Governance by means of virtue
This term is from The Analects of Confucius. It implies the critical importance of virtue to political affairs, and advocates taking moral edification as the principle for governance. This idea and such views as "Governance must win the people's support," "governing by both rites and the law," and "virtue as the mainstay and punishment as the supplement" together constitute the Confucian advocacy of rule by virtue. It is obvious that the basic Confucian principle for governance is rule by virtue, but not by severe punishments and harsh laws, as the Confucian school highly values virtue, particular that of the rulers.
At the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in January 2016, Xi Jinping said: It has always been the tradition of the Chinese nation to honor one's reputation and uphold integrity and clean government, and we have such sayings as "governance by means of virtue" and "responsibility for one's jurisdiction." Officials must exercise power in a just way and in favor of clean governance; they must be role models in abiding by the Party discipline and the law, and always follow Party principles and fulfill their duties.
为政以德
“为政以德”出自《论语》，意为以道德原则治理国家，强调道德对政治生活的决定作用，主张以道德教化作为治国的原则。“为政以德”与政得其民、礼法合治、德主刑辅等共同构成儒家德治论的主张，表明儒家治国的基本原则是德治，而非严刑峻法，应高度重视道德建设特别是为政者的道德建设。
2016年1月，习近平在第十八届中央纪律检查委员会第六次全体会议上的讲话中强调，中华民族历来都有珍惜名节、注重操守、干净为官的传统，历来都讲“为政以德” “守土有责”，领导干部要秉公用权、廉洁用权，做遵纪守法的模范，同时要坚持原则、敢抓敢管。