Out with the Old and in with the New

The idea originated in The Book of Changes. "Ge signifies doing away with the old; ding symbolizes setting up the new," reads the full quote. It stresses the importance of timely changes to foster progress and social advancement. The ancient Chinese believed that the only constant in the universe was change. Thus, men should understand the law of the universe and adapt to changes to strive for innovation. This explains to a certain extent how the Chinese civilization has maintained strong resilience and vitality for so long.

A pioneering and enterprising spirit, which is deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture, has provided an inexhaustible source of strength and vitality for Chinese civilization. Such a spirit is reflected in many historic changes through national reforms and social progress. Prime examples include the reforms of Shangyang (390-338 B.C.) and the Revolution of 1911. In contemporary China, the nation maintains the tradition by deepening reform and opening up, which has created many miracles of development. The idea of "out with the old, in with the new" has become a quintessential cultural trait of Chinese civilization.

革故鼎新

革故鼎新出自《周易·雜卦》，原文是“革，去故也；鼎，取新也”?！案铩笔浅ヅf事物，“鼎”是建立新事物?！案锕识π隆币庵钙婆f立新，推動(dòng)事物發(fā)展和社會(huì)進(jìn)步，其核心是適時(shí)變革、去舊更新。中國(guó)古人認(rèn)為，永恒變化是宇宙萬(wàn)物存在的基本狀態(tài)，因此應(yīng)把握規(guī)律，適應(yīng)變化， 推動(dòng)創(chuàng)新。這正是中華文明保持強(qiáng)大韌性和生命力的一個(gè)重要原因。

從古至今，中華文明之所以歷久彌新、生生不息，就是因?yàn)樗趫?jiān)持傳統(tǒng)的同時(shí)，保持銳意進(jìn)取的態(tài)度，與時(shí)俱進(jìn)、開(kāi)拓創(chuàng)新。中國(guó)歷史上的商鞅變法、辛亥革命等，都是以破舊立新的改革精神探尋國(guó)家變革與社會(huì)進(jìn)步之路，推動(dòng)了歷史的發(fā)展。當(dāng)代中國(guó)秉承革故鼎新的精神，深化改革、擴(kuò)大開(kāi)放，創(chuàng)造了發(fā)展奇跡。革故鼎新已經(jīng)成為中華文明永恒的精神氣質(zhì)。