Keywords to Understand China

This saying comes from Zhan Guo Ce (The Strategies of the States), a collection of stories of political strategists of the Warring States Period. The idea reminds people to draw lessons from history to guide on future actions.

Justice breeds trust, and honesty fosters credibility. This is a maxim that was followed by many upright and honest officials in the Ming and the subsequent Qing dynasties. It remains an important guideline for the officials of today, reminding them to impose strict self-discipline and honestly and selflessly serve the public good.

This is a well-known saying from Fei Xiaotong (1910-2005), a Chinese sociologist, anthropologist and social activist. In a keynote speech, he proposed an idea about handling the relations between different cultures: "One should value not only one's own culture, but also the cultures of others, and this will contribute to the flourishing of all cultures." Such respect for other nations and cultures would bring prosperity to all cultures in the world.

Universal harmony under heaven
This is an ideal world described in The Book of Rites, a vision pursued by the ancient Chinese. In such a world, the people under heaven are of one family, and everyone is equal, friendly and ready to help each other. This is called da tong (universal harmony) in Chinese.

In Si Ma Fa (The Marshal's Art of War), it was written, "A warlike state, however big it may be, will eventually perish; the world in peace, if relaxing vigilance against war, will face danger."

These are two basic doctrines of the Mohist school of thought. 

This is a line in The Analects of Confucius. It advises one to show empathy toward others, put oneself in another's shoes, and be generous and tolerant. Anyone who imposes their will on others will see their relationships founder. This is an important Confucian principle for handling inter-personal relations. The core values are respect, benevolence, equality and tolerance.

Promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations is China's basic stance on dealing with inter-civilizational relations. Diversity spurs exchanges among civilizations, which in turn promote mutual learning and their further development. This embodies China's new concept of civilization. 

He who cherishes virtue prospers; he who favors might perishes. 

This is a warning from the Records of the Historian. It reflects the ancient Chinese advocacy of winning others’ admiration with virtue and opposition to forcing others with power. Virtue can convince people and bring lasting harmony and genuine solidarity, while power only forces them to obey.

Addressing the opening of the Fifth Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-building Measures in Asia, Xi Jinping quoted the Chinese adage, “He who cherishes virtue prospers; he who favor...

A state ruler seeks not wealth, but righteousness.

This line comes from The Book of Rites. Since ancient times, yi (righteousness) and li (gain) have been two basic concepts in the Chinese outlook on morality. One involves virtue and the greater good, the other involves profit and material gain. The Confucian school of thought believed that profit-seeking and moral pursuit are both instincts and natural desires. In terms of value judgement, people should favor the pursuit of yi over that of li, and use yi to restrain and guide li.

At Seoul National...