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This term refers to love
for one’s kin and particularly for one’s parents. It is a natural affection,
and it also refers to the way in which such feeling is expressed. Confucianism
holds that such a love should also be extended to others so that it will foster
public virtue. Excessive affection for one’s kin, however, can lead to
favoritism in one’s conduct. So righteousness is proposed by Confucianism as a
means to curb excessive love for one’s kin.
The basic meaning of the term is love for others. Its extended meaning refers to the state of harmony among people, and the unity of all things under heaven. Ren (仁) constitutes the foundation and basis for moral behavior. It is also a consciousness that corresponds to the norms of moral behavior. Roughly put, ren has the following three implications: 1) compassion or conscience; 2) virtue of respect built upon the relationship between fathers and sons and among brothers; and 3) the unity of all things under heaven. Confucianism holds ren as the highest moral principle. Ren is taken as love in the order of first showing filial piety to one’s parents and elder brothers, and then extending love and care to other members of the family, and eventually to everyone else under heaven.
The basic meaning of yi (义) is “reasonable” and “proper.” It has two extended meanings. One is the proper basis and standard for people’s actions. The other is to adjust one’s words or deeds to meet certain standards, under the guidance of moral judgments. Scholars in the Song Dynasty used li (理) or “principles of heaven” to interpret yi, and considered yi to be the reasonable standard defined by the “principles of heaven,” and hoped that people’s words and deeds would fall in line with the “principles of heaven.”
Filial piety is obedience to, and respect and love for your parents. To observe this, you must do the following. First, attentively keep your body, born by parents, safe from injury and illness so as to relieve them of their worries. Second, do not go against your parents’ teachings, guidance and requests; obey them even if you do not agree with them. Third, gain fame and become accomplished through moral integrity, so as to highlight their teachings and guidance. Filial piety is rooted in children’s love and respect for their parents. Confucians believe that filial piety is the foundation of a person’s moral integrity and the basis for maintaining and strengthening the parent-child relationship, and even the sovereign-subject relationship.
Fraternal duty is obedience to, and love and respect for one’s elder brother. To observe this, the younger brother must follow an elder brother’s guidance and orders. Fraternal duty should be rooted in the heartfelt love and respect for an elder brother. Confucians often speak of “fraternal duty” and “filial piety” together, believing that together they are the foundation for cultivating personal moral integrity, and are the basis for maintaining and strengthening family ethics, extending even to the political order.
Mencius (372?-289 BC) advocated that those in power should govern with love and benevolence. He believed that humans by nature have love for their fellows, but that this needs to be widely inclusive in order to constitute a true rule with benevolence. Love and benevolence begin with close family and relatives but then should spread to embrace all the people under his rule. This is the way to achieve rule with benevolence.
This term means to infer others’ thoughts with one’s own. It is exactly what Confucianism advocates as tolerance toward others, which is an important principle or method of caring for the people and cherishing all things. In the first place, such thinking believes that people basically share a common spirit. On this basis, tolerance and benevolence need to be advanced. One should show consideration for others by putting oneself in their place, and understand others by walking in their shoes. We should never do unto others what we would not want others to do unto ourselves, and whatever we would wish for ourselves, we should also help others to achieve.
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