jìhuà jīngjì: 计划经济 - Planned Economy, Command Economy

• Keywords: 计划经济, jihuajingji, planned economy in China, command economy, Chinese economic history, market economy vs planned economy, 大锅饭, Great Leap Forward, Reform and Opening Up, socialism with Chinese characteristics, iron rice bowl.
• Summary: Learn about 计划经济 (jìhuà jīngjì), the term for the “planned economy” or “command economy” that defined China from the 1950s until the economic reforms of the 1980s. This entry explores its historical significance, cultural impact (like the “iron rice bowl”), and how it contrasts with China's modern market-oriented system, providing a crucial key to understanding the country's dramatic economic transformation.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jìhuà jīngjì
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 6+ / Advanced (Essential for understanding modern Chinese history and society)
• Concise Definition: An economic system where production, investment, prices, and incomes are determined centrally by a government.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine a country's economy being run like a single giant company with the government as its CEO. The government creates a master plan (the `计划`) for the entire economy (`经济`), deciding exactly what factories should produce, how much they should make, and who gets the finished products. This was China's reality for decades, prioritizing state goals over individual consumer choice. It's the direct opposite of a market economy, where supply and demand dictate these decisions.

• 计 (jì): To plan, calculate, or count. It's the “plan” part of the word.
• 划 (huà): To draw a line, to mark out, or delineate. It reinforces the idea of a carefully laid-out plan.
  • Together, 计划 (jìhuà) means “plan” or “to plan.”
• 经 (jīng): To manage, to go through, or longitude. It's a core character for economic terms.
• 济 (jì): To aid or to cross a river.
  • Together, 经济 (jīngjì) means “economy.”

The term 计划经济 (jìhuà jīngjì) is a very literal combination: “plan” + “economy.” It transparently describes a system where the economy is run according to a central plan.

The concept of 计划经济 is not just an economic term in China; it represents a specific, transformative, and often difficult era in the nation's history (roughly 1953-1978). Understanding it is key to understanding modern China's psyche and its path to the present.

• The Era of the “Iron Rice Bowl”: The term is deeply connected to the concept of the `铁饭碗 (tiě fànwǎn)` or “iron rice bowl.” Under the planned economy, the state assigned jobs to nearly everyone in urban areas. These jobs were for life, with guaranteed housing, healthcare, and pensions. This provided immense security but also led to inefficiency and a lack of motivation, as there was no reward for working harder—a phenomenon known as `大锅饭 (dà guō fàn)`, or “eating from the big pot.”
• Collectivism in Action: The planned economy was the ultimate expression of collectivist ideology. The needs of the state and the collective far surpassed the desires of the individual. People used ration coupons (`票证 piàozhèng`) for everything from grain and cloth to bicycles, as individual consumption was controlled to serve the larger national industrialization goals.
• Comparison to Western Concepts: While the West uses the terms “planned economy” or “command economy,” these are sterile, academic labels. In Chinese, 计划经济 evokes a whole sensory and cultural memory: the uniformity of Mao suits, the scarcity of consumer goods, the security of a state-assigned job, and the societal shift that came with its dismantling during the `改革开放 (gǎigé kāifàng)` or “Reform and Opening Up” period. It is the necessary “before” picture to China's “after” economic miracle.

In modern China, 计划经济 is almost exclusively a historical term. It is used to describe the past, not the present.

• Historical Context: When people discuss the Mao era, economic history, or the changes under Deng Xiaoping, this term is fundamental. You will hear it in documentaries, read it in history books, and discuss it in academic settings.
• Negative Connotation: The term often carries a negative connotation, implying inefficiency, bureaucracy, and a lack of dynamism. Someone might describe a rigid, slow-moving company by saying:
  • “这家公司的管理方式太老旧了，还跟计划经济时代一样。”
  • (Zhè jiā gōngsī de guǎnlǐ fāngshì tài lǎojiù le, hái gēn jìhuà jīngjì shídài yīyàng.)
  • “This company's management style is so outdated, it's still like the planned economy era.”
• Formality: It is a formal, standard term (a 术语 shùyǔ - technical term). It's not slang or informal language.

• Example 1:
  • 中国从前实行的是计划经济。
  • Pinyin: Zhōngguó cóngqián shíxíng de shì jìhuà jīngjì.
  • English: China used to implement a planned economy.
  • Analysis: A simple, factual statement often found in textbooks. `实行 (shíxíng)` means “to implement” or “to put into practice.”
• Example 2:
  • 计划经济时代，买东西都需要票证。
  • Pinyin: Jìhuà jīngjì shídài, mǎi dōngxi dōu xūyào piàozhèng.
  • English: During the planned economy era, you needed ration coupons to buy things.
  • Analysis: This sentence connects the concept to a tangible, everyday experience of that time, the `票证 (piàozhèng)`.
• Example 3:
  • 很多老一辈的人对计划经济时期的“铁饭碗”记忆犹新。
  • Pinyin: Hěnduō lǎo yī bèi de rén duì jìhuà jīngjì shíqī de “tiě fànwǎn” jìyì yóuxīn.
  • English: Many people from the older generation have fresh memories of the “iron rice bowl” from the planned economy period.
  • Analysis: This sentence highlights the social, not just economic, aspect of the system and its lasting impression on a generation.
• Example 4:
  • 从计划经济向市场经济的转型是一个复杂的过程。
  • Pinyin: Cóng jìhuà jīngjì xiàng shìchǎng jīngjì de zhuǎnxíng shì yīgè fùzá de guòchéng.
  • English: The transition from a planned economy to a market economy is a complex process.
  • Analysis: This is a more academic sentence, using `转型 (zhuǎnxíng)` (transition/transformation) to describe the economic reforms.
• Example 5:
  • 在计划经济体制下，企业的生产积极性不高。
  • Pinyin: Zài jìhuà jīngjì tǐzhì xià, qǐyè de shēngchǎn jījíxìng bù gāo.
  • English: Under the planned economy system, the production enthusiasm of enterprises was not high.
  • Analysis: This sentence points out one of the main criticisms of the system: its effect on motivation. `体制 (tǐzhì)` means “system” or “structure.”
• Example 6:
  • 他开玩笑说，我们家的晚餐安排得像计划经济一样，每天都一样。
  • Pinyin: Tā kāiwánxiào shuō, wǒmen jiā de wǎncān ānpái de xiàng jìhuà jīngjì yīyàng, měitiān dōu yīyàng.
  • English: He joked that our family's dinner plan is like a planned economy, the same every day.
  • Analysis: A metaphorical use of the term to humorously describe something rigid, unvarying, and lacking choice.
• Example 7:
  • 计划经济的主要特征是资源由政府统一分配。
  • Pinyin: Jìhuà jīngjì de zhǔyào tèzhēng shì zīyuán yóu zhèngfǔ tǒngyī fēnpèi.
  • English: The main characteristic of a planned economy is that resources are allocated centrally by the government.
  • Analysis: A clear, definitional sentence. `统一分配 (tǒngyī fēnpèi)` means “unified allocation/distribution.”
• Example 8:
  • 改革开放打破了计划经济的旧模式。
  • Pinyin: Gǎigé kāifàng dǎpòle jìhuà jīngjì de jiù móshì.
  • English: The Reform and Opening Up broke the old model of the planned economy.
  • Analysis: This sentence emphasizes the disruptive and transformative nature of the reforms. `打破 (dǎpò)` means “to break” or “to smash.”
• Example 9:
  • 有些学者认为，纯粹的计划经济和纯粹的市场经济都不存在。
  • Pinyin: Yǒuxiē xuézhě rènwéi, chúncuì de jìhuà jīngjì hé chúncuì de shìchǎng jīngjì dōu bù cúnzài.
  • English: Some scholars believe that a purely planned economy and a purely market economy do not exist.
  • Analysis: This shows the term used in a theoretical, economic debate. `纯粹 (chúncuì)` means “pure” or “unadulterated.”
• Example 10:
  • 如果没有邓小平，中国可能还在计划经济的道路上。
  • Pinyin: Rúguǒ méiyǒu Dèng Xiǎopíng, Zhōngguó kěnéng hái zài jìhuà jīngjì de dàolù shàng.
  • English: If it weren't for Deng Xiaoping, China might still be on the path of a planned economy.
  • Analysis: A conditional sentence that highlights the pivotal role of a historical figure in changing China's economic system.

• Mistake 1: Assuming China is still a planned economy.
  • Incorrect: “China's government controls everything because it's a 计划经济.”
  • Why it's wrong: This is the most common mistake. China officially abandoned the 计划经济 model decades ago. Its current system is the `社会主义市场经济 (shèhuì zhǔyì shìchǎng jīngjì)` or “socialist market economy,” a hybrid where the market plays the “decisive role” in allocating resources, but the state retains strong influence and control over strategic sectors.
• Mistake 2: Confusing “planned economy” with “government planning.”
  • The Nuance: 计划经济 refers to the total system of state control over all economic activity. However, China's government still engages in extensive economic planning, most famously through its `五年计划 (wǔnián jìhuà)` or “Five-Year Plans.” These plans now set goals and guide investment within a market framework, rather than dictating specific production quotas for every factory. Don't use 计划经济 to describe a modern Five-Year Plan.
• False Friend Alert: While “planned economy” is a direct translation, it doesn't carry the same weight. For an English speaker, it's a dry textbook term. For a Chinese person, 计划经济 evokes a specific period of history filled with personal and familial stories of scarcity, security, political campaigns, and immense social change.

• `市场经济 (shìchǎng jīngjì)` - Market economy. The direct antonym of 计划经济.
• `改革开放 (gǎigé kāifàng)` - Reform and Opening Up. The historic policy period, starting in 1978, that dismantled the planned economy and integrated China into the global economy.
• `铁饭碗 (tiě fànwǎn)` - Iron rice bowl. The system of guaranteed lifetime employment and social benefits, a key feature of the 计划经济 era.
• `大锅饭 (dà guō fàn)` - “Big pot rice.” A related concept describing the egalitarian payment system where everyone earned the same regardless of effort, leading to low productivity.
• `票证 (piàozhèng)` - Ration coupons. Physical coupons for grain, oil, cloth, etc., that were necessary for daily life, symbolizing the scarcity and state control of the era.
• `国有企业 (guóyǒu qǐyè)` - State-Owned Enterprise (SOE). The backbone of the 计划经济 system. Many still exist today but have been significantly reformed.
• `公有制 (gōngyǒuzhì)` - Public ownership. The ideological basis of ownership under the planned economy, where the means of production belonged to the state or collectives.
• `社会主义市场经济 (shèhuì zhǔyì shìchǎng jīngjì)` - Socialist market economy. The official name for China's current, complex, hybrid economic system that replaced the 计划经济.
• `五年计划 (wǔnián jìhuà)` - Five-Year Plan. The primary policy tool of the 计划经济 era. The practice continues today, but as a strategic guide for a market economy, not a rigid command document.