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.
The basic meaning of the term is to put oneself in another person’s position and have empathy, and to reflect what one would do in the same kind of situation. Starting out from their own likes and dislikes, people can understand and show considerations for the wishes of others, and on the basis of such understanding, people should refrain from imposing their own likes and dislikes on others. This is what it means to be considerate. To those enforcing the law and to the victims of wrongdoing, the meaning of the term extended to mean forgiveness or pardon.
Do not impose on others what you do not want yourself. That is the “way of being considerate” advocated by Confucius(551-479 BC). It calls for using one’s own mind to infer and understand other people’s minds. In today’s words, it means to put oneself into others’ shoes or to think from their positions. Its philosophical basis lies in the similarity of people’s basic natures. It is an important principle put forth by Confucians to govern inter-personal relationships, and is now extended to international relationship management to counter power politics. Its essential elements are benevolence, equality, and tolerance.
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.
Loyalty involves doing one’s utmost. A person in a certain position or office should wholeheartedly perform his duties and must not be influenced by personal interests. The object of loyalty can be the person who appoints you to your post or grants you a position; it can also be an organization, group or the state where you belong. For example, in ancient society it was thought the monarch should be loyal to the people while the subjects should be loyal to the monarch.
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.