Political Work

Strong Military Forum | The Heart of Vigilance and Awe Must Not Be Absent

强军论坛丨戒惧之心不可少

PLA Daily (解放军报) 15 May 2026

Summary

A commentary published in a PLA-affiliated forum under the bylines of Wu Lekai and Chen Dongfang calls on military Party members and cadres to maintain constant self-discipline and reverence for rules, invoking Xi Jinping's directives on discipline education alongside historical examples from Zhou Enlai and Chen Yi. The piece is a routine ideological education article consistent with the PLA's ongoing anti-corruption and discipline-enforcement campaign and contains no new operational, organizational, or policy information beyond standard political messaging directed at officer conduct.

Translation

The Heart of Vigilance and Awe Must Not Be Absent

■ Wu Lekai, Chen Dongfang

Chairman Xi has pointed out: "Strengthen discipline education, reinforce discipline enforcement, so that Party members and cadres know reverence, maintain vigilance and awe (存戒惧), and hold to the bottom line, becoming accustomed to working and living in an environment of supervision and constraint." Implementing the spirit of this important address requires military Party members and cadres to always carry a heart of vigilance and awe (戒惧之心), to maintain at all times a clear head and a cautious attitude, to discard the psychology of self-numbing, and to truly achieve having that which one fears in one's heart, having that which one guards against in one's words, and having that which one stops at in one's conduct.

The Book of Rites, Doctrine of the Mean states: "The exemplary person is watchful and cautious over what he does not see, and fearful and apprehensive over what he does not hear." This means that even in places where others cannot see, one still remains vigilant and acts with care; even in places where others cannot hear, one still holds reverence in one's heart and dares not to indulge oneself. This enlightens us that at all times one must abide by rules and regulations, be strict with oneself, and must not indulge. Today, for Party members and cadres to remain clean and upright and to conduct affairs with integrity, they must always carry a heart of vigilance and awe. Otherwise, it becomes easy to indulge oneself and act willfully and recklessly, ultimately breaking free of all norms and crossing all boundaries.

In April 1943, Comrade Zhou Enlai, in a report delivered to cadres of the CPC Central Committee's Southern Bureau, stated: "Leaders must never underestimate their own role and influence; they must work with vigilance, awe, and apprehension (戒慎恐惧)." In his working practice, he not only warned himself on multiple occasions but also frequently reminded others: "In handling affairs one must not be impetuous, must not be careless, and must proceed with caution"; "We should have the spirit of apprehension when confronting matters (临事而惧)." Comrade Zhou Enlai's lifelong integrity and meticulous rigor were inseparable from his constant carrying of a heart of vigilance and awe.

"Whoever is truly fearful will have uprightness in his person, rules in his words, and limits in his conduct." For Party members and cadres, having a heart of vigilance and awe enables one to make fewer mistakes and take fewer wrong turns; once that heart of vigilance and awe is absent, it may lead to self-numbing and self-deception. Examining the root causes of corrupt elements who violate discipline and break the law, there is one point in common: they have absolutely no heart of vigilance and awe, believing that whatever they do will never be traced back to them. Some believe that sharing a meal or accepting a gift is nothing more than normal behavior for building relationships; some believe that handling a small matter requiring "little more than a wave of the hand" or extending a convenience that "helps others achieve their wishes" is merely inconsequential personal favor-trading; and still others have cultivated a mentality of privilege, treating public power as a private instrument and placing personal interests above the interests of the masses. Such things as these are typical of knowing no reverence—step by step relaxing one's vigilance and breaking through the bottom line, ultimately falling inevitably into the abyss of illegal and criminal conduct.

To always carry a heart of vigilance and awe, what is most valuable is maintaining a clear head and being as cautious at the end as at the beginning (慎终如始). The heart of reverence is an important factor constituting non-power-based influence, and also an important measure for testing the character of leading cadres; it is a "self-protection technique" for maintaining an upright spirit and remaining untainted, and also a "booster" for enhancing the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the troops. When Comrade Chen Yi served as Mayor of Shanghai, he said: "Fighting requires issuing orders and signing operational plans; economic work requires approving expenditures. When commanders and leaders pick up the pen to sign, their hands often tremble, because it concerns the outcome of war, the lives of soldiers, and the success or failure of construction." Chen Yi's "trembling hand" stemmed from reverence for the people, reverence for power, and reverence for law and discipline. When Party members and cadres stand before power, they should have more of that vigilance and awe of the "trembling hand," truly achieving the exercise of power with fairness, with caution, and with integrity. Facts have proven that only by firmly establishing the consciousness of "having that which one fears," maintaining a heart of vigilance and awe, keeping to one's proper role, walking the righteous path, and strictly governing oneself can one uphold integrity and uprightness, walk the broad and straight road, and proceed steadily toward the long term.

To always carry a heart of vigilance and awe, what is most important is holding to the bottom line and knowing both conduct and its limits (知行知止). Party members and cadres must internalize disciplinary requirements as conscious will and conviction, allowing compliance with rules and discipline to be internalized in the heart and externalized in conduct, achieving having that which one fears in one's heart, having that which one guards against in one's words, and having that which one stops at in one's conduct—not indulging, not going off track, not transgressing boundaries—and at all times and under all circumstances being able to steady the mind and spirit, control one's behavior, and preserve one's integrity: no making exceptions, no discounting, no leaving room for maneuver, no playing games. Always guard the heart and restrain the self; both see through temptation and endure it; and through strict constraint of one's own words and conduct, set a fine example of iron-like discipline (守纪如铁).

Original Chinese

戒惧之心不可少 ■吴乐凯陈东方习主席指出，“加强纪律教育，强化纪律执行，让党员、干部知敬畏、存戒惧、守底线，习惯在受监督和约束的环境中工作生活。”贯彻这一重要讲话精神，要求军队党员干部常怀戒惧之心，始终保持清醒头脑、谨慎态度，摒弃自我麻痹心理，真正做到心有所畏、言有所戒、行有所止。《礼记·中庸》有言：“‌君子戒慎乎其所不睹，恐惧乎其所不闻。”这句话意思是，在别人看不见的地方，依然保持警惕、谨慎行事；在别人听不到的地方，依然心存敬畏、不敢放纵。这启示我们，任何时候都要遵规守矩、严于律己、不可放纵。今天，党员干部要清廉自守、干净干事，就必须常怀戒惧之心。否则，就容易放纵自我、恣意妄为，最终脱纲离谱、脱轨越界。 1943年4月，周恩来同志在为中共中央南方局干部所作的报告中指出：“领导者切勿轻视自己的作用和影响，要戒慎恐惧地工作。”他在工作实践中不仅多次警示自己，还常常提醒他人，“办事不能急躁，不能草率，必须谨慎从事”“我们应该有临事而惧的精神”。周恩来同志一生清廉自守、严谨细致，与他常怀戒惧之心是分不开的。 “凡善怕者，必身有所正，言有所规，行有所止。”对党员干部来说，有了戒惧之心，就能少犯错误、少走弯路，一旦缺少戒惧之心，就可能导致自我麻痹、自欺欺人。探究那些腐败分子破纪违法的根源，有一点是相同的，那就是毫无戒惧之心，觉得干什么事都不会查到自己头上。有的认为吃一顿饭、收一次礼，不过是交流感情的正常行为；有的认为办一件“举手之劳”的小事、行一次“成人之美”的便利，只是无碍大局的人情往来；还有的滋生特权思想，把公权当私器，将个人利益凌驾于群众利益之上。诸如此类，是典型的不知敬畏，一步步放松警惕、突破底线，最终难免坠入违法犯罪的深渊。常怀戒惧之心，贵在头脑清醒、慎终如始。敬畏之心是构成非权力影响力的重要因素，也是检验领导干部品质的重要标尺；是保持一身正气、一尘不染的“护身术”，也是提高部队凝聚力、战斗力的“助推器”。陈毅同志任上海市市长时说：“打仗要下命令，签署作战计划；做经济工作要审批开支。指挥员和领导者提笔签字时，手往往发抖，因为那关系到战争的胜负、战士的生命和建设的成败。”陈毅的“手发抖”，是因为敬畏人民、敬畏权力、敬畏法纪。党员干部在权力面前，就是应该多点“手发抖”的戒惧，真正做到公正用权、谨慎用权、廉洁用权。事实证明，只有树牢“有所畏”的意识，保持戒惧之心，守本分、走正道，从严管住自己，才能坚守清正廉洁，大道直行、行稳致远。常怀戒惧之心，重在守住底线、知行知止。党员干部要把纪律要求内化为自觉的意志和信念，让遵规守纪内化于心、外化于行，做到心有所畏、言有所戒、行有所止，不放纵、不越轨、不逾矩，任何时候任何情况下都稳得住心神、管得住行为、守得住清白，不搞变通、不打折扣、不留余地、不玩花样，始终守心克己，既看得破又忍得过，在严格约束自身言行中立起守纪如铁的好样子。