The commitment to embracing the world with virtue, in addition to being the spiritual pillar of Chinese civilization, also holds great significance for political progress in the new era.
First graders of the Fuzimiao Primary School in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, take part in the “pen-opening ceremony” at the local Confucius shrine on August 31, 2022. The rite marks the beginning of formal education in Chinese tradition.
The phrase “embracing the world with virtue” (厚德载物) is taken from a line in the nearly 3,000-year-old book of The Book of Changes which reads, “As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-perfection. Like the earth, which is genial and generous, a gentleman should embrace the world with virtue.” This saying conveys the traditional Chinese values and wisdom of inclusiveness, generosity, and a strong sense of duty, which have served as an inexhaustible source of strength for the Chinese nation over the last few thousand years.
In the earliest known written form of Chinese writing called oracle bone inscriptions, the character for “virtue” (德) symbolizes both a road and action. It hence implies that people should not be biased an should act impartially. In addition to maintaining proper behavior, people should continuously cultivate their character to exhibit moral virtues. Virtue is critical to an individual’s attitude toward others and the world at large, and the Chinese nation has a long tradition of advocating and cherishing virtue. “Without virtue, a country cannot prosper, and a person has no place in the world,” noted President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the importance of virtue to state governance and personal development.
Chinese politicians during the late Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.) were divided between those who ruled by force and those who ruled with virtue. Confucius himself emphasized the importance of putting virtue above everything. One day, Ji Kang Zi, a minister of the State of Lu, asked Confucius about how to rule the government. He said, “Suppose I were to kill the unjust in order to advance the just. Would that be morally right?” Confucius replied, “What is the need of killing in exercising governance? If you desire good, the people will be good. The nature of the noble man is like the wind, the nature of the inferior man is like grass. When the wind blows over the grass, it always bends.”
During the late Warring States Period (476-221 B.C.), Qin annexed the other six states by force, but its despotic rule lasted for only two generations. Lu Jia, a senior official of the Western Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-8 A.D.), later cited this example to warn Emperor Liu Bang, saying that one can seize power by force but cannot govern the state in the same manner. In the collection of his political writings, he argued that governance should be primarily based on virtue.
Over millennia, the commitment to embracing the world with virtue has shaped the collective moral values of the Chinese nation, which emphasizes generosity, solidarity, and love for peace. Though times have changed, China remains steadfast in pursuing friendly ties with its neighbors and harmony among all countries. In this spirit, it has been earnestly carrying out cultural exchanges with other nations since ancient times, noted Chinese President Xi Jinping during a speech he delivered at a celebration of the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up in 2018.
More than 2,000 years ago, the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-220 A.D.) reached out to the kingdoms on its west border and further away by opening up the Silk Road. Along this trade route, Chinese silk and other products were shipped to the Mediterranean region and Roman Empire, while various kinds of food, plants, and handicrafts from Rome, Persia, and India were brought into China.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), China enjoyed an even closer integration with the rest of the world. Instead of flouting its military might, the empire demonstrated the appeal of the inclusive Chinese culture. Its writing system, architectural style, philosophical teaching, and political institutions were adopted by Japan, Korea and other regions, exerting a profound influence that extends to today.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Chinese admiral and diplomat Zheng He led the world’s largest and most advanced maritime fleet on seven voyages traveling all the way to Africa. Everywhere he went, he brought Chinese porcelain, silk, tea, farming techniques, and weaving, papermaking and shipbuilding skills, while at the same time, he did not seize an inch of foreign land. Today, he is still commemorated in shrines across Thailand, Indonesia, and other places. His naval expeditions exemplify China’s diplomatic tradition of building friendly ties through cultural exchanges and mutual learning, testifying to the inclusiveness and openness of Chinese civilization.
The Opium War in 1840 plummeted the Chinese nation into unprecedented suffering and humiliation. However, the tradition of pursuing constant self-improvement and embracing the world with virtue motivated generations of Chinese people to fight for independence and rejuvenation. In 1914, Liang Qichao, a prominent scholar and reformist thinker, gave a speech at Tsinghua University entitled “On the Gentleman,” in which he encouraged young people to strive for self-perfection and embrace the world with virtue. Since then, the two phrases have become the motto of Tsinghua.
At a meeting with teachers and students from Peking University on May 4, 2014, President Xi urged them to serve the people and the country, saying that this is the greatest virtue and basis for great achievements. The youth should commit themselves to serving the interests of the people and the country, cultivate moral characters, and become capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation.
Virtues are also an important quality required of those who hold public office. When addressing an event marking the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in July 2016, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said, “An important element in an official’s successful growth is their use of virtue to practice self-cultivation, establish authority, and win the people’s trust.” This echoes the remarks of Confucius who once said, “The person who rules with virtue is like the North Star which is surrounded by other stars.”
The commitment to embracing the world with virtue, in addition to being the spiritual pillar of Chinese civilization, also holds great significance for political progress in the new era. When delivering a report at the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi declared, “Building a human community with a shared future is the way forward for all the people of the world.” The human community with a shared future that he envisioned is an epitome of the traditional Chinese view of harmonious coexistence among all countries and the continuity of its commitment to embracing the world with virtue. China stands against hegemonism and power politics, while it supports world peace and respects the diversity of civilizations. It calls on all countries to allow cultural exchanges to transcend estrangement, mutual learning to transcend clashes, and coexistence to transcend feelings of superiority. Only in doing so, will we build an open and inclusive world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity. 
LI CUI is a researcher with the China Confucius Research Institute.
