“Ren” is the central ethical principle, and is equivalent to the concepts love, mercy, and humanity. It is best explicated by Confucius in the following statement: “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.” This ethical principle is further strengthened by the Buddhist tradition that merit is accumulated by doing merciful acts, which leads to a better next life through reincarnation.
There are five cardinal relations (“wu lun”):
1) Sovereign-Subject
2) Father-Son
3) Elder-Younger Brother
4) Husband-Wife
5) Friend-Friend
- https://geriatrics.stanford.edu/ethnomed/chinese/fund/beliefs.html
