Listen to this articletiānlǐ 天理
Natural Law
天地万物与人类社会所遵循的普遍法则。宋明儒者认为，“天”的本质意义就是“天理”，并将“天理”作为具有终极意义的最高范畴。“天理”是事物的本体或本原，决定着人与事物的本性，是自然法则与人伦道德的依据。“天理”超越于有形的具体事物，但又包含在每一个具体事物之中。在人性之中，“天理”表现为人天生所禀受的至善之性，常与“人欲”相对。
The term means the universal law observed by all things in heaven and on earth as well as by human society. Confucian scholars in the Song and Ming dynasties held that the essence of heaven was natural law, and they regarded natural law as the realm of ultimate significance. Natural law is the essence or the source of things, deciding the inherent nature of humans and things. It is the law of nature and the foundation of moral conduct in the human society. Natural law transcends visible, concrete things, but it also exists in each concrete thing. In terms of human nature, natural law expresses itself in the innate good nature one is bestowed upon by heaven, as opposed to “human desire.”
引例 Citations：
◎万物皆只是一个天理。（《二程遗书》卷二上）
（万物都只是天理的具体呈现。）
All things are but manifestations of the natural law. (Writings of the Cheng Brothers)
◎性即天理，未有不善者也。（朱熹《孟子集注》）
（人性就是天理，没有不是善的。）
Human nature reflects the natural law, which is necessarily benign. (Zhu Xi: Mencius Variorum)
