仁 – Chinese philosophy and culture

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rén 仁

Ren

“仁”的基本含义是爱人,进而达到人与人之间、天地万物之间一体的状态。“仁”既是道德行为的基础和依据,又是一种内在的与道德行为相应的心理意识。大体来说,“仁”有如下三重含义:其一,指恻隐之心或良心;其二,指根源于父子兄弟关系基础上的亲亲之德;其三,指天地万物一体的状态和境界。儒家将其作为最高的道德准则,并将“仁”理解为有差等的爱,即爱人以孝父母敬兄长为先,进而关爱其他家族成员,最终扩大为对天下之人的博爱。

The basic meaning of the term is love for others. Its extended meaning refers to the state of harmony among people, and the unity of all things under heaven. Ren (仁) constitutes the foundation and basis for moral behavior. It is also a consciousness that corresponds to the norms of moral behavior. Roughly put, ren has the following three implications: 1) compassion or conscience; 2) virtue of respect built upon the relationship between fathers and sons and among brothers; and 3) the unity of all things under heaven. Confucianism holds ren as the highest moral principle. Ren is taken as love in the order of first showing filial piety to one’s parents and elder brothers, and then extending love and care to other members of the family, and eventually to everyone else under heaven.

引例 Citations:

◎克己复礼为仁。(《论语·颜渊》)

(约束自己使言语行为都合于礼,就是仁。)

Ren means to restrain one’s self and follow social norms. (The Analects)

◎仁者,爱之理,心之德也。(朱熹《论语集注》)

(仁,是爱的道理,心的德性。)

Ren is the principle of love and the moral nature of human mind. (Zhu Xi: The Analects Variorum)

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