催生担当、以真话涵养生态。真话蕴含忠诚，讲真话就是讲党性。言为心声，字句之间折射党性光芒、彰显忠诚本色。讲不讲真话，从来无关个人性格、无关表达方式，其本质是党性原则在言语上的直接体现。唯有党性坚强、对党绝对忠诚，方有讲真话的勇气和自觉。习主席指出，讲真话是一个领导干部真理在身、正义在手和有公心、有正气的重要体现。敢讲真话、不讲假话，是对共产党员基本的政治要求，是考验人格品质、党性修养的试金石，也是我们党一以贯之的优良传统。当年在遵义会议上，博古为自己和李德辩护。张闻天发言时，第一句话就是：“我认为博古同志的报告基本上是不正确的。”他的发言为坚定支持毛泽东同志的正确主张、彻底否定“左”倾军事路线定下基调。历史实践证明，只有敞开心扉，真诚坦荡地把最真实的情况和感受讲出来，才是对党忠诚、恪守党性的体现。前进道路上，领导干部必须带头讲真话、讲实话、讲心里话，敢于撕开“遮羞布”、捅破“窗户纸”，做到无话不可对党说、无事不可对党言，不隐瞒问题、不回避矛盾、不遮掩短板，始终以光明磊落的态度、开诚布公的胸怀、表里如一的行动，诠释对党的赤胆忠心。真话承载担当，听真话方可真作为。真话，虽可能“逆耳”，却传递事实真相、内蕴担当精神。善听真话对领导干部来说，既是政治胸襟的体现，更是领导智慧的彰显。“知屋漏者在宇下，知政失者在草野。”基层官兵身处一线，对实情最清、对问题最明、对矛盾最敏感。训练场上，一句“战法脱离实战”的直言，能倒逼战训深度耦合；日常管理中，一声“形式主义害人”的诤言，可推动减负增效落地……这些看似揭短亮丑的真话，实则是官兵对部队建设最负责任的担当。听不到真话危害很大，不愿听真话是严重失职。领导干部如果听不到真话，就如同蒙眼行军，决策必然失准、工作必然走偏。只有多听真话，才能真实、全面、及时地了解基层官兵在想什么、基层实际情况是什么，进而有针对性地开展工作。因此，领导干部必须主动放下架子、扑下身子，深入班排哨所、训练一线，畅通渠道听兵言兵语，在听真话中正视短板、深挖根源，在直面问题中强化担当、真抓实干。唯有如此，才能凝聚起上下同心、攻坚克难的磅礴力量，推动强军事业不断迈上新台阶。真话彰显作风，接纳真话才能纯净生态。“蓬生麻中，不扶而直。”真话畅则风气正，假话盛则歪风长。领导干部愿不愿听真话、能不能主动纳真话，关乎政治生态建设，关乎部队建设发展。如果乐于纳真话，旗帜鲜明地为讲真话者撑腰鼓劲，积极从不同声音尤其是批评性意见中汲取真知，就能有效激发官兵敢讲真话的勇气，推动形成求真务实、直言敢谏的生动局面。反之，若对逆耳忠言充耳不闻、置若罔闻，对官兵反映的真问题敷衍塞责、久拖不决，对合理建议束之高阁，甚至对讲真话者打击报复，久而久之就会无人再愿讲真话、道实情，其结果必然是阿谀奉承之风盛行、报喜藏忧成为常态。实践是最好的老师，领导干部一方面要主动营造鼓励讲真话的氛围，搭建讲真话的平台，对讲真话的人给予关怀和支持，让他们放下顾虑、畅所欲言；另一方面要以虚怀若谷、海纳百川的胸襟纳诤言，做到“虚心公听，言无逆逊，唯是之从”，让讲出的真话有回音、官兵的期盼能落实，从而推动敢于直言、敢讲真话在军营蔚然成风。