鄭觀應《盛世危言》所闡述的“中體西用”思想在中國近代思想史上具有鮮明特色和 重要地位。其主要內容一是“中道西器”，即儒家的中和之道與西方的富強之術，兩者是“體” 和“用”的關係，中和之道也是《盛世危言》的核心思想； 二是“中本西末”，即“中學其本， 西學其末”，“中學”指中華傳統典籍，“西學”則包括“西政”、“西藝”等有益於國計民生 的實學。在晚清“學絕道喪”的時代語境中，鄭觀應主張在堅守中和之道和學習中華典籍的前提下， 從政治、經濟、社會、教育各個方面效法西方，變法圖強，在立足於本民族文化的基礎上採納西方文 化，其“中體西用”思想達到了當時維新人士所能達到的高度，對當世和後世都產生了深遠影響。

The thinking of “Zhong Ti Xi Yong”（中體西用）described in Zheng Guanying’s Sheng Shi Wei Yan has distinct features and enjoys an important place in the modern history of ideology. One of its major content deals with “Zhong Dao Xi Qi”（中道西器）, namely the middle-of-the-road thinking of Confucianism and the way to prosperity and power of the West, both of which share the relationship of system and use. The middle-of-the-road thinking is also the essence of Sheng Shi Wei Yan. Second is “Zhong Ben Xi Mo”（中本西末）, which means Chinese knowledge serves as the foundation while Western as supplement. “Zhong Xue” （中學） represents traditional Chinese literature, and “Xi Xue”（西學）includes practical knowledge such as “Xi Zheng”（西政）and “Xi Yi”（西藝）which benefit the national economy and people’s livelihood. In the context of times of “Xue Jue Dao Sang”（學絕道喪）in the late Qing dynasty, Zheng Guanying proposed under the pretext of adhering to the middle-of-the-road thinking and learning traditional Chinese literature to learn from the West in the aspects of politics, economics, society and education, and reform to be strong and accept Western culture on the basis of national culture. His thinking of “Zhong Ti Xi Yong” has reached the level of the reformers at that time, which has a profound effect on the current generation and the generations to come.