The Importance of Technical Fundamentals in Software Engineering

In Meituan there is a well‑known saying “practice the basics”. Founder Wang Xing explains that the basics are the fundamental actions of business and management. When the basics are solidly mastered, they can generate huge value, but mastering them requires long‑term, persistent effort.

Technical leaders at Meituan emphasize that the difference between a “good” and a “bad” programmer lies in efficiency, quality, maintainability, readability, and scalability – all of which depend heavily on one’s technical fundamentals.

Technical fundamentals exist in every line of code, every project, and every code file. They must be continuously accumulated and exercised by engineers.

To improve these fundamentals, the leaders suggest setting higher standards: aim for fewer bugs, avoid past pitfalls, anticipate future changes, and strive for “code as documentation”. Continuous practice and higher standards lead to better skills and greater excellence.

One senior engineer defines technical basics as including computer science fundamentals, coding conventions, design patterns, unit testing, and other universal skills that are not tied to a specific business domain, role, or implementation method.

The recommended practice methods are: (1) learn industry‑standard basic skills and continuously expand knowledge; (2) engage in massive, long‑term hands‑on practice; (3) regularly review and reflect on past work to identify improvement points.

The “10,000‑hour rule” is cited to illustrate that mastery requires sustained effort. Basic skills are easy to learn but hard to master; they require curiosity, deep thinking, patience, and a commitment to excellence.

There are no shortcuts: improving design, coding, and bug‑fixing are essential. Using the highest work standards to drive the practice of fundamentals helps raise overall delivery quality.

The article also links to two growth‑oriented essays and lists ten engineering principles (Owner mindset, time awareness, start with the end, closed‑loop thinking, respect, “no more than two” tasks, design first, output/capacity balance, ask good questions, empty‑cup mindset) that guide personal and team development.

Finally, the page includes a recruitment notice for Meituan’s technical operations team, outlining responsibilities, requirements, and a contact email ([email protected]) for interested candidates.