Self-Reliance and Arduous Struggle

On what basis should our policy rest? It should rest on our own strength, and that means regeneration through one's own efforts. We are not alone; all the countries and people in the world opposed to imperialism are our friends. Nevertheless, we stress regeneration through our own efforts. Relying on the forces we ourselves organize, we can defeat all Chinese and foreign reactionaries.

Source: "The Situation and Our Policy After the Victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan" (August 13, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 20.

我們的方針要放在什麼基點上？放在自己力量的基點上，叫做自力更生。我們並不孤立，全世界一切反對帝國主義的國家和人民都是我們的朋友。但是我們強調自力更生，我們能夠依靠自己組織的力量，打敗一切中外反動派。

The Situation and Our Policy After the Victory in the War of Resistance — 13 Aug 1945, the judgement just after Japan's defeat; source of Chapter 21's first entry.

We stand for self-reliance. We hope for foreign aid but cannot be dependent on it; we depend on our own efforts, on the creative power of the whole army and the entire people.

Source: "We Must Learn to Do Economic Work" (January 10, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 241.

我們是主張自力更生的。我們希望有外援，但是我們不能依賴它，我們依靠自己的努力，依靠全體軍民的創造力。

We Must Learn to Do Economic Work — January 1945, on economic self-sufficiency in base areas.

To win country-wide victory is only the first step in a long march of ten thousand li… The Chinese revolution is great, but the road after the revolution will be longer, the work greater and more arduous. This must be made clear now in the Party. The comrades must be helped to remain modest, prudent and free from arrogance and rashness in their style of work. The comrades must be helped to preserve the style of plain living and hard struggle.

Source: "Report to the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (March 5, 1949), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 374.*

奪取全國勝利，這只是萬里長征走完了第一步。……中國的革命是偉大的，但革命以後的路程更長，工作更偉大，更艱苦。這一點現在就必須向黨內講明白，務必使同志們繼續地保持謙虛、謹慎、不驕、不躁的作風，務必使同志們繼續地保持艱苦奮鬥的作風。

We must thoroughly clear away all ideas among our cadres of winning easy victories through good luck, without hard and bitter struggle, without sweat and blood.

Source: "Build Stable Base Areas in the North-east" (December 28, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 84.

幹部中一切不經過自己艱苦奮鬥、流血流汗，而依靠意外便利、僥倖取勝的心理，必須掃除乾淨。

We should carry on constant propaganda among the people on the facts of world progress and the bright future ahead so that they will build their confidence in victory. At the same time, we must tell the people and tell our comrades that there will be twists and turns in our road, There are still many obstacles and difficulties along the road of revolution. The Seventh Congress of our Party assumed that the difficulties would be many, for we preferred to assume there would be more difficulties rather than less. Some comrades do not like to think much about difficulties. But difficulties are facts; we must recognize as many difficulties as there are and should not adopt a "policy of non-recognition". We must recognize difficulties, analyse them and combat them. There are no straight roads in the world; we must be prepared to follow a road which twists and turns and not try to get things on the cheap. It must not be imagined that one fine morning all the reactionaries will go down on their knees of their own accord. In a word, while the prospects are bright, the road has twists and turns. There are still many difficulties ahead which we must not overlook. By uniting with the entire people in a common effort, we can certainly overcome all difficulties and win victory.

Source: "On the Chungking Negotiations" (October 17, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, pp. 59-60.

我們應當把世界進步的情況和光明的前途，常常向人民宣傳，使人民建立起勝利的信心，同時，我們還要告訴人民，告訴同志們，道路是曲折的。在革命的道路上還有許多障礙物，還有許多困難。我們黨的七次代表大會設想過許多困難，我們寧肯把困難想得更多一些，有些同志不願意多想困難。但是困難是事實，有多少就得承認多少，不能採取「不承認主義」。我們要承認困難，分析困難，向困難作鬥爭。世界上沒有直路，要準備走曲折的路，不要貪便宜。不能設想，那一天早上，一切反動派會統統自己跪在地下。總之，前途是光明的，道路是曲折的。我們面前困難還多，不可忽視。我們和全體人民團結起來，共同努力，一定能夠排除萬難，達到勝利的目的。

Anyone who sees only the bright side but not the difficulties cannot fight effectively for the accomplishment of the Party's tasks.

Source: "On Coalition Government" (April 24, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 314.

誰要是隻看見光明一面，不看見困難一面，誰就會不能很好地為實現黨的任務而鬥爭。

On Coalition Government — April 1945 political report to the 7th Congress; many quotations on party and masses come from it.

The wealth of society is created by the workers, peasants and working intellectuals. If they take their destiny into their own hands, follow a Marxist- Leninist line and take an active attitude in solving problems instead of evading them, there will be no difficulty in the world which they cannot overcome. Introductory note to

Source: "The Party Secretary Takes the Lead and All the Party Members Help Run the Co-operatives" (1955), The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside, Chinese ed., Vol. I.

社會的財富是工人、農民和勞動知識分子自己創造的。只要這些人掌握了自己的命運，又有一條馬克思列寧主義的路線，不是回避問題，而是用積極的態度去解決問題，任何人間的困難總是可以解決的。

The Socialist Upsurge in China's Countryside — A 1955 compilation with editor's notes on co-operation.

The comrades throughout the Party must take all this fully into account and be prepared to overcome all difficulties with an indomitable will and in a planned way. The reactionary forces and we both have difficulties. But the difficulties of the reactionary forces are insurmountable because they are forces on the verge of death and have no future. Our difficulties can be overcome because we are new and rising forces and have a bright future.

Source: "Greet the New High Tide of the Chinese Revolution" (February 1, 1947), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 125.

全黨同志都必須充分地估計到，並準備用百折不回的毅力，有計劃地克服所有的困難。反動勢力面前和我們面前都有困難。但是反動勢力的困難是不可能克服的，因為他們是接近於死亡的沒有前途的勢力。我們的困難是能夠克服的，因為我們是新興的有光明前途的勢力。

In times of difficulty we must not lose sight of our achievements, must see the bright future and must pluck up our courage.

Source: "Serve the People" (September 8, 1944), Selected Works, Vol. III, pp. 227-28.

我們的同志在困難的時候，要看到成績，要看到光明，要提高我們的勇氣。

Serve the People — 8 Sept 1944 eulogy for Zhang Side; very short, the source of Chapter 17's first entry.

New things always have to experience difficulties and setbacks as they grow. It is sheer fantasy to imagine that the cause of socialism is all plain sailing and easy success, without difficulties and setbacks or the exertion of tremendous efforts.

Source: On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People (February 27, 1957), 1st pocket ed., pp. 32-33.

任何新生事物的成長都是要經過艱難曲折的。在社會主義事業中，要想不經過艱難曲折，不付出極大努力，總是一帆風順，容易得到成功，這種想法，只是幻想。

At certain times in the revolutionary struggle, the difficulties outweigh the favourable conditions and so constitute the principal aspect of the contradiction and the favourable conditions constitute the secondary aspect. But through their efforts the revolutionaries can overcome the difficulties step by step and open up a favourable new situation, thus a difficult situation yields place to a favourable one.

Source: "On Contradiction" (August 1937), Selected Works, Vol. I, p. 335.

革命鬥爭中的某些時候，困難條件超過順利條件，在這種時候，困難是矛盾的主要方面，順利是其次要方面。然而由於革命黨人的努力，能夠逐步地克服困難，開展順利的新局面，困難的局面讓位於順利的局面。

On Contradiction — August 1937, alongside 'On Practice'. On the universality and particularity of contradiction; the other pillar of the book's method.

What is work? Work is struggle. There are difficulties and problems in those places for us to overcome and solve. We go there to work and struggle to overcome these difficulties. A good comrade is one who is more eager to go where the difficulties are greater.

Source: "On the Chungking Negotiations" (October 17, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 58.

什麼叫工作，工作就是鬥爭。那些地方有困難、有問題，需要我們去解決。我們是為著解決困難去工作、去鬥爭的。越是困難的地方越是要去，這才是好同志。

There is an ancient Chinese fable called "The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains". It tells of an old man who lived in northern China long, long ago and was known as the Foolish Old Man of North Mountain. His house faced south and beyond his doorway stood the two great peaks, Taihang and Wangwu, obstructing the way. With great determination, he led his sons in digging up these mountains hoe in hand. Another greybeard, known as the Wise Old Man, saw them and said derisively, "How silly of you to do this! It is quite impossible for you few to dig up these two huge mountains." The Foolish Old Man replied, "When I die, my sons will carry on; when they die, there will be my grandsons, and t'nen their sons and grandsons, and so on to infinity. High as they are, the mountains cannot grow any higher and with every bit we dig, they will be that much lower. Why can't we clear them away?" Having refuted the Wise Old Man's wrong view, he went on digging every day, unshaken in his conviction. God was moved by this, and he sent down two angels, who carried the mountains away on their backs. Today, two big mountains lie like a dead weight on the Chinese people. One is imperialism, the other is feudalism. The Chinese Communist Party has long made up its mind to dig them up. We must persevere and work unceasingly, and we, too, will touch God's heart. Our God is none other than the masses of the Chinese people. If they stand up and dig together with us, why can't these two mountains be cleared away?

Source: "The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains" (June 11, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 322.*

中國古代有個寓言，叫做「愚公移山」。說的是古代有一位老人，住在華北，名叫北山愚公。他的家門南面有兩座大山擋住他家的出路，一座叫做太行山，一座叫做王屋山。愚公下決心率領他的兒子們要用鋤頭挖去這兩座大山。有個老頭子名叫智叟的看了發笑，說是你們這樣幹未免太愚蠢了，你們父子數人要挖掉這樣兩座大山是完全不可能的。愚公回答說：我死了以後有我的兒子，兒子死了，又有孫子，子子孫孫是沒有窮盡的。這兩座山雖然很高，卻是不會再增高了，挖一點就會少一點。為什麼挖不平呢？愚公批駁了智叟的錯誤思想，毫不動搖，每天挖山不止。這件事感動了上帝，他就派了兩個神仙下凡，把兩座山揹走了。現在也有兩座壓在中國人民頭上的大山，一座叫做帝國主義，一座叫做封建主義。中國共產黨早就下了決心，要挖掉這兩座山。我們一定要堅持下去，一定要不斷地工作，我們也會感動上帝的。這個上帝不是別人，就是全中國的人民大衆。全國人民大衆一齊起來和我們一道挖這兩座山，有什麼挖不平呢？

The Foolish Old Man Who Removed the Mountains — June 1945 closing address to the 7th Congress, using a fable for sustained effort.