Ren (philosophy)

 (, meaning "co-humanity" or "humaneness") is a Confucian virtue meaning the good quality of a virtuous human when reaching for higher ideals or when being altruistic. is exemplified by functional, instinctual, parental feelings and intentions of encouragement and protection for their children. It is considered the outward expression of Confucian ideals.

Yan Hui, one of the Four Sages, once asked his master to describe the rules of. Confucius replied, "One should see nothing improper, hear nothing improper, say nothing improper, do nothing improper." Confucius also defined in the following way: "wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others." Confucius also said, “Is goodness out of reach? As soon as I long for goodness, goodness is at hand.” is close to man and never leaves him.

Interpretation of the Chinese character
The single logogram for is a composite of two distinct common hanzi, 人 (man, a man, a person) and 二 (two), with 人 assuming its common form inside another character, to which various interpretations have been assigned. Internally can mean "to look up" or "to aspire to higher principles or ideals" and, externally one often hears that  means "how two people should treat one another". While such folk etymologies are common in discussions of Chinese characters, they are often misleading.

In the case of —usually translated as "benevolence" or "humaneness"—humaneness is human-ness, the essence of being human. For Confucius, the interaction of a completely dependent infant and caring parent is the most emotionally charged human interaction, "To love a thing means wanting it to live...". The Way of humaneness is human interaction and, through shared experience, knowing one's family. "Fan Chi asked about humaneness. The Master said it is loving people. Fan Chi asked about wisdom. The Master said it is knowing people." In other words, human love and interaction is the source of humaneness, the source of the human self.

Another common interpretation of the graphical elements is Man or a man connecting Heaven and Earth.

Pre-imperial epigraphic sources testify to alternative writings of the same character: 忎 (given as a variant of 仁 in the Shuowen dictionary), 身 with 心 below (⿱身心), and the latter compound with 人 on the right.

Principles of, , and
The principle of is related to the concepts of  and. is often translated as "ritual"; as "righteousness". These three interrelated terms deal with agency as Confucians conceive it. is action deemed appropriate by society, is action that is indeed correct, while  deals with the relationship between the agent and object of the action. Often the same action is both and ; however, that is not always the case.

is the outward expression of Confucian ideals, while ren is both the inward and outward expressions of those same ideals. According to Hopfe and Woodward: "Basically, seems to mean 'the course of life as it is intended to go'.  also has religious and social connotations. When a society lives by, it moves smoothly: men and women respect their elders and superiors; the proper rituals and ceremonies are performed; everything and everyone is in its proper place."

Traditional views
relies heavily on the relationships between two people, but at the same time encompasses much more than that. It represents an inner development towards an altruistic goal, while simultaneously realizing that one is never alone, and that everyone has these relationships to fall back on, being a member of a family, the state, the world, and ultimately the Tao.

is not a concept that is learned; it is innate Everyone is born with the sense of. Confucius believed that the key to long-lasting integrity was to constantly think, since the world is continually changing at a rapid pace.

has been translated as "benevolence", "perfect virtue", "goodness", or "human-heartedness". When asked, Confucius defined it by the ordinary Chinese word for love,, saying that it meant to "love others".

also has a political dimension. Confucianism says that if the ruler lacks, it will be difficult for his subjects to behave humanely. is the basis of Confucian political theory; the ruler is exhorted to refrain from acting inhumanely towards his subjects. An inhumane ruler runs the risk of losing the Mandate of Heaven or, in other words, the right to rule. A ruler lacking such a mandate need not be obeyed, but a ruler who reigns humanely and takes care of the people will be entrusted by Heaven and trust by the people therefore follows, for the benevolence of his dominion shows that he has been mandated ( 命) by heaven. Confucius himself had little to say on the active will of the people, though he believed the ruler should definitely pay attention to the needs of the people and take good care of them to minimize wants. Mencius, however, stated that the people's opinion on certain weighty matters should be polled.

also includes traits that are a part of being righteous, such as: (信), meaning to make one's words complement one's actions;  (禮), which means to properly participate in everyday rituals;  (敬), meaning seriousness; and  (義), which means righteousness. When all these qualities are present, then one can truly be identified as a (君子), or "superior man"—a morally superior human being. Confucians held the view that government should be run by who concentrate solely on the welfare of the people they govern.