When we talk about social ethics in ancient China, an important concept that has to be mentioned is the 'Five Lun'. So, you may ask, what is Wulun? The ancient book "Kindergarten Qionglin" describes it like this: "What is Wulun? Princes, fathers and sons, brothers, husbands and wives, friends"
How do you understand this? We can understand it this way.
What is Wulun called? "Wulun, in fact, is the five most important interpersonal relationships in our lives: monarchs and ministers, fathers and sons, husbands and wives, brothers, and friends.
Let's be specific.
The first is the monarch and minister, although it is not used very much now, but it can be understood as the relationship between leaders and employees or the state and citizens, and it has to be about rules and morality.
The second is father and son, which is the relationship between father and child, who must care for each other, and the father is kind and filial to the son.
The third type is brothers, which refers to brothers or friends like brothers, who have to help each other and live in harmony.
The fourth type is husband and wife, that is, the husband and wife, who have to respect each other and live hand in hand.
The last type is friends, that is, like-minded and trusting people, who have to be trustworthy and sincere to each other.
In ancient society, everyone paid attention to fame, and everyone must abide by their own position in the Five Lun, abide by ethics and morality, fulfill their obligations, and be loyal to the king, filial piety to the father and son, husband and wife, brother and brother, friendship and friendship.
Friends, have you ever wondered who proposed the "Five Lun"?
I consulted the relevant materials and learned that the "Five Lun" was proposed by Mencius.
Mencius clearly expounded the concept of "Wulun" in Mencius · Tengwen Gong Shang", that is, "father and son have relatives, monarchs and ministers have righteousness, husbands and wives are different, the elders and young are orderly, and friends have faith". These five relationships were regarded by Mencius as the basic human relations and moral norms of society, and each relationship has its own specific behavioral norms and moral requirements.
The "Five Lun" that Mencius said at that time is simply a treasure book in our lives. It tells us how to get along with family, friends, leaders, and colleagues. It's not just a truth, it's more like a guide to our daily behavior.
Think about it, when we were young, our parents taught us to be filial and our brothers and sisters to love each other; When we grew up, our teachers taught us to be kind and kind to others. After work, we also found that to be loyal to the leader and honest with colleagues, isn't this the truth of "Wulun"?
Moreover, these "five Lun" are not only useful to us. In ancient times, emperors used it to govern the country and let everyone live in harmony. Although times have changed, the spirit of "Wulun" is still there, and it has been deeply rooted in our culture.
Every time I deal with people, I think of "Wulun", which makes me know how to respect others more and know how to get along with others. It's not just a theory, it's a part of our lives that makes us more decent and polite in our dealings with people.
This is the charm of "Wulun" and the treasure of our culture.