Political Work

Strong Military Forum | Arming the Mind, Cleansing the Mind, Transforming the Mind

强军论坛丨武装思想清理思想改造思想

PLA Daily (解放军报) 28 May 2026

Summary

A commentary in the PLA's Strong Military Forum by author Sang Ye elaborates on Xi Jinping's directive—delivered at the opening of a senior cadre training course for the entire military—to conduct 思想整风 (ideological rectification) and 政治整训 (political consolidation training), framing the campaign around three sequential demands: arming, cleansing, and transforming the minds of leading cadres. The piece documents the institutional vocabulary and normative framework the PLA is deploying to enforce ideological conformity among officers, targeting what it describes as opportunism, wishful thinking, and self-numbing as specific failure modes. This is standard political work content; its value is as a record of how the institution is framing the current rectification campaign to senior officers, not as evidence of a new policy line or changed force posture.

Translation

Arming the Mind, Cleansing the Mind, Transforming the Mind

■ Sang Ye

Thought is the precursor to action; only by aligning thought can one align one's steps.

At the opening ceremony of the senior cadre training course for the entire military, Chairman Xi delivered an important address emphasizing: "Carry out ideological rectification (思想整风), deepen political consolidation training (政治整训), strengthen the revolutionary tempering of our military's cadre corps, and always preserve the purity and glory of the People's Army." To implement the spirit of this important address and to carry out ideological rectification in depth, leading cadres are required to follow the integrated approach of study, examination, and correction, and to walk the complete chain of arming the mind, cleansing the mind, and transforming the mind—consciously and resolutely driving political consolidation training to greater depth.

Thought determines consciousness. Without correct thought, correct action is impossible. So-called ideological rectification means using study, reflection, and criticism to conduct a thorough sweeping-out of thought—truly eliminating the old and establishing the new, consolidating the foundation while opening new ground, solidifying the foundation of faith (信仰之基), replenishing the calcium of the spirit (精神之钙), and steadying the rudder of thought (思想之舵). Ideological rectification is an effective method of political consolidation training. The problems that exist in a minority of leading cadres are, at their root, problems of thought. Only by taking the lead in carrying out ideological rectification—integrating the arming of the mind, the cleansing of the mind, and the transforming of the mind—genuinely uprooting erroneous thinking, and establishing correct values, can leading cadres set a good example.

Theory is a weapon; thought is strength. Our military's ideological rectification and political consolidation training have always placed emphasis on arming the mind and letting theory lead the way. The more deeply the mind is armed, the more leading cadres will have a guiding core (主心骨), a fixed star (定盘星), and a compass (指南针). Persisting in making efforts to arm the mind requires leading cadres to consciously use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to transform their subjective world, to study and implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Strengthening the Military (习近平强军思想) in depth, to thoroughly study and comprehend the worldview and methodology of the "Six Must Persists" (六个必须坚持) and the military outlook and methodology of the "Five Persists" (五个坚持), to make deep corrections and real reforms in terms of standpoint, viewpoint, and method, to genuinely transform thought and recalibrate the "three outlooks" (三观), and to lay a solid ideological foundation for firmly listening to the Party and always following the Party.

Leading cadres do not live in a vacuum and are inevitably subject to various forms of contamination and erosion. In this regard, leading cadres at all levels should remain clear-headed at all times: once thought becomes clouded with dust, action will deviate. In cleansing the mind, the emphasis should be on targeting specific problems and achieving real results. Only by frequently brushing away the "dust of thought" (思想尘), reflecting deeply on the "harm of greed" (贪欲害), and persistently breaking the "thief within the heart" (心中贼)—remaining vigilant against and reflecting on and correcting erroneous thoughts and mentalities such as opportunism (投机取巧), wishful thinking (心存侥幸), and self-numbing (自我麻痹)—and by continuously removing impurities, eliminating viruses, and preventing contamination, so that no reckless thoughts within ensure no reckless actions without, can leading cadres forever preserve the vigorous vitality (蓬勃朝气), soaring spirit (昂扬锐气), and noble righteousness (浩然正气) of Communists.

A person stands upright by virtue of thought; the more thought is transformed, the stronger one becomes. Transforming the mind is an intrinsic need of leading cadres' self-revolution (自我革命), and also an inevitable requirement for deepening ideological rectification. Comrade Zhou Enlai once said: "From the moment one joins the Communist Party, every Party member should have this understanding: be prepared to transform one's thought, and keep transforming it until old age." In transforming the mind, what is most valuable is strengthening one's consciousness and thoroughness. Leading cadres must treat the transformation of thought as a lifelong subject, placing themselves within it, placing their duties within it, and placing their work within it, and continuously strengthening their capacity for self-purification, self-improvement, self-renewal, and self-advancement.

Arming the mind, cleansing the mind, and transforming the mind are mutually reinforcing and dialectically unified. Among these, arming the mind is the fundamental guide (根本指引), cleansing the mind is the effective path (有效途径), and transforming the mind is the important guarantee (重要保证); together they drive leading cadres to consciously carry out ideological rectification and to better unify thought, unify will, and unify action. On the new journey, only by consciously strengthening theoretical study and continuously arming the mind, persisting in a problem-oriented approach and promptly cleansing the mind, regularly conducting self-examination and persistently transforming the mind—resolving root-level ideological problems of ideals and convictions (理想信念), Party character cultivation (党性修养), and official virtue and personal character (官德人品)—and by holding firm to the ideological line of defense (思想防线), the bottom line on the exercise of power (用权底线), the red line of law and discipline (法纪红线), and the boundary of family conduct (家风界线), can leading cadres, through the solid conduct of firm conviction, pragmatism, responsibility, and self-discipline, inspire and lead the troops to achieve high-quality development and enhance the hard capability to win (打赢硬本领).

Original Chinese

武装思想清理思想改造思想 ■桑叶思想是行动的先导，整齐思想才能整齐步伐。习主席在全军高级干部培训班开班式上发表重要讲话强调，“开展思想整风，深化政治整训，加强我军干部队伍革命性锻造，始终保持人民军队纯洁光荣”。贯彻这一重要讲话精神，深入开展思想整风，要求领导干部按照学查改一体推进的思路，走实武装思想、清理思想、改造思想的完整链路，坚定自觉地把政治整训引向深入。思想决定意识。没有正确的思想，就不可能产生正确的行动。所谓思想整风，就是用学习、反省、批评等方式，开展思想大扫除，真正革弊鼎新、固本开新，筑牢信仰之基、补足精神之钙、把稳思想之舵。思想整风是政治整训的有效方式。少数领导干部身上存在的一些问题，从根源上说都是思想上的问题。领导干部只有带头开展思想整风，把武装思想、清理思想、改造思想贯通起来，切实把错误的思想根子拔除掉，把正确价值观念立起来，才能立起领导干部好样子。理论就是武器，思想就是力量。我军思想整风、政治整训历来注重武装思想、理论先行。武装思想越深入，领导干部就越有主心骨、定盘星、指南针。坚持在武装思想上下功夫，要求领导干部自觉用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想改造主观世界，深入学习贯彻习近平强军思想，学深悟透“六个必须坚持”的世界观和方法论、“五个坚持”的军事观和方法论，从立场观点方法上深纠实改，切实改造思想、校正“三观”，打牢坚定听党话、始终跟党走的思想根基。领导干部并非生活在真空中，难免受到这样那样的污染和侵蚀。对此，各级领导干部应时刻保持清醒：思想一旦蒙尘，行动就会出现偏差。清理思想，重在突出针对性和实效性。领导干部只有勤掸“思想尘”、多思“贪欲害”、常破“心中贼”，警惕防范和反思纠治投机取巧、心存侥幸、自我麻痹等错误思想和心理，不断去杂质、除病毒、防污染，以内无妄思保证外无妄动，才能永葆共产党人的蓬勃朝气、昂扬锐气、浩然正气。人是靠思想站立的，思想愈改造则愈强大。改造思想是领导干部自我革命的内在需要，也是深化思想整风的必然要求。周恩来同志说过：“每个党员从加入共产党起，就应该有这么一个认识：准备改造思想，一直改造到老。”改造思想，贵在增强自觉性和彻底性。领导干部要将改造思想作为终身课题，把自己摆进去、把职责摆进去、把工作摆进去，不断增强自我净化、自我完善、自我革新、自我提高的能力。武装思想、清理思想、改造思想，三者相辅相成、辩证统一。其中武装思想是根本指引、清理思想是有效途径、改造思想是重要保证，共同推动领导干部自觉开展思想整风，更好地统一思想、统一意志、统一行动。新征程上，领导干部只有自觉加强理论学习、不断武装思想，坚持问题导向、及时清理思想，经常自我检视、持久改造思想，解决好理想信念、党性修养、官德人品等思想根子问题，守好思想防线、用权底线、法纪红线、家风界线，才能以笃信、务实、担当、自律的过硬作风，感召和带动部队实现高质量发展、提升打赢硬本领。