The ethical and moral system established by Confucius has been widely recognized by scholars of many countries as the most complete moral doctrine in the world. The French scholar Voltaire (1694–1778) said: “The entire teaching of Confucius consists of the purest moral doctrine. In matters of morality, Europeans are disciples of the Chinese. Confucius influenced others through morality; he was a legislator of humanity, and no legislator has proclaimed truths more useful to the world than Confucius.”

The British philosopher Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) said: “Chinese culture is based on Confucianism; Confucianism built a great Chinese empire. Without Confucius, Chinese morality would collapse.” The British philosopher of history Arnold Toynbee (1889–1975) said: “Only Confucianism can help solve the problems of the twenty-first century.”

I. Filial Piety as the Foundation: Ordering the Family and Establishing the Self through Filial Devotion

Confucius placed great importance on the family, regarding it as the basic unit of society. Society is composed of independent families; when each family is healthy, the social structure will naturally be sound. Therefore, Confucius pointed out that a gentleman’s self-cultivation must begin with ordering the family, and ordering the family begins with serving one’s parents, which in turn begins with filial piety. Filial piety is the foundation of family order. Confucius said: “Filial piety begins in serving one’s parents, continues in serving one’s ruler, and culminates in establishing oneself.” He elevated filial piety to a very high status, saying: “Of all beings between Heaven and Earth, humans are the most noble, and of all human conduct, nothing is greater than filial piety.” “Filial piety is the constant principle of Heaven, the righteousness of Earth, and the conduct of the people.” “Filial piety is the root of virtue and the source from which teaching arises.” “Our body, hair, and skin are received from our parents; not daring to injure them is the beginning of filial piety.” “To establish oneself, practice the Way, and bring honor to one’s name for later generations so as to glorify one’s parents—this is the completion of filial piety.” “A filial person skillfully continues the will of others and skillfully carries on their affairs, fulfills their position, performs their rites, plays their music, reveres what they revered, and loves whom they loved; serving the dead as if they were alive, serving the departed as if they were present—this is the ultimate filial piety.” “Among the three thousand articles of the Five Punishments, no crime is greater than unfilial conduct.” “The utmost filial piety and fraternal devotion communicate with the spirits, shine across the four seas, and reach everywhere without obstruction.” “To serve parents in life with love and respect, and to serve them in death with grief and mourning—then the foundations of human life are fulfilled, and the principles of life and death are complete; this is the completion of a filial child’s service to parents.”

Confucius praised the great filial piety of the ancient kings, saying: “Shun was supremely filial. His virtue made him a sage, his honor made him the Son of Heaven. Thus, great virtue must obtain its position, its emolument, its reputation, and its longevity. Therefore, one who possesses great virtue must receive the Mandate.”

Confucius emphasized the practice of filial piety, including the proper and generous burial of the deceased according to ritual norms, and the observance of a three-year mourning period to carry on the departed’s will and family traditions. He clearly stated that sincerity of heart is primary, while ritual form is secondary. During the mourning period, descendants should reflect upon and organize the valuable experiences and lessons of their forebears, inherit their aspirations, and absorb them into their own blood and life. The emphasis lies in inheritance and continuity—carrying forward the past while opening the future, preserving tradition, remembering without cease, and sustaining it endlessly. Confucian scholars originally served as ritual specialists managing funerary rites, a role that existed as early as the Shang dynasty centuries before. Confucius elevated this role into that of resolute, enterprising scholars concerned with state affairs and taking responsibility for the world.

II. The Five Relationships

Mencius summarized Confucius’ teachings on human ethics into the “Five Relationships”: “righteousness between ruler and minister, affection between father and son, distinction between husband and wife, order between elder and younger, and trust between friends.”

In “righteousness between ruler and minister,” righteousness (yi) means justice and Heavenly principle, referring to the highest and greatest moral law in the universe. Common expressions such as “the principles of Heaven and righteousness,” and “moral responsibility,” all point to this righteousness, which accords with the Mandate and will of Heaven and necessarily aligns with the greatest interests of the state and the people. Rulers and ministers must respect each other and place the supreme interests of the nation and the people above all else.

In “affection between father and son,” affection refers to bloodline, kinship, and tradition. Fathers transmit to sons, and sons inherit from fathers, generation after generation, continuing without interruption. Many Western countries have publicly listed father–son companies, which are concrete business manifestations of “affection between father and son,” where sons rightfully inherit their fathers’ enterprises and traditions.

In “distinction between husband and wife,” distinction means difference. Husband and wife are naturally different, as arranged by God’s will. God ordains that men primarily engage in external affairs and women primarily manage the household; men create, women continue life. Through division of labor and mutual cooperation, each fulfills their responsibilities, forming a harmonious and complete family.

In “order between elder and younger,” the primary reference is to the order among brothers. The elder leads, the younger respects; all brothers follow the father’s arrangements, refraining from disputes over property or inheritance. This principle also prevents royal brothers from rebelling, usurping power, and killing one another, thereby avoiding catastrophe. In Western countries, many “brothers’ companies” exemplify this principle, as brothers follow their father’s arrangements in business, establishing harmonious partnerships and jointly building enterprises.

In “trust between friends,” trust means honesty and mutual confidence. Friendship is built upon sincerity and trust, which serve as mutual restraints. Confucius said: “If a person has no trustworthiness, I do not know how he can stand.” All modern commercial activities are built upon systems of credit and trust. Confucius also said: “If the Way is not the same, one should not plan together.” Once trust collapses, everything collapses. The same applies to friendship: once trust is destroyed, the relationship is finished.

The Communist Party rose to power by deceiving the masses and inciting violence, and thus fundamentally lacks “trust.” Yet under its closed system of rule, the people can hear only one voice—the Party’s voice—consisting of fabricated lies, which the people are forced to accept as truth. Contemporary Xi Jinping surpasses Mao Zedong in the manufacture of falsehoods; his online operatives specialize in producing lies. One of the largest recent fabrications is the claim that the COVID-19 virus leaked from a U.S. biological laboratory. This lie has been believed by many people in mainland China and has spread through the internet into Chinese communities in the United States, where some Chinese immigrants also accept it as true, largely because their English proficiency is insufficient and they rely solely on Chinese-language news from mainland China.

III. What You Do Not Desire for Yourself, Do Not Impose on Others

Zigong, a senior disciple of Confucius, asked: “Is there one saying that can be practiced for a lifetime?” Confucius replied: “What you do not desire for yourself, do not impose on others.” Zigong asked whether this meant, “What I do not wish others to do to me, I also will not do to others?” Confucius replied that it did. This is what people commonly call the principle of empathy or the Way of shu (reciprocity). The character shu is composed of “ru” (as, like) and “xin” (heart), meaning “to place oneself in another’s heart.” For thousands of years, Confucius’ saying “What you do not desire for yourself, do not impose on others” has become a guiding principle for conduct among billions of people. Forgiving and understanding others is both the most ordinary and the rarest moral standard. This is not only true in China; Confucius’ teachings spread to the West centuries ago, were accepted in Europe and America, and became a widely embraced moral maxim.

IV. The World Conference on Religions Establishes “What You Do Not Desire for Yourself, Do Not Impose on Others” as the Best Maxim

In 1993, the World Conference on Religions was held in Berlin to discuss global ethics. When drafting its declaration, the conference selected the best moral maxims from different peoples and nations as the moral bottom line for humanity. In the end, it unanimously adopted Confucius’ saying: “What you do not desire for yourself, do not impose on others.” If you do not like something done to you, do not force it upon others; if you do not want your home destroyed, do not drop bombs on others’ homes. The English renderings include: “Do as you would be done by others,” or “Treat others as you want to be treated.” The conference stated that as long as humanity upholds this bottom line, human civilization will have hope.

In a park in Berlin, Germany, a tall statue of Confucius has been erected, with his famous saying engraved on the base in German: “What you do not desire for yourself, do not impose on others.”

V. A New Interpretation of “Respect the Spirits but Keep Your Distance”

In The Analects, chapter “Yong Ye,” Confucius replied to Fan Chi: “Devote yourself to the duties of the people; respect the spirits but keep your distance from them.” This statement has two layers of meaning: Respect the spirits, Keep your distance.

At first glance, this appears contradictory: how can one both respect the spirits and keep one’s distance? Communist atheism emphasizes only “keeping distance,” while ignoring the prerequisite of “respecting the spirits,” because communism is atheistic and denies the existence of gods or spirits in Heaven and Earth. The Communist Party categorizes Confucius as an atheist, yet Confucius explicitly said “respect the spirits.” How, then, can he be considered an atheist?

When Confucius said “respect the spirits,” he acknowledged the existence of divine beings in the universe. To “respect” means not violating divine will. Respect requires sincerity; without sincerity, there can be no respect. The primary requirement is sincere reverence, not violating divine intent, and honoring the natural order.

After “respecting the spirits,” one should not become obsessed with dependence on divine protection or be lost in ritualistic worship. Instead, one should rely on one’s own concrete efforts to achieve success. This is the meaning of “respecting them yet keeping distance.”

Therefore, Confucius’ phrase “respect the spirits but keep your distance” must be understood in its entirety. He urged people to sincerely revere the divine, and under divine protection and guardianship, to strive diligently to realize their own goals of success.