Those Who Seek to Cure Illness Must Eradicate Its Source: Knowing China Through the Classics

President Xi Jinping quoted these words by Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi at a CPC Central Committee group study session on June 26, 2015.

Xi emphasized that eliminating the conditions that allow misconduct and corruption to take root and spread depends on sound rules and institutions. He called for stronger Party building, management and oversight, as well as for institutional safeguards to prevent and combat corruption.

Bai Juyi's words highlight the importance of addressing problems at source rather than merely treating their symptoms. This approach is being employed today in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance.

Origin of the Classic Quote

The quote is taken from Bai Juyi's Forest of Policy Essays, a collection of 75 writings he compiled while preparing for the imperial civil service examination. Covering subjects ranging from public administration and the selection of officials to government integrity, the essays reflected his concerns about governance and the challenges facing society.

Bai used the treatment of illness as a metaphor for good governance, arguing that those who seek to eliminate harm must first identify its root causes, just as those who seek to cure an illness must address its source.

The message is simple: lasting solutions require more than dealing with visible problems. They demand an understanding of the underlying causes and of the measures that will be effective in preventing them from recurring.

Twelve hundred years later, this ancient wisdom continues to resonate, offering a perspective on the importance in governance of institutional safeguards, effective oversight and lasting solutions to problems.