Yi (Chinese: 义; English: righteousness), as one of the Five Constants Virtues of Confucianism, is usually mentioned alongside Ren (仁) and Li (礼).
There are close connections between Ren, Yi, and Li. Ren is the goal to be attained in cultivating one’s moral character; Li is the guideline for regulating behaviors; Yi is to ensure that one will not deviate from his goals.
The word “righteousness” originally meant just and proper reasoning or behaviors.
The standard of Yi lies in conformity with Ren and Li. Therefore, Yi means conformity to all moral standards.
As a whole, Yi requires people, on the premise of safeguarding the interests of society, to regulate their behavior based on different virtues and to promote inner sublimation to achieve Ren without deviating from the norms of Li.
However, Yi in Confucianism also goes beyond observing basic moral norms. It is not only about the righteousness of behaviors but also extends to the cultivation of moral conduct.
Confucianism has explored the meaning of Yi in-depth and presented many different views. Confucius and Mencius, in particular, have profound insights into Yi that have exerted great effects on future generations.
1. Confucius on Yi
In The Doctrine of the Mean, Confucius’s classic statement is recounted: “Righteousness is the accordance of actions with what is right, and the great exercise of it is in honoring the worthy.”
He believes that honoring the virtuous is the greatest righteousness.
He also points out that Yi is an essential requirement for Junzi (君子). Junzi, said the Master, thinks it his duty to do what is right, carries it out according to the rules of Li, speaks with modesty, and accomplishes it faithfully.
It can be seen that a true Junzi boasts various excellent moral qualities, of which Yi is an important part.
2. Mencius on Yi
Mencius elaborated further on Yi.
He advocates “The Theory of Good Human Nature” (性善论). For him, Yi is a person’s “sense of shame and evil.” In other words, we should be ashamed of our own evil words and deeds, and abhor the evil words and deeds of others.
Mencius says, “Kill the innocent not benevolence, also not have and take it not righteousness also.” He emphasizes that people should act according to Yi.
According to Mencius, if a person’s behavior conforms to Yi, he will find true satisfaction and peace in his heart, so Yi should be implemented in all aspects of social life.
In this way, Yi is regarded as the principle and standard for maintaining social order. People’s behaviors that conform to such norms are “righteous;” otherwise, they are “unrighteous.”
3. The Confucian Concept of Yi and Benefit (利)
Confucian scholars have always attached particular importance to Yi and Benefit, and their views on these two aspects are broadly based on three perspectives: individuals’ attitudes in doing things, the cultivation of people’s personalities, and the ruler’s policy of governing the country.
From the perspective of Yi and the Benefit of doing things, Confucianism advocates doing things for Yi and not for Benefit, but it does not deny benefits.
That is to say, when doing something, one should first consider whether it conforms to Yi and morality. If it is, one’s benefits should be recognized and protected. If it is not, one should not do it even if he or she is driven by benefits to do so.
This is exactly the idea in The Analects of Confucius, “Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating clouds.”
In terms of Yi and Benefit of being a human being, Confucianism has always advocated “Yi before Benefit”. They all believe that individual benefits should be subordinated to public ones. For example, Mencius advocates sacrificing one’s life for Yi, which is the inheritance and development of “Yi before Benefit.”
Confucius also believes that Yi was the criterion by which a Junzi could be distinguished from Xiaoren (小人).
If Junzi is regarded as the model of character, Xiaoren represents the character traits that he opposed. The main difference between them lies in their attitudes toward Yi.
Concerning Yi and Benefit of governing a country, Confucian scholars have extensively discussed Yi and Benefit from the perspective of the ruler.
They mainly discussed two aspects, whether the ruler should attach importance to Yi or Benefit in ruling the country and whether the ruler should attach importance to the material life of the people while attaching importance to morality and Yi.
These scholars argued that the way to govern a country should emphasize Yi rather than Benefit and stressed that people’s material lives were as important as their moral lives.