Four Kinds of Proper Conduct
Four Kinds of Proper Conduct
(Si yi 四儀)
This chapter discusses four kinds of proper conduct: goodness, propriety, loyalty, and faithfulness. Each of these four virtues is explained as follows: The first proper conduct is called a will that strives without neglecting goodness; the second is called an intellect that is used without neglecting propriety; the third is called strength that serves without neglecting loyalty; and the fourth is called a mouth that speaks without neglecting faithfulness. Carefully maintain (these) four (kinds of) proper conduct until the end of your life, for fame and merit will follow them, just as (surely as) objects have shadows and sounds have echoes. Each of these four faculties—will, intellect, strength, and speech—is engaged in four actions: striving, thinking, serving, and speaking. It also describes a final set of ideal outcomes that ultimately arise from the four kinds of proper conduct: generosity, orderliness, achievement, and trustworthiness.
Keywords: proper conduct, goodness, propriety, loyalty, faithfulness, generosity, orderliness, achievement, trustworthiness, virtues
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