Chinese Wisdom in Xi's Words: 'Extravagance, an ominous sign of peril'

BEIJING - "Extravagance is an ominous sign of peril" -- President Xi Jinping has quoted this ancient Chinese proverb to explain the Party's persistent efforts to improve the conduct of its members and combat corruption.

The saying originates from the words of Chu Suiliang, a renowned politician and calligrapher during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), stressing that even the slightest profligacy is a bad omen of peril that could lead to a state's collapse.

Citing this insightful proverb at a meeting in 2014, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, warned that the conduct of CPC members is a life-and-death matter for the Party. He ordered the strictest regulation of the conduct of CPC members, and the most stringent efforts to curb malfeasance, such as hedonism and extravagance.

To forestall such peril, the CPC Central Committee has launched unrelenting campaigns to enforce the eight-point rules on improving Party and government conduct, which include practicing diligence and frugality.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee has improved Party conduct, upheld integrity and combated corruption with unprecedented courage and resolve, Xi said while addressing the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on Tuesday.

"Certain unhealthy tendencies that hadn't been curbed for a long time have been reined in, many problems that had long plagued us have been remedied, and serious potential dangers in the Party, the country and the military have been rooted out," Xi said at the session.