All living things grow side by side without harming one another; the universe and the seasons rotate according to their own laws without hindering each other.

This idea comes from The Doctrine of the Mean. It explains how the Chinese people get to know the world, that is, all things grow together but do not harm each other, and the universe and the seasons rotate according to their own laws but do not create conflict among themselves.

Xi Jinping cited this quotation in his keynote speech at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting held in December 2017. He said: The flourishing of civilization and the progress of humanity will not be possible without enhancing common ground, openness, inclusiveness, exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and agreeing to disagree, and different civilizations should coexist in harmony with each other and draw on each other's strength to inspire and nourish human development.

萬物并育而不相害，道并行而不相悖

“萬物并育而不相害，道并行而不相悖”，出自《中庸》，這一理念闡明了中國人認識世界的基本方式，那就是萬物競相生長，彼此之間并不妨害；日月運行、四時更替各有各的規律，相互之間并不沖突。

2017年12月，習近平在中國共產黨與世界政黨高層對話會上引用“萬物并育而不相害，道并行而不相悖”，指出文明的繁盛、人類的進步，離不開求同存異、開放包容，離不開文明交流、互學互鑒。不同文明應該和諧共生、相得益彰，共同為人類發展提供精神力量。