It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.

The “black cat, white cat” saying is closely associated with Deng Xiaoping’s pragmatic turn in Chinese policy-making. It circulated in the late 1950s–early 1960s in debates over economic management, and Deng later invoked its spirit when promoting “reform and opening up” after 1978—arguing that practical results should outweigh ideological purity. The line is often linked to discussions of allowing market mechanisms and incentives within a socialist framework, especially in agriculture and light industry, as China sought to recover from earlier policy failures and accelerate modernization. In popular memory it became a shorthand for Deng’s results-oriented approach to governance.

The cat metaphor argues for judging policies by outcomes rather than by labels. “Black” and “white” stand in for competing ideological or doctrinal positions; “catching mice” stands for solving concrete problems—raising production, improving living standards, or making institutions work. In Deng’s political usage, the aphorism legitimizes experimentation: if a method delivers prosperity and stability, it can be adopted even if it resembles “capitalist” practice. The quote’s enduring significance lies in how it encapsulates a broader philosophy of pragmatic governance—prioritizing effectiveness, flexibility, and measurable results over rigid adherence to theory.