中华人民共和国宪法   CONSTITUTION OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 
（一九八二年十二月四日第五届全国人民代表大会第五次会议通过）   (Adopted at the Fifth Session of the Fifth National People's Congress and promulgated for implementation by the Proclamation of the National People's Congress on December 4, 1982) 
目 录   Contents 
序 言   Preamble 
第一章 总 纲   Chapter I General Principle 
第二章 公民的基本权利和义务   Chapter II The Fundamental Rights and Duties of Citizens 
第三章 国家机构   Chapter III The Structure of the State 
第一节 全国人民代表大会   Section 1 The National People's Congress 
第二节 中华人民共和国主席   Section 2 The President of the People's Republic of China 
第三节 国务院   Section 3 The State Council 
第四节 中央军事委员会   Section 4 The Central Military Commission 
第五节 地方各级人民代表大会和地方各级人民政府   Section 5 The Local People's Congresses and Local People's Governments at Various Levels 
第六节 民族自治地方的自治机关   Section 6 The Organs of Self-Government of National Autonomous Areas 
第七节 人民法院和人民检察院   Section 7 The People's Courts and the People's Procuratorates 
第四章 国旗、国徽、首都   Chapter IV The National Flag , the National Emblem and the Capital 
序 言   Preamble 
中国是世界上历史最悠久的国家之一。中国各族人民共同创造了光辉灿烂的文化，具有光荣的革命传统。   China is a country with one of the longest histories in the world. The people of all of China's nationalities have jointly created a culture of grandeur and have a glorious revolutionary tradition. 
一八四0年以后，封建的中国逐渐变成半殖民地、半封建的国家。中国人民为国家独立、民族解放和民主自由进行了前仆后继的英勇奋斗。   After 1840, feudal China was gradually turned into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country. The Chinese people waged many successive heroic struggles for national independence and liberation and for democracy and freedom. 
二十世纪，中国发生了翻天覆地的伟大历史变革。   Great and earthshaking historical changes have taken place in China in the 20th century. 
一九一一年孙中山先生领导的辛亥革命，废除了封建帝制，创立了中华民国。但是，中国人民反对帝国主义和封建主义的历史任务还没有完成。    The Revolution of 1911, led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen, abolished the feudal monarchy and gave birth to the Republic of China. But the historic mission of the Chinese people to overthrow imperialism and feudalism remained unaccomplished. 
一九四九年，以主席为领袖的中国共产党领导中国各族人民，在经历了长期的艰难曲折的武装斗争和其他形式的斗争以后，终于推翻了帝国主义、封建主义和官僚资本主义的统治，取得了新民主主义革命的伟大胜利，建立了中华人民共和国。从此，中国人民掌握了国家的权力，成为国家的主人。   After waging protracted and arduous struggles, armed and otherwise, along a zigzag course, the Chinese people of all nationalities led by the Communist Party of China with Chairman Mao Zedong as its leader ultimately, in 1949, overthrew the rule of imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat-capitalism, won a great victory in the New-Democratic Revolution and founded the People's Republic of China. Since then the Chinese people have taken control of state power and become masters of the country. 
中华人民共和国成立以后，我国社会逐步实现了由新民主主义到社会主义的过渡。    After the founding of the People's Republic, China gradually achieved its transition from a New-Democratic to a socialist society. 
生产资料私有制的社会主义改造已经完成，人剥削人的制度已经消灭，社会主义制度已经确立。   The socialist transformation of the private ownership of the means of production has been completed, the system of exploitation of man by man abolished and the socialist system established. 
工人阶级领导的、以工农联盟为基础的人民民主专政，实质上即无产阶级专政，得到巩固和发展。   The people's democratic dictatorship led by the working class and based on the alliance of workers and peasants, which is in essence the dictatorship of the proletariat, has been consolidated and developed. 
中国人民和中国人民解放军战胜了帝国主义、霸权主义的侵略、破坏和武装挑衅，维护了国家的独立和安全，增强了国防。   The Chinese people and the Chinese People's Liberation Army have defeated imperialist and hegemonist aggression, sabotage and armed provocations and have thereby safeguarded China's national independence and security and strengthened its national defence. 
经济建设取得了重大的成就，独立的、比较完整的社会主义工业体系已经基本形成，农业生产显著提高。教育、科学、文化等事业有了很大的发展，社会主义思想教育取得了明显的成效。广大人民的生活有了较大的改善。    Major successes have been achieved in economic development. An independent and relatively comprehensive socialist system of industry has basically been established. There has been a marked increase in agricultural production. Significant advances have been made in educational, scientific and cultural undertakings, while education in socialist ideology has produced noteworthy results. The life of the people has improved considerably.