Ren, Li and Filial Piety: Confucian Virtues

Confucian ethics revolves around a few key ideas. Ren, often translated as humaneness or benevolence, is the inner quality of caring for others; Confucius summed up one aspect of it as 'Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself'. Li means ritual propriety, the proper conduct, manners and ceremonies that express respect and hold relationships together. Xiao, filial piety, is respect and care for parents and ancestors, seen as the root of all virtue.

Later Confucians described five relationships: ruler and subject, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, and friend and friend. Each carried mutual obligations, though four were hierarchical. Supporters see this as a recipe for stability, responsibility and respect for elders; critics, including Chinese reformers in the early 20th century, argued it reinforced authoritarian rule and the subordination of women and the young. The junzi, or exemplary person, embodies these virtues through lifelong learning.