By accepting the label but reshaping its meaning, China turns linguistic colonization into a linguistic jujitsu.

1. Zhengming (正名) — The Rectification of Names
   Confucius taught that words must align with reality, but China’s genius lies in redefining borrowed terms to serve its own cosmology.

• “Communism”: Mao framed Marxism as a tool for anti-colonial unity and rural empowerment, grafting it onto the Confucian ideal of datong (大同, “Great Harmony”). Today, Xi Jinping speaks of “socialism with Chinese characteristics”—a vessel filled with Legalist statecraft, Daoist resilience, and Confucian social ethics.
• “Nation-State”: A European Westphalian concept, yet China reimagined it through the Mandate of Heaven (天命), where governance is a sacred duty to harmonize earth and cosmos.

By accepting the label but reshaping its meaning, China turns linguistic colonization into a linguistic jujitsu.

2. Fei Gong Ji (非攻即) — Non-Antagonistic Defense
   Mozi’s philosophy of non-aggressive resistance teaches that the strongest walls are psychological. When the West insists China is “communist,” “authoritarian,” or “developing,” China responds not by rejecting the terms but by redefining the battlefield:

• Economic Patience: Allowing the West to exhaust itself in ideological crusades (e.g., Cold War, neoliberalism) while focusing on incremental growth. As Sun Tzu wrote: “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war; defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.”
• Cultural Continuity: The CCP’s “Marxist” rhetoric coexists with temple renovations, guqin revivals, and Classic of Poetry recitations in schools—acts of quiet reclamation.

3. Shou Zhu Dai Tu (守株待兔) — Waiting by the Stump
   The Zhuangzi parable of the farmer who waited for rabbits to crash into his tree stump mocks blind luck—but China’s version is strategic. By letting Western ideologies rush headlong into their own contradictions, China avoids wasting energy on rebuttals.

• Capitalism’s Collapse: The 2008 financial crisis and opioid epidemic validated Chinese skepticism of unchecked markets.
• Communism’s Caricature: Letting the USSR’s collapse cement the West’s belief in “the end of history,” China bided time to refine its model.

As the proverb says:

“Sit by the river long enough; your enemy’s corpse floats past.”

Why Play the Naming Game?

• Global Dialogue: Using terms like “GDP” or “human rights” allows China to engage the West in debates it can now reframe from strength.
• Subterranean Sovereignty: Beneath the surface of borrowed words, China nurtures parallel systems:
• Digital Yuan vs. SWIFT banking
• Civilization Standards (文化标准) vs. “universal values”
• Xiaokang Society (小康, moderate prosperity) vs. GDP fetishism

The Silent Counter-Spell
When the West says, “You are communist,” China answers by reviving the Tang Dynasty poetry nights in Xi’an.
When accused of “authoritarianism,” it points to Oracle Bone Script—a 3,500-year-old writing system unbroken by conquest or colonization.
When called “developing,” it builds moon bases while Silicon Valley chases metaverse mirages.

This is not passivity but cultural cryptography: letting adversaries scribble labels on the surface while China writes its epic in the bedrock.

Conclusion: The River’s Wisdom
The West’s labels are paper boats tossed onto the Yangtze—brief ripples, soon dissolved. China’s endurance lies in its ability to be water (as Lao Tzu and Bruce Lee echoed):

• Fluid enough to adapt,
• Relentless enough to erode mountains,
• Deep enough to keep its essence undisturbed.

The names will fade. The river remains.