shu
shu — noun
1. a central Confucian virtue of treating other people with the same thoughtfulness
a central Confucian virtue of treating other people with the same thoughtfulness and care that you would want for yourself, based on the principle that you should not do anything to someone that you would not want done to you.
Arguing over chores, Grandma Lin told the kids to practice shu and consider each other's feelings.
practice shu + think of (concrete application in daily conflict)
The teacher asked her class to explain how shu could guide their daily choices.
Ancient Chinese scholars described shu as a moral compass for building a fair society.
Many Taiwanese parents introduce the idea of shu when teaching their children about fairness.
A book on Confucian ethics explained that shu requires people to imagine the feelings of others before acting.
- reciprocity
more general and less moral-philosophical; can describe exchange in any context
- consideration
narrower in scope; lacks the full Confucian philosophical framework
- mutual respect
overlaps in meaning but is not tied to Confucian tradition
- selfishness
acting only for one's own benefit without regard for others
- hypocrisy
expecting from others what you are unwilling to give yourself
文法句型
the concept/shu + of + [principle]
shu + requires/means + [verb-ing or that-clause]
用法筆記
Frequently appears in academic or cultural discussions of Confucian ethics rather than in casual conversation. Often paired with 仁 (rén, benevolence) as the two core Confucian virtues.