全国人大九届一次会议通过的中央政府机构改革方案将40个部委精简为20个,规定政府机关的人数要分流一半。为什么1993年—1996年全国性的机构改革刚刚结束,又开始了新一轮的全国性机构改革?原因是中国的机构改革始终未能走出“精简——膨胀——再精简——再膨胀”怪圈。本文对历史怪圈进行回顾与反思,并指出走出怪圈的唯一出路是全方位深化改革。 The Central Government’s institutional reform plan, adopted at the first session of the Ninth NPC, has reduced 40 ministries and commissions to 20, stipulating that the number of government agencies should be split by half. Why did the nationwide institutional reform just came to an end in 1993-1996 and another round of nationwide structural reforms started? The reason is that the institutional reform in China has consistently failed to get out of the “streamlining-expansion-streamlining-retaliation” Strange circle. This article reviews and reflects on the historical cycle and points out that the only way out of the cycle is to deepen the reform in all aspects.