三纲五常 sāngāngwǔcháng three principles and five virtues
The core moral principles of traditional Confucian ethics. The three principles are the relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife; the five virtues are benevolence [[仁|仁|ren2]], righteousness [[义|義|yi4]], propriety [[礼|禮|li3]], wisdom [[智|智|zhi4]], and trustworthiness [[信|信|xin4]].