Why did the ancients attach so much importance to "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith"?

Attaching importance to and advocating spiritual life is the mainstream view of ancient thinkers.

China's traditional culture believes that "letting wealth and fame drift by like clouds is unjust" and advocates the spiritual pursuit of "having a meal and a ladle of drink, and worrying when people can't bear it in a mean alley, and not changing their fun when they go back". The ancient people in China advocated the concept of justice and benefit, that is, to control benefit with justice, and to put justice before benefit; They advocate the guidance and control of desire in the view of reason and desire, and emphasize the guidance and control of desire with moral reason and spiritual character.

Attaching importance to spirit is a fine tradition of the Chinese nation, and the fine tradition of advocating spirit is first manifested in the unique understanding of the relationship between material life and spiritual life. Ancient sages believed that the reason why people are different from animals lies in their moral and spiritual pursuit. In the traditional culture of China, attaching importance to and advocating spiritual life is the mainstream view of ancient thinkers.

traditional Chinese virtues

"Benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faithfulness" are the core values and basic requirements of the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, which promote the development of the whole social moral system and improve the social moral level, and occupy an important position in the traditional virtues of the whole Chinese nation.

China is an ancient civilization and a country of etiquette, which values morality and etiquette. It has always enjoyed a high reputation in the world. There has been a clear definition in the history books, and the knowledge content of * * * basically formed in past dynasties is mainly five elements: "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith". Of course, there are many expressions in traditional morality, but most of them are included in these five elements, or the extension and development of these five elements.

Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faithfulness are the five most important moral requirements put forward and summarized by ancient Confucianism in China, which has a history of more than 2,500 years. In the early Spring and Autumn Period, Guan Zhong, a famous politician and thinker, put forward four moral elements: courtesy, righteousness, honesty and shame. It was Dong Zhongshu of the Han Dynasty who integrated the five moral elements of "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith" and comprehensively expounded and standardized them.

With the development of history, especially after Wei and Jin Dynasties, there appeared different views and opinions on moral understanding between officials and people, and they also expounded "benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith" in various ways, and made new creations and new norms.