纲常

綱常

gāngcháng

noun

Meanings

1 (Confucian) cardinal principles
2 the Three Bonds and Five Constants
3 moral order

Characters

main rope / guiding principle

Examples

古人非常重视纲常伦理。

Gǔrén fēicháng zhòngshì gāngcháng lúnlǐ.

The ancients placed great importance on the cardinal moral principles.

这种行为违背了纲常。

Zhè zhǒng xíngwéi wéibèile gāngcháng.

This kind of behavior violates the cardinal moral code.

五四运动对传统纲常提出挑战。

Wǔsì yùndòng duì chuántǒng gāngcháng tíchū tiǎozhàn.

The May Fourth Movement challenged traditional moral norms.

Tips

history

Short for 三纲五常 — the Three Bonds (ruler-subject, father-son, husband-wife) and Five Constants (仁 benevolence, 义 righteousness, 礼 propriety, 智 wisdom, 信 trust). Formalized by the Han Confucian Dong Zhongshu (董仲舒) as the moral scaffolding of the imperial order; heavily criticized by modern reformers.

Stroke Order

纲 gāng

常 cháng