Pengyou (朋友) are people who are not kin but share the same aspirations and sentiments and can help each other. Representing a close social relationship between these people, friendship is one of the “five relationships” among humans defined by Confucianism, namely, relationships between father and son, sovereign and subject, husband and wife, elder brother and younger brother, and between friends. Peng (朋) originally was an ancient monetary unit resembling two bunches of shells or jade stringed together. It was extended to mean disciples who follow the same teacher, namely, people who study together to improve each other’s knowledge and moral behavior. An ancient ideographic form of the character you (友) was two hands reaching in the same direction, which means comrades sharing the same interests and goals. The creation and fostering of this relationship is crucial to forming the society beyond blood ties, and to forming one’s character as well. For this reason, the Chinese have always revered moral standards as their fundamental principle and integrity as the basic norm governing their relationships. This applies to both relationships between people and relations among countries.

A man of virtue joins his friends in pursuing learning and studying dao. (The Book of Changes)

Between father and son, there should be affection; between sovereign and minister, righteousness; between husband and wife, attention to their separate roles; between old and young, a proper order; and between friends, honor and trust. (Mencius)

It is said in The Book of Rites: “People who study together are called friends, so are those who share similar interests and aspirations. If friends are close, they ask each other tough questions. If they are not so close, they ask each other questions in a soft way, If one is decent in what he says or does, he will be loved. If one is ill-intentioned in what he says or does, he will be deplored. Friends share wealth without haggling over how it should be distributed, and they come to each other's aid in time of adversity. (Debates of the White Tiger Hall)