Suzhi: A Keyword Approach* Andrew Kipnis ABSTRACT The word suzhi has become central to contemporary China governance and society. Reference to suzhi justifies social and political hierarchies of all sorts, with those of ``high'' suzhi being seen as deserving more income, power and status than those of ``low'' suzhi. This article examines the rise of the word's popularity during the reform era, the ways in which its meaning has been transformed, and the relationships of the word to earlier discourses. It proceeds through three sections: a linguistic history, a genealogy of related discourses and an analysis of the contemporary sociopolitical context. The historical section focuses on the spread of the word across various political and social contexts during the reform era. It examines the ways in which the word operates semantically and the challenges to translation these semantic structures pose. The genealogical section explores the historical antecedents of the meanings of the word in earlier political and social discourses both in and out of China. Finally, the sociopolitical section examines the uses to which the word is put and asks what the rise of suzhi discourse tells us about contemporary China's governance, culture and society. In his classic work, Keywords, Raymond Williams describes how particular words become central to contention over ideas and values in a given era. Such words develop a multiplicity of meanings that both reflect and influence the processes of contention. That keywords are related to developments in other languages and involve complex interactions between spoken and written forms increases both the difficulty and the value of describing the evolution of these words' meanings and their social contexts. 1 This article demonstrates the usefulness of Williams's approach in relation to the word suzhi ). Usually glossed as ``quality,'' this word has become central to PRC dynamics of governance. Reference to suzhi justifies social and political hierarchies of all sorts, with those of ``high'' quality gaining more income, power and status than the ``low.'' In rural contexts, cadres justify their right to rule in terms of having a higher quality than the ``peasants'' around them. 2 All manner of human resource decisions can be justified in terms of * An Australian Research Council Discovery Grant provided financial support for the research undertaken in preparation for writing this article. Catherine Zhang and Jean Hung of the University Service Centre at the Chinese University of Hong Kong provided essential research assistance. Thanks also to Benjamin Penny for help with etymology and to Luigi Tomba and Jonathan Unger for suggesting revisions on early drafts. 1. Raymond Williams, Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society London: Fontana Paperbacks, 1983), pp. 14±20. 2. Stig Thùgersen, ``Parasites or civilizers: the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party in rural areas,'' China: An International Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2 2003). # The China Quarterly, 2006 doi: 10.1017/S0305741006000026