Learn Chinese Weekly

Following are a number of commonly cited American values:

自由与个人主义 (zìyóu yǔ gèrén zhǔyì) freedom and individualism

自治政府 (zìzhì zhèngfǔ) self-government

民主 (mínzhǔ) democracy

自由企业 (zìyóu qì yè) free enterprise

成就与成功 (chéngjiù yǔ chénggōng) achievement and success

公平 (gōngpíng) fairness

诚实 (chéngshí) honesty

职业道德 (zhíyè dàodé) work ethics

教育 (jiàoyù) education

实用主义和唯物主义 (shíyòng zhǔyì hé wéiwù zhǔyì) practicality and materialism

一夫一妻制 (yīfū yī qī zhì) monogamy

平等机会 (píngděng jīhuì) equal opportunity

爱国主义 (àiguó zhǔyì) patriotism

人道主义 (réndào zhǔyì) humanitarianism

The Chinese do not place importance on individualism, but rather emphasize self-improvement to serve the society as a whole. According to teachings of Confucianism, the way to attain a harmonious world includes the following steps:

修身 -> 齐家 -> 治国 -> 平天下
xiūshēn -> qí jiā -> zhìguó -> píng tiānxià
self-cultivation -> family management -> country government -> world peace

In other words, in order to achieve a peaceful and harmonious world, there must first be peace and harmony in each country. An orderly society consists of well managed families. To have a good family, one must first cultivate oneself to contribute positively to the family.

Whereas 修养 (xiūyǎng) means self-cultivation, 教养 (jiàoyǎng) refers to one’s upbringing.

他是一个有修养的人.
Tā shì yīgè yǒu xiūyǎng de rén.
He is a cultivated person.

那个女人没教养.
Nàgè nǚrén méi jiàoyǎng.
That women is not well brought up.

Traditionally, the personal virtues most valued by the Chinese are the following, and these Chinse characters (except the one for “love”) are popular choices when naming a boy.

忠 (zhōng) loyalty or loyal, as in 忠实的观众 (zhōngshí de guānzhòng loyal audience)

孝 (xiào) filial piety or being dutiful and obedient to one’s parents, as in 孝顺的孩子 (xiàoshùn de háizi a duity child)

仁 (rén) benevolence or kind-hearted, as in 有仁心的人 (yǒu rén xīn de rén kind-hearted person)

爱 (ài) love, as in 亲爱的 (qīn’ài de dear) or 爱好 (àihào hobby)

信 (xìn) honesty or honest, as in 守信用 (xhǒu xìnyòng trustworthy)

义 (yì) uprightness, justice, or personal loyalty, as in (讲义气 jiǎng yìqì loyal to friends)

和 (hé) harmony, as in 和睦相处 (hémù xiāngchǔ get along in harmony)

平 (píng) peace, as in 世界和平 (shìjiè hépíng world peace)

The following are considered the four beams of the scaffold of an orderly society:

礼 (lǐ) propriety, as in 有礼貌 (yǒu lǐmào polite) and 礼物 (lǐwù gift)

义 (yì) justice, as in 正义感 (zhèngyì gǎn sense of justice)

廉 (lián) integrity or incorruptible, as in 清廉 (qīnglián free of corruption) and 廉价 (liánjià inexpensive, i.e. they are not overcharging you)

耻 (chǐ) sense of honor or shame, as in 无耻 (wúchǐ shameless or brazen)

The colloquial version of 无耻 is “不要脸! (Bùyàoliǎn!)”. This is a very offensive remark.

Now, dear readers from around the world, what are the virtues most valued in your culture?

七月四日快乐!
Qīyuè sìrì kuàilè!
Happy July 4th!