Sun Dawei: "Five Viscera," "Six Fu-Organs," "Four Beams," and "Eight Pillars": Focal Points for Constructing an Independent Knowledge System of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision Studies

I. Formulation of the Problem and Literature Review

Driven vigorously by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection ^[1] and the National Commission of Supervision ^[2], the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and the Ministry of Education issued a circular in September 2022. This circular released the "Catalogue of Disciplines and Specialties for Graduate Education (2022)" and the "Administrative Measures for the Catalogue of Disciplines and Specialties for Graduate Education," officially establishing Discipline Inspection and Supervision as a first-level discipline. Consequently, building an autonomous knowledge system for Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision was placed on the agenda and has become the shared central task of the academic community in this field. This is because "a 'discipline' in the modern sense is the product of the institutionalized construction of the production and evolution of knowledge." In other words, the birth and development of a discipline are inextricably linked to the production and evolution of knowledge; the establishment of a new discipline signifies the emergence of a new growth point for knowledge, and the developmental process of this discipline is the institutionalized construction of new knowledge from a single point to a surface, and then to an entire system. The establishment of Discipline Inspection and Supervision is the institutionalized product of the accumulation of the production and evolution of knowledge in this field since the 18th Party Congress ^[3].

Furthermore, as the American scholar Burton R. Clark observed: "The discovery of knowledge is a task of exploring the unknown and the uncertain, which is difficult to systematize through formal organizational structures. This special mission—regarded as a secondary component in other sectors of society—applies to every field across a wide range of disciplines." Knowledge is accumulated through the practices of generations. For humanity, the discovery of knowledge is an unending task, and to continuously discover new knowledge, disciplinary construction must be unceasingly strengthened. Therefore, to better adapt to the current reality where the anti-corruption struggle remains grave and complex, and the tasks of eradicating the soil and conditions that breed corruption remain arduous and heavy; to meet the practical needs of advancing the new great project of Party building in the New Era—specifically comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and the Party's self-revolution—and to achieve new progress and results; and to accelerate the high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work in the New Era by systematically and theoretically distilling the long-standing practices and experiences of the Party and the state in this field, there is an urgent need to accelerate the construction of an autonomous knowledge system for Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision.

Regarding the aspects from which this autonomous knowledge system should be constructed and where the points of emphasis lie, the academic community of discipline inspection and supervision has already conducted several studies. For example, Wang Xu analyzed the main content and construction path of this autonomous knowledge system based on the disciplinary connotations of the four second-level disciplines: discipline inspection and supervision theory, Party discipline studies, supervision law, and integrity studies. Chen Yafei argued that building this system involves a systematic analysis at the level of theoretical thinking on how to resolve the "unique challenges of a large party" ^[4]; he proposed that the four second-level disciplines of discipline inspection and supervision respectively shoulder the mission of the era to solve one or two of these points. Guo Weilu analyzed the principles, requirements, and methodological paths for construction from three dimensions: the discipline's general overview, its connotations, and its scope. Zhang Zhen, combining the unique characteristics of autonomy, indigeneity, and practicality of the field, proposed that "the Party," "the Constitution," "power," and "the rule of law" are the four cornerstones for building an autonomous knowledge system. Jiang Laiyong utilized the concept of an "autonomous knowledge system for the discipline of discipline inspection and supervision" and argued that methodology is of ultimate importance in its construction. Xu Yuzhen conducted an in-depth analysis of the basic categories of this system, taking "responsibility" as the logical starting point that fully reflects the people-centered value attribute of the discipline and constitutes its categorical system. While these studies have actively explored the construction of an autonomous knowledge system for Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision, they all belong to research conducted from the single dimension of disciplinary system construction. Moreover, their points of emphasis involve content, principles, characteristics, methods, and categories, which are not only relatively scattered but also lack strong internal connections between the various points.

General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the construction of a Chinese autonomous knowledge system. He has delivered a series of important discourses on what it is, why it must be constructed, and how to do so. During his inspection of Renmin University of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping made the major judgment that "accelerating the construction of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics is, in the final analysis, about building an autonomous knowledge system of China." In his speech at the Symposium on Philosophy and Social Sciences, he proposed the need to "continually promote the construction and innovation of disciplinary, academic, and discourse systems, and strive to build an all-encompassing, all-field, and all-element system of philosophy and social sciences." He further pointed out that "only by building disciplinary, academic, and discourse systems with their own characteristics can our country's philosophy and social sciences form their own features and advantages." This series of important discourses interprets that a knowledge system includes not only a disciplinary system (学科体系) but also an academic system (学术体系) and a discourse system (话语体系). To build a Chinese autonomous knowledge system is to build disciplinary, academic, and discourse systems that embody Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese spirit. Accordingly, the research in this article is based on the three dimensions of building the disciplinary, academic, and discourse systems of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision. It further focuses its points of emphasis on the "five viscera" (wuzang) and "six bowels" (liufu) that support the development of the disciplinary system, the "four beams" (siliang) that support the development of the academic system, and the "eight pillars" (bazhu) that support the development of the discourse system.

II. Accelerating the Construction of the "Five Viscera" and "Six Bowels" of the Disciplinary System of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision

The disciplinary system is the foundation of the knowledge system. A discipline refers to a specific field of scientific research; a disciplinary system can be understood as a knowledge system in which different research fields, or different branches within the same field, are interconnected through specific relationships. The key to accelerating the construction of a disciplinary system is to strengthen the development of the "five viscera" and "six bowels" that support it. Regarding the reconstruction of Chinese sociology, the famous Chinese sociologist Fei Xiaotong once used the metaphorical strategy of the "five viscera" and "six bowels" for disciplinary construction. He fully explained this view in his speech at the preparatory group symposium of the Sichuan Provincial Sociological Research Association on May 6, 1982: "The 'five viscera' ^[5] refer to the five parts that should be included in the structure of a discipline: a professional association, a research institute, a faculty department, a library and information center, and a publishing department. I cannot say if this is exhaustive. I think a discipline needs at least these 'five viscera' to develop normally... I have also said that one must first prepare the faculty and teaching materials for at least six basic specialized courses. These are what I call the 'six bowels' ^[6]. Of course, the more specialized courses the better, but I say there must be at least six to serve as the foundation courses for a department." Clearly, the so-called "five viscera" refer to five types of specialized institutions that support the development of the disciplinary system; the "six bowels" refer to six foundational courses, including introductory courses, basic theory courses, research methodology courses, international comparative courses, practical application courses, and frontier issue courses. The continuous improvement of the "five viscera" and "six bowels" lays a solid foundation for the construction of the disciplinary system. It was precisely according to this strategic thinking that Chinese sociology was reconstructed; today, not only are the "five viscera" and "six bowels" highly developed, but they have also reached a high level in certain fields and enjoy a high international reputation.

The emphasis in accelerating the construction of the disciplinary system for Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision lies in strengthening the development of its "five viscera" and "six bowels." Among these, the "five viscera" have developed rapidly, riding the momentum of the establishment of the first-level discipline. Various specialized institutions—associations, research institutes, departments, information centers, and publishing units—have seen great development in both quantity and quality. For example, regarding association building, the 6th Member Representative Congress of the China Association of Discipline Inspection and Supervision was held from November 20 to 21, 2023. The meeting renamed the China Institute of Supervision as the China Association of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, adopted the newly amended association charter and work report, and elected a new Board of Directors. According to the "Charter of the China Association of Discipline Inspection and Supervision" amended at this meeting, promoting the disciplinary construction of discipline inspection and supervision is both a core component of the association's mission and an important part of its business scope. Subsequently, the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Disciplinary Construction Branch of the China Association of Discipline Inspection and Supervision was established on June 6, 2024, further promoting the implementation of disciplinary construction.

In terms of research institutes and faculty departments, incomplete statistics show that before the official establishment of the first-level discipline in September 2022, there were already more than 100 research institutions related to discipline inspection and supervision established in universities and research institutes nationwide. "Since 2022, the construction of disciplinary institutions has entered a phase of major national development. Many universities, including Jiangsu University, China University of Political Science and Law, Hainan University, Guizhou Normal University, Tsinghua University, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Fujian Normal University, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, East China University of Political Science and Law, Qingdao University, and Renmin University of China, have successively established schools or research institutes of discipline inspection and supervision."

Regarding library and information centers and publishing departments, the China Fangzheng Press ^[7], managed and sponsored by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision, is the only professional publishing institution in the national discipline inspection and supervision system and is the largest and most authoritative base for publishing related books. For instance, in March 2025, China Fangzheng Press published the second edition of Foundations of Discipline Inspection and Supervision by Wang Xipeng, a researcher at the China Academy of Discipline Inspection and Supervision. This was a supplement and improvement to the first edition published in January 2021. "The second edition added specific contents from Party regulations and national laws, such as the 'Regulations on the Work of the Communist Party of China Commissions for Discipline Inspection,' the newly revised 'Supervision Law' and its implementation regulations, and incorporated the new achievements, deployments, and requirements of discipline inspection and supervision work in recent years (since the establishment of the first-level discipline)."

Additionally, the development of professional journals (and serial collections) in the field has seen significant progress. On April 15, 2024, Journal of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision Studies was officially launched. Managed by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision of the PRC, and sponsored by the China Association of Discipline Inspection and Supervision and the China Academy of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, its mission is to "adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, reflect the latest achievements in theoretical research, practical exploration, institutional building, and disciplinary construction, and strive to contribute to the formation of the Chinese-path disciplinary, academic, and discourse systems of discipline inspection and supervision." Although a new journal, it has a high starting point and great potential. Furthermore, there are specialized journals and serials such as China Discipline Inspection and Supervision, China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Daily, Anti-Corruption Culture Studies, Journal of Intra-Party Regulations Research, Integrity Studies, Journal of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Supervision Law Series, Journal of Clean Culture Research, Forum of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, and Academic Research on Discipline Inspection and Supervision. Comprehensive journals like the Journal of the Central Party School (National Academy of Governance), Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Henan Social Sciences, Journal of Guangzhou University (Social Science Edition), Journal of Liaoning University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), and Administration and Law also feature columns or special issues on the subject. At present, the quantity and quality of these publications are improving significantly, and a journal "phalanx" is gradually taking shape.

The disciplinary system of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision...

The overall development of the "six viscera" lags behind that of the "five organs"; the primary issue lies in the fact that the curriculum system is not yet sound and the course settings are not yet scientific. Based on research using experiments and interviews, Li Li and Wu Jiang argue: "While current course settings for Discipline Inspection and Supervision studies proceed from the perceptions of teaching administrators—considering sub-disciplinary divisions based on the macro-narratives of new disciplinary system construction and the compatibility of courses with university curriculum systems—they neglect the subjective perceptions and priority choices of stakeholders in the field." Another closely related issue is the shortage of theoretical talent among the faculty teaching these courses. Through data analysis, Jiang Laiyong contends: "Among the current talent pool in the discipline, there is a relative abundance of applied talent in areas such as practice, teacher training, and publicity/education; however, theoretical talent is extremely scarce, leaving the disciplinary construction workforce in a state of severe structural imbalance." In the future, the priority of constructing the "five organs" and "six viscera" of the Chinese-path Discipline Inspection and Supervision disciplinary system must lie in strengthening the "six viscera." This entails strengthening the systematization and cultivation of distinctive features in specialized course settings—such as introductory courses, basic theory, research methodology, international comparisons, practical application, and frontier issues—as well as the systematic development of the theoretical talent pool urgently needed for these courses. This will better reflect the systematic and professional nature of the independent knowledge system of Chinese-path Discipline Inspection and Supervision studies.

III. Accelerating the Construction of the "Four Beams" of the Academic System of Chinese-path Discipline Inspection and Supervision Studies

The academic system is the core of the knowledge system. "Academic" refers to the activities through which professionals conduct scientific research to obtain truthful understanding; an academic system can be understood as a knowledge system formed by theorizing and systematizing these scientific research activities. The key to accelerating the construction of an academic system lies in strengthening the "four beams" that support its development. From a sociological perspective, Chen Guangjin proposed "four beams" for academic system construction: "Regarding the construction of an academic system for sociology, the key lies in the construction of four major pillars: the theoretical knowledge system, the historical knowledge system, the methodological knowledge system, and the applied knowledge system. these can be summarized by four characters: lun (theory), shi (history), fa (method), and yong (application). They define the academic paradigm, academic inheritance, research logic, and practical value of sociology." By analogy, the "four beams" refer to the theoretical, historical, methodological, and applied knowledge systems that support academic development. The theoretical knowledge system defines the basic principles and correct direction that must be followed; the historical knowledge system defines the valuable experiences and fine traditions that must be inherited; the methodological knowledge system defines the research logic and technical means that must be implemented; and the applied knowledge system defines the problem-awareness and practice-orientation that must be integrated throughout.

The stress point for accelerating the construction of the academic system of Chinese-path Discipline Inspection and Supervision studies lies in strengthening these "four beams." First, the applied knowledge system among the "four beams" has developed rapidly amidst the deepening reforms of discipline inspection and supervision organs and the high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work in the New Era. This is because, since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has inaugurated the New Era of socialism with Chinese characteristics, driving historical transformations and achieving historical milestones in the cause of the Party and the state. Against this backdrop, the discipline inspection and supervision organs of the New Era have also undergone historical changes: becoming more refined in systems and mechanisms, more scientific in organizational setup, more optimized in functional allocation, more efficient in operational management, and more "loyal, clean, and responsible" ^[8] in team building.

Discipline inspection and supervision work in the New Era has achieved historical successes, such as deepening political supervision and political inspections ^[9] to ensure the implementation of the major political responsibility of the "Two Upholds"; advancing the integrated promotion of "not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt" ^[10] to drive the anti-corruption struggle toward an overwhelming victory and its comprehensive consolidation; and unswervingly implementing the spirit of the central Eight-Point Regulations, making the improvement of conduct a "golden name card" ^[11] of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. Furthermore, the standardized application of the "Four Forms" ^[12] has ensured that Party discipline is established and strictly enforced. In this process—through strict supervision of the daily words and deeds of Party members and cadres, the serious investigation and prosecution of corruption cases, and the systematic remediation of the political ecosystem—the overall, fundamental, and long-term interests of the broad masses of the people have been effectively protected, providing them with a greater sense of gain, happiness, and security. It is evident that through these reforms and high-quality development, the CPC has continuously accumulated practical experience in solving real-world problems, allowing the applied knowledge system of the "four beams" to be continuously perfected.

Second, the historical knowledge system within the "four beams" has also seen significant development through the construction of a culture of integrity ^[13] in the New Era. China’s history and the history of the CPC contain extremely rich resources for a culture of integrity. Our Party attaches great importance to extracting elements of integrity from fine traditional Chinese culture, the Party’s "red" revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture. For instance, some localities have delved deep into the deeds and works of upright historical officials (qingguan), utilizing historical sites such as former residences, ancestral halls, and government offices to create cultural landscapes that promote ancient Chinese thought on anti-corruption and integrity. Others treat revolutionary martyrs and "models of the era" ^[14] as living textbooks, making use of the "rich mines" of red resources like museums and Party history halls to promote the fine traditions of CPC members, such as selflessness and clean governance. Still others focus on telling stories of integrity found in family traditions and precepts (jiafeng jiaxun), conducting education series to strengthen family-based integrity. Clearly, by summarizing historical experience through these efforts, the historical knowledge system of the "four beams" has been objectively promoted.

Third, the methodological knowledge system within the "four beams" has developed through the practice of "investigation and research" ^[15] in discipline inspection and supervision. Investigation and research is a "family treasure" of the CPC and a basic skill for all work. In fact, a large amount of practical work in this field—such as supervision, inspection, review, and investigation—is essentially investigation and research. Theoretical research must also rely on it. As early as 2010–2011, the Research Center for Government Integrity of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) collaborated with the CASS Institute of Sociology to launch anti-corruption questionnaires, pioneering the use of large-scale surveys to study these issues. This first joint survey included two parts: first, a cluster-stratified random sampling of 2795 districts/cities/counties, resulting in 7,500 samples across 28 provinces to create a nationally representative survey of urban and rural areas; second, targeted surveys in six provinces across eastern, central, and western China among leading cadres, ordinary cadres, enterprise managers, and technical professionals. Through these surveys, the Center has continuously published the Report on China’s Construction of Government Integrity, providing a comprehensive reflection of the process of Party conduct building and the anti-corruption struggle in the New Era.

Finally, compared to the historical, methodological, and applied systems, the development of the theoretical knowledge system—the most important of the "four beams"—is relatively lagging. This is manifested in a lack of sufficient independence and autonomy; it remains heavily influenced by the academic research paradigms of closely related and relatively mature first-level disciplines such as law, political science, economics, sociology, and public administration. It is particularly influenced by Western theories accompanying these disciplines, such as principal-agent theory, rent-seeking theory, and decentralization theory—to the point where Chinese cases and experiences were once used merely to verify the universality of Western theories. In the future, the focus of constructing the "four beams" must be on summarizing and refining a theoretical knowledge system with Chinese characteristics, Chinese style, and Chinese spirit, better reflecting the inheritance and national character of the independent knowledge system of Chinese-path Discipline Inspection and Supervision studies.

IV. Accelerating the Construction of the "Eight Pillars" of the Discourse System of Chinese-path Discipline Inspection and Supervision Studies

A discourse system is the form of reflection, expression, and dissemination for the disciplinary and academic systems. "Discourse" refers to specific language and textual symbols. A discourse system can be understood as a knowledge system formed to reflect, express, and disseminate the disciplinary and academic systems. The key to accelerating its construction lies in strengthening the "eight pillars." These "eight pillars" refer to the landmark concepts, judgments, propositions, and categories that support the discourse system, as well as the representative masterpieces, famous scholars, academic schools, and theories. Among these, "landmark concepts" constitute the foundational part. Sun Zhengyu summarized their foundational role: "The 'landmark' quality of a 'landmark concept' lies in the fact that it contains the 'basic ideas' and 'interpretive principles' that constitute the system; it represents the 'illuminating light' and 'living soul' of the conceptual framework... it opens up the 'ideological platform' and 'theoretical space' for constructing and developing the system." The other parts of the "eight pillars" are essentially extensions and deepenings of these landmark concepts.

The stress point for accelerating the construction of the discourse system of Chinese-path Discipline Inspection and Supervision studies lies in strengthening the "eight pillars" that support its development...

Developing the "Eight Pillars" ^[16]. Given that Discipline Inspection and Supervision as a field of study was established only recently, it is currently still in the initial stage. Although its disciplinary and academic systems have seen some development—with certain aspects progressing quite rapidly—the overall level of development remains low. The discourse system, which serves as the form of reflection, expression, and dissemination for the disciplinary and academic systems, exhibits this same characteristic. This can be glimpsed through the generation and development of "identifying concepts" (标识性概念) within the "Eight Pillars" of the discourse system of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision. Since the 18th CPC National Congress ^[17], as the roles of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party as a political leader and political safeguard have been fully exerted, the anti-corruption struggle has achieved an overwhelming victory and has been fully consolidated. In tandem with this, new formulations, new terminology, and new concepts have emerged in an endless stream. For example, since 2018, the "Top Ten Anti-Corruption Buzzwords" jointly released by the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Commission of Supervision (NCS) ^[18] in collaboration with the Bite Every Word (Yaowen Jiaozi) ^[19] editorial department using big data searches serve as a typical representative. From 2018 to 2024, the number of released anti-corruption buzzwords has reached seventy. These buzzwords centrally reflect the key tasks of the annual efforts to improve Party conduct, build clean government, and combat corruption. Some of these buzzwords have appeared repeatedly (with slight variations in phrasing); for instance: "Integrally advancing the 'Three Nos'" (2019 buzzword); "Integrally advancing: dare not to be corrupt, cannot be corrupt, and do not want to be corrupt" (2020 buzzword); "The integral advancement of daring not, being unable, and not wanting to be corrupt" (2021 buzzword); and "Integrally advancing the 'Three No-Corruptions'" (2022 buzzword). This indicates that this work has consistently been a priority in the improvement of Party conduct, the construction of clean government, and the anti-corruption struggle. These anti-corruption buzzwords, especially those that recur frequently, clearly belong to the category of "identifying concepts" within the "Eight Pillars" of the Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision discourse system.

However, these anti-corruption buzzwords are essentially still a form of political discourse. To transform them from mere buzzwords into genuine identifying concepts, one must translate political discourse into academic discourse. This clearly requires a process of systematized and theorized ^[20] research and interpretation. Currently, some scholars have conducted work in this area. For example, while explaining the approach to constructing the conceptual system of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Cai Zhiqiang and Yang Ping summarized and categorized relevant identifying concepts: "Based on the missions, tasks, construction standards, and methods of the concepts of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, the conceptual system should take 'discipline inspection and supervision' as the core concept; take self-revolution, discipline inspection, state supervision, clean government, and the Party and state oversight system as basic concepts; take discipline inspection and supervision theory, systems, and practice as the basic categories; and be supported by several general concepts under each category." The induction and classification of identifying concepts are the prerequisites for conducting systematized and theorized research and interpretation. This also indicates that current academic research on the identifying concepts within the "Eight Pillars" of the Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision discourse system is not yet deep, comprehensive, or systematic. If this is the case for the foundational work of researching identifying concepts, then other tasks—such as expanding and deepening these concepts—appear even more lagging. In the future, the focus of constructing the "Eight Pillars" of the Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision discourse system lies in strengthening the systematized and theorized research and interpretation of discourse belonging to the category of identifying concepts. We must further promote a virtuous interaction between political and academic discourse, avoiding the trap where the two fall into "talking to themselves" or "self-circulation." This will, in turn, advance the international dissemination of Chinese discourse on discipline inspection and supervision, allowing us to "tell the China story" ^[21] well and "explain China's reasoning" well, thereby better reflecting the originality and contemporary character of the autonomous knowledge system of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision.

Conclusion

The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese-path Modernization," adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee ^[22], made arrangements to "construct an autonomous knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences" as an important component of deepening the reform of cultural systems and mechanisms and improving the responsibility system for ideological work. This indicates that to further comprehensively deepen reform and advance Chinese-path modernization, we must attach high importance to constructing an autonomous knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences, including that of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision. On the "new journey" of the New Era ^[23], we must continuously improve the "Five Viscera" and "Six Bowels" that support the disciplinary system, the "Four Beams" that support the academic system, and the "Eight Pillars" that support the discourse system. We must facilitate the perfection of the autonomous knowledge system of Chinese Discipline Inspection and Supervision and clearly explain the profound significance of "persisting in the use of the spirit of reform and strict standards to govern the Party" and "resolutely fighting the tough, protracted, and total war of the anti-corruption struggle." This will drive the high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work and provide a strong guarantee for further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese-path modernization.