从戊戌变法、辛亥革命, 到五四新文化运动, 构成了现代“平等”观念传播的高峰。以“新青年”派为代表的五四知识分子的“平等”观念有其历史的特点, 帝制的颠覆使“平等”从异端的政治诉求部分地变为法律条文, 开始进入城市知识分子的日常生活。比诸洛克的平等观念, “新青年”派通常在家庭伦理和男女平等要求上表现出更激进的面貌。但是, 对待经济平等问题的分歧, 则凸现了“新青年”派日后分裂的深层原因。自由主义者通常强调的只是法权平等, 常忽略经济平等; 激进的左翼则更加注重经济的实质平等, 不满足于平等观念的思想启蒙, 促使他们转向从事实际的社会变革。

During the May Fourth New Cultural Movement of 1919 that linked up with the "Hundred Days' Reform" of 1898 and the 1911 Revolution, the spread of the modern idea of "equality" reached its peak. The May Fourth intellectuals were represented by members of "New Youth", whose idea of "equality" had its historical features. With the downfall of China's autocratic monarchy the "equality" began to enter into urban intellectuals' everyday life due to its part transformation from a heretical political appeal to an article in law. Compared with Locke's notion of equality, the School of "New Youth" had a more radical appearance in its demands of family morals and equality of the sexes in general. However, differences towards the issue of economic equality among its members constituted an in-depth cause for their later separation. What was generally emphasized by those liberals was only equality of legal rights, while economic equality tended to be overlooked. On the other hand, radical leftists paid more attention to substantial equality in economy. Their dissatisfaction with intellectual enlightenment of the idea of equality made them turn to engage in practical social revolutions.