仁义

仁義

rényì

noun #37,507

Meanings

1 benevolence and righteousness
2 humaneness and justice (Confucian virtues)

Characters

benevolence, humaneness

righteousness, duty

Examples

孔子讲仁，孟子讲仁义。

Kǒngzǐ jiǎng rén, Mèngzǐ jiǎng rényì.

Confucius taught ren; Mencius taught ren and yi together.

他这个人很讲仁义。

Tā zhège rén hěn jiǎng rényì.

He is a man of honor and loyalty.

Tips

culture

Core pair of Confucian virtues: 仁 is compassion toward others, 义 is doing what is morally right. Mencius made 仁义 the moral foundation of government, arguing that a ruler who loses 仁义 forfeits the mandate to rule.

Stroke Order

仁 rén

义 yì