十八屆四中全會專題研究依法治國問題,並就這一問題作出專門決定。這意味著中國社會正在進入一個新的歷史階段一一國家治理法治化階段。四中全會決定指出,全面推進依法治國的總目標是建設中國特色社會主義法治體系,建設社會主義法治國家。這是在中央文件中第一次提出‘中國特色社會主義法治體系’的概念。什麼是‘法治體系’?在過去的法律文獻和法學著述中只有‘法律體系’或‘法制體系’的提法,而很少有或幾乎沒有‘法治體系’的提法。‘法治 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee studies the issue of governing the country according to law and makes a special decision on this issue. This means that Chinese society is entering a new historical stage - the period of legalization of state governance. The Plenum of the Fourth Plenary Session decided that the overall objective of comprehensively promoting the administration of the country according to law is to establish a socialist system of rule of law with Chinese characteristics and build a socialist country governed by the rule of law. This is the first time in the central document that the concept of ’the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics’ is put forward. What is the ’rule of law’ system? Only the legal system or the legal system was mentioned in the legal literature and legal writings in the past, and there is little or no reference to the ’rule of law’ system. Rule of law