chemistry

Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues

Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues rather than just read about it. In short: In Confucianism, the Sangang Wuchang (Chinese: 三綱五常; pinyin: Sāngāng Wǔcháng), sometimes translated as the Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues or the Three Guiding Principles and Five Constant Regulations, or more simply "bonds and virtues" (gāngcháng 綱常), are the three most important human relationships and the five most important virtues. They are considered the moral and political requirements of Co…

Key takeaways

Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In Confucianism, the Sangang Wuchang (Chinese: 三綱五常; pinyin: Sāngāng Wǔcháng), sometimes translated as the Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues or the Three Guiding Principles and Five Constant Regulations, or more simply "bonds and virtues" (gāngcháng 綱常), are the three most important human relationships and the five most important virtues. They are considered the moral and political requirements of Confucianism as well as the eternal unchanging "essence of life and bonds of society."

History The expression of Sāngāng Wǔcháng is no older than the Han dynasty, when it was first articulated by Dong Zhongshu (179–104 BCE), and was not commonly used until the 10th century CE. From the 11th century onward, Neo-Confucianism heavily emphasized the three bonds and five virtues, believing that humans could become sages through perfecting these relationships and virtues.

Meaning

Three Bonds The three bonds are between father and son, lord and retainer, and husband and wife and they constitute three of the five relationships (五倫; wǔlún) described in the Mencius. According to Hsu Dau-lin, the concept of the Three Bonds was originally a Legalist idea.

The lord is yang 陽, the retainer is yin 陰; the father is yang, the son is yin; the husband is yang, the wife is yin. The way of yin cannot proceed any where on its own.... Therefore, the retainer depends on his lord to gain merit; the son depends on his father; the wife on her husband, yin on yang, and the Earth on Heaven.... The Three [Fundamental Bonds] of the kingly way can be sought in Heaven.

Five Virtues The five most important virtues are benevolence (ren 仁), righteousness (yi 義), propriety (li 禮), wisdom (zhi 智), and trustworthiness (xin 信). The first four virtues were grouped together in the Mengzi. The fifth virtue, xin, was added by Dong Zhongshu. Trustworthiness, or sincerity, is considered the most important of the five virtues, and the foundation for the other virtues. The remaining virtues derive from the Four Sprouts described by Mencius in the Confucian classic of the same name. Benevolence is described as "forming one body" in relation to others, which requires seeing ourselves as extensions of others and vice versa. Paradigm cases of ren include acts of love or acting in others' interests, such as taking care of a family member. Righteousness is when someone refuses to violate prohibitions that would be regarded as shameful or degrading such as bribery. Righteousness can be seen as the distribution of goods according to one's merit and position. Propriety or li is broader in scope than the English word would entail. It is when someone performs a ritual with reverence, covering social protocol in situations that require a sense of respect, such as weddings, funerals, greetings, and serving food and drink. Wisdom is understanding the other virtues' characteristic motives and feelings, correctly assessing the quality of a person's character, and knowing the best means to achieve virtuous ends. Trustworthiness or faithfulness is understood as commitment to reality in a consistent and reliable way. Some Confucians did not consider xin to be its own domain of activity since it regulates and supports virtues. They all require one to be aware of what is real and avoid self-serving delusions.

What are the Five Constant Virtues? They are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Benevolence means not being able to endure (seeing others suffer), loving others, and aiding all living things. Righteousness means doing what is proper. In making judgments one hits the mark. Propriety means to enact. That is, to realize the way and perfect the refined. Wisdom means knowledge. One has a special understanding and can know things before hearing about them. He is not befuddled by matters and can discern the subtle. Trustworthiness means sincerity. One cannot be deterred from his purpose. Therefore, people are born and respond to the Eight Trigrams, thereby obtaining the five energies (qi 氣) that are the Constant Virtues.

See also Four Cardinal Principles and Eight Virtues Three Obediences and Four Virtues

References

Bibliography

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues

In research: Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Codes of conduct, Legalism (Chinese philosophy), Neo-Confucianism, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues in simple terms?

Why does Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues.