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This term means acting in
good faith. Good faith is one of the principal ethical standards one should
observe in order to establish oneself in society. However, one must comply with
ethical principles in honoring a promise. If a promise goes against ethical
principles, one should not blindly deliver it. Confucianism stresses the
importance of acting in good faith for both rulers and people: A ruler must
keep his promises made to the people so that they will abide by his decrees;
one should be honest and truthful towards friends.
According to Records of the Historian, in order to gain the people’s trust before initiating his political reforms, Shang Yang (390?-338 BC) announced that, regardless of whoever it might be, if anyone was able to move a huge log 3 zhang long（ approx. 7 meters） from the southern gateway to the northern gateway of the market in the capital city, he would be amply rewarded. A person was bold enough to attempt this task and succeeded; hence he was immediately rewarded with a generous sum of money. After that, the people were convinced that Shang Yang was one who kept his word, and hence, he was able to issue his new decrees unimpeded. The important thing here is “the establishment of credibility” – winning the people’s trust. In order to pass a country’s decrees unimpeded, one must first gain trust, which is imperative for issuing a decree. Only in this way can the support and allegiance of the common people be gained.
This term, from The Book of Rites, means attaching great value to good faith and seeking harmonious relations, which was a key features of the society of “universal harmony” envisioned by Confucian scholars from the Warring States Period through the Qin and Han dynasties. They believed that in an ideal society, the land should belong to all its people, and there should be mutual trust, cooperation and harmonious relations between people and between states. “Keeping good faith and pursuing harmony” subsequently became an ethical norm advocated by Confucian scholars; it later also became an important Chinese cultural norm governing relations between people and between states.
Without the trust of the people, the government will not be stable. Chinese people have since antiquity put high value on “trust” (good faith). Confucius（551-479 BC） applied it to the relationship between officials and the people and saw it as a crucial factor in the stability of the state. What this means is that the government or the ruler should be honest in dealing with the people, not acting recklessly with force or power, so that the people will trust the authorities and act in good faith in regard to them. This is the solid basis and guarantee of state power. It is also an extension of the notion of “people are the foundation of the state.”
The expression comes from Mozi and The Analects. Followers of Mozi and Confucian ethics admired those who could keep their promises and whose actions were resolute. They believed speech and action should match. However, Confucius (551-479BC) and Mencius (372?-289BC) took this further to apply to rulers who, only by being as good as their words and trustworthy in their speech, could earn the confidence and support of their subjects who, in turn, would be truthful with them. For Confucius, this principle, rather than be followed too rigidly, should in practice be applied on the basis of what is ethical under specific conditions and after careful weighing the pros and cons. Later, the expression came to refer to honest speech and firm action, keeping one’s word, and also “suit action to word.”
To address the extravagance in social mores and in the style of writing of his time, Laozi advocated simple and natural lifestyles and literary presentations. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, men of letters valued natural and simple literary styles and were opposed to extravagant and superficial styles. This line of thought led to the emergence of great poets like Tao Yuanming（365 or 372 or 376-427）, and shaped literary writings to reflect direct thoughts and natural expressions. Subsequently, ancient Chinese literature and art took simplicity and naturalness as the highest aesthetic standards.
Sincerity is among the core concepts of the Confucian school of thought. Basically, it means truthfulness without deceit. Confucians believed that sincerity is the essence of the “way of heaven” or “principles of heaven,” a basis on which everything else is built. At the same time, sincerity is also the root and foundation of morality. All moral deeds must be conducted on the basis of sincerity from the bottom of the heart. Otherwise, they are nothing but pretensions. The Doctrine of the Mean maintains, “Nothing can be achieved without sincerity.” Sages are sincere by nature. Therefore, their words and deeds are naturally consistent with the “way of heaven” and the “principles of heaven.” Junzi (a man of virtue) upholds sincerity as his goal for moral attainment and an approach to achieving the “way of heaven” and the “principles of heaven.”
This term means to establish credibility by careful use of language. The Chinese character xiu (修) refers to the careful selection of words and phrases as well as logical arrangement of text in writing a story, and some believe that it also refers to the cultivation of one’s mind. The Chinese character ci (辞) refers to what one says, and some interpret it as governance of public affairs and cultivation of good manners. The Chinese phrase licheng (立诚) means to establish credibility. When it comes to the writing of stories, it means what one writes about is true, the rhetoric one uses is plain and simple and one is sincere in expressing his feelings. Because of different written explanations in ancient books as well as different interpretations about the relationship between xiuci and licheng, this set phrase has primarily two meanings. The first addresses the overhaul of rituals and music as well as legal codes. This means that rulers must compose documents or essays with sincerity so that the principles for governance and social norms can be explicitly illustrated in documents or essays. As a result, the principles for running the country and social norms will be accepted by the public from well-written documents and essays, and be followed to the letter. The second refers to the expression of what a writer really thinks and feels when it comes to the writing of stories or essays. Confucianism holds that diction conveys what a writer thinks and feels, and hence the moral integrity of the writer can find expression in what he writes. If anything, this phrase indicates the importance Chinese people attach to the consistency between language and reality, between one’s words and actions, and between one’s appearance and inner thoughts.
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