Political Work

Military Character Cultivation | There Must Not Be Even the Slightest Privilege

军人修养丨绝不能有一丝一毫特权

PLA Daily (解放军报) 31 May 2026

Summary

A political education article in PLA official media uses the 1943 Mao-Wang Zhen anecdote at Nanniwan and Xi Jinping's formulation against 特权思想 (privileged thinking) and 特权现象 (privileged behavior) to instruct military Party cadres to reject rank-based entitlement, submit to institutional discipline, and model the 官兵一致 (unity between officers and soldiers) tradition. This is standard political work content directed at officer-level readers; its value is as a record of how the institution frames anti-privilege norms and the 初心 (original aspiration) discourse for the current comprehensive strict governance of the military campaign, not as evidence of a specific disciplinary case or policy shift. The repeated reference to cadres who have been investigated and dealt with in recent years points to ongoing concern about privilege-seeking behavior in the officer corps, but the article names no individuals, units, or incidents.

Translation

● Only by holding the bottom line of not seeking special treatment can Communist Party members preserve their original aspiration (初心); only by closing the loopholes of not exercising privilege can one win the hearts of the people and consolidate morale.

In the autumn of 1943, Comrade Mao Zedong went to Nanniwan on an inspection tour. Wang Zhen, then commander of the 359th Brigade, had prepared roast chicken and other dishes to receive him. Faced with the lavish spread, Mao Zedong did not pick up his chopsticks, but first asked: "Can the soldiers eat roast chicken?" Wang Zhen hastily replied that the soldiers could eat pork twice a week, averaging four liang per person each time; chicken and mutton once a month, averaging half a jin per person; and during the New Year and festivals, pork, mutton, and chicken to their fill. After listening, Mao Zedong said something deeply thought-provoking: "Good. Only when the soldiers can eat meat do I have the right to eat this roast chicken." These words expressed the fundamental attitude of Communist Party members toward privilege.

Chairman Xi has profoundly pointed out that the Party absolutely does not permit the existence of privileged thinking (特权思想) or privileged behavior (特权现象), and even less permits the emergence of interest groups, power cliques, or a privileged stratum (特权阶层). From the day our Party was founded, it has had a deep understanding of the grave harm of privileged thinking and privileged behavior, and has stood firmly against privilege. Comrade Zhou Enlai once said: "The cadres of our country are public servants of the people; they should share hardships and destiny with the masses." Comrade Deng Xiaoping also warned Party member cadres: "Only when a person does not take pride in his own merits and position, and does not use them as capital for 'special treatment'… are his merits and position worthy of respect." It is precisely because our Party opposes privilege at the root that it has maintained a political character fundamentally different from that of exploiting-class parties, and that the people's army has a fundamental distinction from the old armies.

What is privilege? Put small, it is the desire to seek an "exception"; put large, it is "the greatest injustice." Privileged thinking breeds political bureaucratization, economic self-interest, and special treatment in daily life — all of which are utterly incompatible with the nature and purpose of our Party and our military, and run directly counter to the expectations and demands of the broad ranks of officers and soldiers.

"Communist Party members and cadres should regard the pursuit of privilege and private gain as the greatest shame." These words profoundly reveal the grave harm of the desire for privilege and the impulse toward corruption — every word carries the weight of a thousand jun and gives one deep pause. Looking at the seriously disciplined and law-violating cadres who have been investigated and dealt with in recent years, they abused power arbitrarily, used public authority for private ends, used power to override the law, and exploited power for profit. One important reason lies in the workings of privileged thinking: some exercised privilege until wrong became right; some enjoyed privilege with a clear conscience; some abused privilege while feigning ignorance; and still others pursued privilege without the slightest restraint. Little did they know that every time a leading cadre seeks special treatment, it stains their image once more; every time they wield privilege, they lose another portion of the people's trust. The harm of privilege has no "minor problems" — it must be met with "zero tolerance." Only by holding the bottom line of not seeking special treatment can Communist Party members preserve their original aspiration (初心); only by closing the loopholes of not exercising privilege can one win the hearts of the people and consolidate morale.

Eliminate privileged thinking through practicing the original aspiration (初心) and tempering Party character (党性). The breeding of privileged thinking is rooted in a dusty original aspiration and an impure Party character. To eliminate privileged thinking, one must first carry out a thorough "sweeping" deep in one's thinking. Concretely: one must study the Party's innovative theories deeply and carefully, fortifying the foundation of faith, replenishing the calcium of the spirit, and steadying the rudder of thought from the depths of the soul; one must frequently reflect on one's own faults, examining oneself against Party discipline and military regulations at all times, constantly checking whether one harbors notions of being "above others" or the illusion of existing "outside the law"; one must consciously strengthen political tempering, and regardless of rank, always regard oneself as an ordinary soldier, so that privileged consciousness finds no soil to take root in at the ideological source — ensuring that no improper thoughts within lead to no improper actions without. Only when military Party member cadres fuse the original aspiration (初心) into their bloodstream and forge Party character (党性) into their hearts can they fundamentally resist the erosion of privileged thinking.

Sweep away privileged behavior through strictly observing prohibitions and acting with care and conviction. The ideological line of defense must be reinforced by the institutional red line. The existence of privileged behavior is, in essence, a disregard for prohibitions, a breach of rules, and a trampling of discipline. Sweeping away privileged behavior must rely on the rigid constraints of disciplinary regulations, and power must be placed inside the cage of institutions. For military Party member cadres in the new era, this means resolutely breaking the "official-rank-first" (官本位) mindset, thoroughly setting aside the "official airs," frequently using the mirror of Party discipline and military regulations to examine one's words and deeds, and using the ruler of laws and regulations to measure one's conduct — ensuring that the exercise of power does not seek privileges outside the law, that treatment does not exceed the standards set by regulations, and that interactions do not touch the red lines of discipline. One must understand that the power of institutions lies in "showing no favoritism" — once face is taken into account, once a breach is opened and rules are broken, privileged behavior will produce a "broken windows effect," and the authority of institutions will cease to exist entirely. Only when military Party member cadres take the lead in respecting laws and discipline, and consciously use Party discipline and military regulations to alert the mind and guide conduct, correct the heart and restrain behavior, can privileged acts find nowhere to hide and privileged behavior have nowhere to escape.

Eradicate the soil of privilege by carrying forward traditions and promoting a healthy ethos (正气). If the soil is not clean, privilege cannot be eliminated; if the root of the disease is not removed, a new wind cannot prevail. Controlling behavior relies on institutions; purifying the soil relies on the organizational ecology. Eradicating the soil of privilege requires both individual self-discipline and organizational ecology. While military Party member cadres must be upright and firm in themselves, they must also give full play to the "lead goose effect" (头雁效应), exercising genuine, bold, and strict management. On one hand, they must carry forward the fine tradition of "unity between officers and soldiers, sharing hardships and joys" (官兵一致、甘苦与共), making "bearing hardship first, enjoying benefits last" a conscious act. On the other hand, in conjunction with the situation and tasks of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and comprehensively and strictly governing the military, they must — through the use of model examples, cultural immersion, and environmental shaping — cultivate an atmosphere in which seeking privilege is a source of shame and upholding integrity is a source of honor. At the same time, cadres at all levels must dare to tackle hard issues head-on, promptly warning against and resolutely resisting erroneous tendencies in their midst, and genuinely eradicating the soil and conditions in which privilege takes root. Only by doing so can a clean and upright ethos (清风正气) fill the barracks, and can the people's army forever preserve its purity, glory, and noble righteousness (浩然正气).

Original Chinese

●只有守住不搞特殊的底线，才能保持共产党人的初心；只有堵住不搞特权的漏洞，才能赢得人心、凝聚士气 1943年秋，毛泽东同志到南泥湾视察。时任三五九旅旅长王震准备了烧鸡等饭菜招待。面对丰盛的菜肴，毛泽东没有动筷子，而是先问：“战士们能吃上烧鸡吗？”王震连忙答道，战士们一周可以吃上两次猪肉，每次人均四两。一个月可以吃上一次鸡肉和羊肉，人均半斤。过年过节，猪肉、羊肉、鸡肉管饱。毛泽东听完说了一句发人深省的话：“这就好。只有战士们能吃上肉，我才有资格吃这烧鸡。”这句话，道出了共产党人对待特权的基本态度。习主席深刻指出，党内不允许有特权思想、特权现象存在，更不允许出现利益集团、权势团体、特权阶层。我们党自成立之日起，就深刻认识到特权思想和特权行为的严重危害，鲜明反对特权。周恩来同志曾讲：“我们国家的干部是人民的公仆，应该和群众同甘苦，共命运。”邓小平同志也曾告诫党员干部：“一个人只有不因为自己的功劳和职位而骄傲，不用来作为‘特殊化’的资本……他的功劳和职位，才是值得尊敬的。”正因为从根子上反对特权，我们党才保持了与剥削阶级政党截然不同的政治本色，人民军队与旧军队才有了本质的区别。特权是什么？往小了说，是谋求“例外”的心思；往大了说，是“最大的不公”。特权思想会催生政治上的官僚化、经济上的利益化、生活上的特殊化，与我党我军的性质宗旨格格不入，与广大官兵的期盼要求背道而驰。 “共产党员和干部应该把谋求特权和私利看成是极大的耻辱。”这句话深刻揭示了特权之欲、贪腐之念的危害之重，字字千钧、发人深省。反观近年来被查处的严重违纪违法干部，他们擅权妄为、公权私用、以权压法、贪权牟利，一个重要原因就在于特权思想作祟：有的在习非成是中使用特权，有的在心安理得中享受特权，有的在假装糊涂中滥用特权，还有的在肆无忌惮中大搞特权。殊不知，领导干部搞一次特殊，就会玷污一次形象；耍一次特权，就会失去一片人心。特权之患，没有“小问题”，必须“零容忍”。只有守住不搞特殊的底线，才能保持共产党人的初心；只有堵住不搞特权的漏洞，才能赢得人心、凝聚士气。在践行初心、锤炼党性中清除特权思想。特权思想的滋生，根源在于初心蒙尘、党性不纯。清除特权思想，必须首先在思想深处来一场彻底的“清扫”。具体而言，要深学细悟党的创新理论，从灵魂深处筑牢信仰之基、补足精神之钙、把稳思想之舵；要常思己过，对照党纪军规反躬自省，时时检视有没有“高人一等”的念头、有没有身处“法外之地”的错觉；要自觉加强政治历练，无论职务高低，始终把自己当作普通一兵，从思想根源上让特权意识无处生根，做到以内无妄思保证外无妄动。军队党员干部只有把初心融入血脉、把党性熔铸心间，才能从根本上抵制特权思想的侵蚀。在严守禁令、细照笃行中扫除特权现象。思想上的防线，需要用制度上的红线来巩固。特权现象的存在，本质上是对禁令的漠视、对规矩的突破、对纪律的践踏。扫除特权现象，必须依靠纪律规定的刚性约束，把权力关进制度的笼子里。对新时代军队党员干部来说，就是要坚决破除“官本位”思想，彻底放下“官架子”，经常用党纪军规这面镜子照一照言行，用法规制度的尺子量一量举止，做到用权不谋求法外的特权、待遇不突破规定的标准、交往不触碰纪律的红线。要知道，制度的力量在于“不讲情面”，一旦顾及情面，开了口子、坏了规矩，特权现象就会形成“破窗效应”，制度的权威性将荡然无存。军队党员干部唯有带头尊崇法纪，自觉用党纪军规警心策行、正心束行，方能让特权行为无处藏身、使特权现象无所遁形。在赓续传统、弘扬正气中铲除特权土壤。土壤不净，特权难除；病根不祛，新风难彰。管住行为靠制度，净化土壤靠生态。铲除特权土壤，既要靠个人自律，也要靠组织生态。军队党员干部在做到自身正、自身硬的同时，更要发挥“头雁效应”，真抓真管、敢抓敢管、严抓严管。一方面，要赓续“官兵一致、甘苦与共”的优良传统，让“吃苦在前、享受在后”成为行动自觉；另一方面，要结合全面从严治党、全面从严治军的形势任务，通过典型引路、文化浸润、环境塑造等，营造以搞特权为耻、以讲清廉为荣的环境氛围。同时，各级干部要敢于较真碰硬，对身边的错误苗头及时提醒、坚决抵制，切实铲除特权滋生的土壤和条件。唯有如此，才能让清风正气充盈军营，永葆人民军队的纯洁光荣与浩然正气。