Studying extensively, questioning earnestly, thinking profoundly, discriminating clearly, and practicing assiduously

This is a quotation from The Doctrine of the Mean, indicating a correct approach to scholarly pursuits. One should first of all study extensively, then raise questions about a particular issue and think it over seriously, which may help discriminate between right and wrong. Then one needs to apply what one has learned in practice. These are the five progressive steps of the whole process from study to action.

Xi Jinping cited this quotation at the celebration assembly of the 80th anniversary of the Central Party School and the opening of its 2013 spring semester in March 2013. He said: Busy work schedules can never be an excuse for slackening the study, and the officials should be punctilious in making time for study.

博學之，審問之，慎思之，明辨之，篤行之

“博學之，審問之，慎思之，明辨之，篤行之”，出自《中庸》。博學，就是廣泛地學習；審問，就是仔細地詢問，有針對性地提問請教；慎思，就是努力地、謹慎地思考；明辨，就是清楚地分辨；篤行，就是用學習得來的知識和形成的思想指導實踐。這句話明確了從“學”到“行”這個過程里的五個階段，也是循序遞進的五個層次。

2013年3月，習近平在中央黨校建校80周年慶祝大會暨2013年春季學期開學典禮上的講話中引用“博學之，審問之，慎思之，明辨之，篤行之”，強調工作太忙絕不是放松學習的理由，學習要善于擠時間并且高效率地運用時間。