jìhuà shēngyù: 计划生育 - Family Planning, One-Child Policy

• Keywords: 计划生育, jihua shengyu, one-child policy China, China family planning, Chinese birth control policy, two-child policy, three-child policy, Chinese population control.
• Summary: Discover the meaning of 计划生育 (jìhuà shēngyù), the Chinese term for the nation's comprehensive “family planning” program. While it translates to “planned birth,” it is most famously associated with the controversial One-Child Policy that shaped modern China for decades. This page explores the history of this policy, from its strict enforcement to its evolution into the Two-Child and Three-Child policies, providing essential cultural context for understanding China's demographics, social structure, and government.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): jìhuà shēngyù
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: N/A (Considered an essential socio-political term rather than a daily vocabulary item)
• Concise Definition: The state-mandated national policy of family planning in the People's Republic of China.
• In a Nutshell: `计划生育` is much stronger than the English concept of “family planning.” It's not about an individual's choice; it refers to a top-down, government-enforced national strategy to control population size. The term literally means “planned procreation,” which perfectly captures the idea of a state-managed plan for when and how many children families can have. For nearly 40 years, this primarily meant the “One-Child Policy.”

• 计 (jì): To plan, calculate, or strategize. Think of a plan or design.
• 划 (huà): To draw a line, to mark out, or to delineate. It reinforces the idea of a deliberate, marked-out plan.
• 生 (shēng): To be born, to give birth, or life itself.
• 育 (yù): To raise, nurture, or educate a child.

When combined, `计划 (jìhuà)` means “plan,” and `生育 (shēngyù)` means “to give birth and raise.” Therefore, `计划生育` creates the direct and powerful meaning of “planned birth-raising,” a national plan for procreation.

`计划生育` is one of the most consequential policies of modern Chinese history, and understanding it is crucial to understanding contemporary Chinese society. Introduced in the late 1970s, the policy was a drastic response to fears of runaway population growth that threatened to overwhelm the country's resources and derail economic development. It was framed as a necessary sacrifice by the individual for the collective good of the nation—a core tenet of collectivist thinking. The key difference between Chinese `计划生育` and Western “family planning” lies in agency.

• Western “Family Planning”: This is a concept rooted in individual choice. It focuses on providing people with the education and tools (like contraception) to decide for themselves how many children to have and when. The decision rests with the individual or couple.
• Chinese `计划生育`: This was a state mandate. The decision was largely removed from the individual and placed in the hands of the state. The policy was enforced through a system of rewards for compliance (e.g., better housing, education subsidies) and penalties for violations (e.g., heavy fines, known as “social maintenance fees,” and sometimes forced abortions or sterilizations in the early, harshest years).

This policy has had profound, lasting effects:

• The “4-2-1” Family Structure: One child is now often responsible for caring for two parents and four grandparents, creating immense social and financial pressure.
• Demographic Imbalance: A traditional preference for male heirs led to a skewed gender ratio.
• An Aging Population: With fewer young people, China now faces the challenge of a rapidly aging workforce and the immense strain on its social security and healthcare systems.

While the infamous “One-Child Policy” phase ended in 2016, the term `计划生育` is still in use, though its meaning has evolved.

• Historical Reference: Most commonly, people use `计划生育` to refer to the one-child era (approx. 1980-2015). It often carries a heavy, serious, and sometimes somber connotation, especially for older generations who lived through its strictest enforcement.
• Current Policy Discussion: In official news and government contexts, the term is now used to discuss the country's evolving population strategy. The conversation has shifted 180 degrees from limiting births to encouraging them through the “Two-Child Policy” (二孩政策, èrhái zhèngcè) and now the “Three-Child Policy” (三孩政策, sānhái zhèngcè).
• Formality: `计划生育` is a formal, official term. You would not use it in casual conversation about your own family plans. It's used when discussing government policy, history, or social science.

• Example 1:
  • 中国的计划生育政策对人口控制起到了重要作用。
  • Pinyin: Zhōngguó de jìhuà shēngyù zhèngcè duì rénkǒu kòngzhì qǐdàole zhòngyào zuòyòng.
  • English: China's family planning policy played an important role in population control.
  • Analysis: A neutral, factual statement you might read in a textbook or see in a documentary.
• Example 2:
  • 我父母那一代人，都亲身经历了严格的计划生育。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ fùmǔ nà yídài rén, dōu qīnshēn jīnglìle yángé de jìhuà shēngyù.
  • English: My parents' generation all personally experienced the strict family planning policy.
  • Analysis: This shows how the term is used to refer to a specific historical period and its personal impact.
• Example 3:
  • 计划生育导致了现在中国社会的老龄化问题。
  • Pinyin: Jìhuà shēngyù dǎozhìle xiànzài Zhōngguó shèhuì de lǎolínghuà wèntí.
  • English: The family planning policy led to the current aging population problem in Chinese society.
  • Analysis: A common point of discussion in modern China, linking the policy to its long-term consequences.
• Example 4:
  • 为了鼓励生育，政府调整了计划生育政策。
  • Pinyin: Wèile gǔlì shēngyù, zhèngfǔ tiáozhěngle jìhuà shēngyù zhèngcè.
  • English: In order to encourage births, the government adjusted the family planning policy.
  • Analysis: This sentence reflects the modern usage of the term, referring to the recent policy shifts.
• Example 5:
  • 在农村，执行计划生育政策的难度更大。
  • Pinyin: Zài nóngcūn, zhíxíng jìhuà shēngyù zhèngcè de nándù gèng dà.
  • English: In rural areas, implementing the family planning policy was more difficult.
  • Analysis: This highlights a key aspect of the policy's history, as enforcement varied between urban and rural areas.
• Example 6:
  • 很多电影和书籍都反映了计划生育对普通家庭的影响。
  • Pinyin: Hěn duō diànyǐng hé shūjí dōu fǎnyìngle jìhuà shēngyù duì pǔtōng jiātíng de yǐngxiǎng.
  • English: Many films and books reflect the impact of the family planning policy on ordinary families.
  • Analysis: Shows the term used in the context of cultural and artistic works.
• Example 7:
  • “计划生育，人人有责”是过去非常流行的一个口号。
  • Pinyin: “Jìhuà shēngyù, rénrén yǒu zé” shì guòqù fēicháng liúxíng de yí ge kǒuhào.
  • English: “Family planning is everyone's responsibility” was a very popular slogan in the past.
  • Analysis: Citing a historical propaganda slogan, which gives a feel for how the policy was messaged to the public.
• Example 8:
  • 你怎么看待中国的计划生育政策？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ zěnme kàndài Zhōngguó de jìhuà shēngyù zhèngcè?
  • English: What is your view on China's family planning policy?
  • Analysis: A typical question used to open a discussion on this complex topic.
• Example 9:
  • 由于计划生育，我成了家里唯一的孩子。
  • Pinyin: Yóuyú jìhuà shēngyù, wǒ chéngle jiālǐ wéiyī de háizi.
  • English: Because of the family planning policy, I became the only child in my family.
  • Analysis: A direct, personal statement linking the policy to the speaker's own life (as a 独生子女, dúshēng zǐnǚ).
• Example 10:
  • 国家卫生健康委员会负责管理全国的计划生育工作。
  • Pinyin: Guójiā Wèishēng Jiànkāng Wěiyuánhuì fùzé guǎnlǐ quánguó de jìhuà shēngyù gōngzuò.
  • English: The National Health Commission is responsible for managing the nation's family planning work.
  • Analysis: A formal sentence demonstrating the official, bureaucratic nature of the term.

• Mistake 1: Confusing it with personal planning.
  • English speakers often mistake `计划生育` for the act of planning one's own family. You would never say “我们正在做计划生育 (Wǒmen zhèngzài zuò jìhuà shēngyù)” to mean “We are planning to have kids.”
  • Incorrect: 我们在计划生育。 (We are doing the state-mandated family planning policy.)
  • Correct: 我们计划要个孩子。 (Wǒmen jìhuà yào ge háizi.) - “We plan to have a child.”
  • Correct: 我们在备孕。 (Wǒmen zài bèiyùn.) - “We are preparing for pregnancy.”
• Mistake 2: Assuming it only means “One-Child Policy.”
  • `计划生育` is the umbrella term for the entire national strategy. The “One-Child Policy” (独生子女政策, dúshēng zǐnǚ zhèngcè) was the most famous and longest-lasting phase of this strategy. Using the term `计划生育` today is more likely to be a reference to the current three-child policy or the entire historical arc of China's population control.

• 独生子女 (dúshēng zǐnǚ) - “Only child,” the generation of children born during the One-Child Policy era.
• 二孩政策 (èrhái zhèngcè) - The Two-Child Policy, which replaced the One-Child Policy in 2016.
• 三孩政策 (sānhái zhèngcè) - The Three-Child Policy, the current version of the policy introduced in 2021 to combat low birth rates.
• 人口 (rénkǒu) - Population. This is the core issue that `计划生育` was designed to manage.
• 老龄化 (lǎolínghuà) - Aging of a population. A major and challenging consequence of the family planning policy.
• 超生 (chāoshēng) - To give birth to more children than permitted by the state policy; a term created specifically because of this policy.
• 国策 (guócè) - National policy. This term signifies that `计划生育` was a policy of the highest national priority.
• 户口 (hùkǒu) - The household registration system, which was a key mechanism for enforcing `计划生育` rules.
• 男女比例失调 (nánnǚ bǐlì shītiáo) - Skewed male-to-female ratio; another significant societal impact of the policy.