邓小平关于社会主义本质的论述并未提及公有制，如何理解，论者如云。本文认为，“本质论”就是公有制的本质论。“解放生产力，发展生产力”谈的不是生产力，而是生产关系，它是从联系的和发展变化的角度来界定公有制生产关系的。“本质论”完整地把握了公有制的内涵和社会主义本质，有助于我们在公有制问题上解放思想并深化对公有制的认识 Deng Xiaoping’s discourse on the essence of socialism did not mention public ownership, how to understand it, and commentators are like clouds. This paper argues that “essence” is the essence of public ownership. “Liberating the productive forces and developing the productive forces” refers not to productive forces but to productive relations. It defines the relations of public-ownership production from the perspective of connection and development. The Theory of Essence completely grasped the connotation of public ownership and the essence of socialism, helped us emancipate our minds and deepen our understanding of public ownership