Abstract: The category of Chinese modernization has experienced not only the historical change from exploration to establishment, but also the logical development from simple category to category system. Chinese modernization is the symbolic category of the CPC’s theoretical innovation in the new era, and as a scientific theoretical system, Chinese modernization theory itself also contains a series of symbolic categories, which reveal the connotation, characteristics and essence of Chinese modernization and make it clearer, more scientific, and more perceptible and feasible. The symbolic categories of Chinese modernization theory have laid a solid conceptual and theoretical foundation for constructing the theory’s scientific system, refining its basic principles and enhancing its discourse persuasiveness and influence, which further promote the theory’s systematization and rationality. Therefore, refining and clarifying the symbolic categories of Chinese modernization theory is the basic work and necessary process to build the theoretical system of Chinese modernization with academic rationality.