Act Bravely for a Just Cause
This notion originated in The Analects of Confucius. "To see what is right and not to do it shows a lack of courage," goes the full quote. It stresses that a person should act courageously to do what is righteous. It is also considered a traditional Chinese virtue.
Yi (righteousness) is one of the five core values of traditional Chinese culture alongside benevolence, propriety, wisdom, and good faith. It essentially means "reasonable" and "proper," but was expanded to mean righteousness. The criteria for being righteous are generally accepted moral principles and social norms, which are used to regulate individual behaviors and serve as spiritual guidance. The mainstream values of ancient China demarcated a line between Yi (righteousness) and Li (gain). The essence is a reasonable distinction between the greater good and personal gain. In every society, some public interest must transcend special personal interests, which forms the foundation of the social community. Therefore, it becomes necessary to use moral codes to advocate for the public good among members of the society, sometimes at the expense of personal gain. Righteousness inspires bravery. Through the ages, countless Chinese people with lofty ideals sacrificed themselves for the greater good, whether it was to safeguard national unity or social stability, thus igniting historical progress. In contemporary China, the notion has become a main-stream value and consensus virtue in society.
見(jiàn)義勇為
見(jiàn)義勇為出自《論語(yǔ)·為政》，原文是“見(jiàn)義不為，無(wú)勇也”。孔子認(rèn)為，見(jiàn)到正義的事情如果不去做，是沒(méi)有勇敢之德的表現(xiàn)。由此演化出成語(yǔ)“見(jiàn)義勇為”，強(qiáng)調(diào)見(jiàn)到正義的事情就要勇敢地去做，這是中華民族的一項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)美德。
“義”是中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)的五種核心價(jià)值（仁、義、禮、智、信）之一，其基本含義是合宜，引申為正義。“義”的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)是普遍公認(rèn)的道德原則和社會(huì)規(guī)范，是對(duì)個(gè)人行為、思想的規(guī)范和引導(dǎo)。中國(guó)古代主流價(jià)值觀有“義利之辨”，其實(shí)質(zhì)就是對(duì)公益和私利的合理區(qū)分。任何一個(gè)社會(huì)都有超越于特殊個(gè)體利益之上的公共利益，這是維系社會(huì)共同體存在的基礎(chǔ)，因此需要有相應(yīng)的道德規(guī)范提倡、引導(dǎo)社會(huì)成員關(guān)心公益，甚至在某些情況下放棄個(gè)人私利。“勇”則是由“義” 激發(fā)出的道德勇氣。古往今來(lái)，中國(guó)無(wú)數(shù)仁人志士為了國(guó)家、社會(huì)和他人利益而勇敢地奉獻(xiàn)出自己的一切甚至生命，維護(hù)了國(guó)家統(tǒng)一、社會(huì)穩(wěn)定，推動(dòng)了歷史的發(fā)展。在當(dāng)代中國(guó)，見(jiàn)義勇為是全社會(huì)大力提倡的主流價(jià)值觀念和優(yōu)秀品德。
