与时俱进

• Pinyin: yǔ shí jù jìn
• Hanzi breakdown: 与 = with; 时 = 日 + 寸 (sun + measure — time, era); 俱 = 人 + 具 (all together); 进 = 辶 + 隹 (movement + bird — to advance)

Meaning

To keep pace with the times; to advance in step with the era. Describes the capacity and willingness to adapt one's thinking, methods, or institutions to meet new historical conditions.

A key political and philosophical phrase in contemporary Chinese discourse, strongly associated with the reform era and the CCP's ideological updates. Frequently used in official documents, Party theory, and institutional reform contexts. Also used more broadly in business and cultural discourse to mean 'staying current' or 'adapting to change.' Implies active agency, not passive drift.

Examples

1. 马克思主义之所以历久弥新，在于它不是僵化教条，而是能在不同历史条件下与时俱进、不断自我革新的开放思想。 Marxism remains vital because it is not a rigid dogma, but an open way of thinking that can keep pace with the times and continually renew itself under different historical conditions.
2. 这家百年制造企业面对数字化浪潮，展现出与时俱进的能力，把AI和物联网深度融入生产，并转向综合解决方案。 This century-old manufacturing company showed its ability to keep pace with the times in the digital wave, deeply integrating AI and IoT into production and shifting to integrated solutions.
3. 法律体系要与时俱进，就必须在保持稳定与及时回应技术和社会变化之间取得动态平衡。 For the legal system to keep pace with the times, it must strike a dynamic balance between stability and timely responses to technological and social change.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, institutional reform, business, ideology

Tone: earnest

Do Say

• 优秀大学既要传承学术传统，也要在课程和科研上与时俱进，才能保持引领地位。(A great university must both carry on academic traditions and keep pace with the times in its courses and research in order to maintain its leading position.)
• 这位任职二十余年的主席坦言，他未能让委员会在评审标准和程序上与时俱进，是最大遗憾。(This chair, who served for over twenty years, admitted that his greatest regret was failing to help the committee keep pace with the times in its review standards and procedures.)

Don't Say

• 你要与时俱进，换个新手机 — 与时俱进 carries strong ideological and institutional weight in Chinese discourse; using it casually for consumer product upgrades trivialises it; use 跟上潮流 (keep up with trends) or 更新换代 (upgrade/replace) instead

Origin & History

与 (with) + 时 (time/era) + 俱 (together/all) + 进 (to advance — 辶movement + 隹 bird, moving forward). Together: advancing together with the times.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal