This paper explores ethical ideas in ancient China in terms of their origins and related materials. Theterm ethics was a translated word in Meiji Era and Lin li itself can be traced back to Li ji, an old Chinesebook, which used to mean the order of the world in addition to the meaning of morality. “Wu lin” in Mengzi contributed to its becoming stronger, the essence of which can be found in Zhong yong. In actual politics, on the other hand, it was supposed to be rulers’ ethics that they obey the law and togovern their countries where they had to behave so as to coexist in harmony with the natural order.
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