Ren

The central Confucian virtue, usually translated benevolence or humaneness: caring for others and treating them well.

Also: jen, 仁, benevolence, humaneness, co-humanity

What it means

Ren is the broadest virtue in the Analects of Confucius, translated as benevolence, humaneness or, in one proposal, 'co-humanity'. The Analects describe it in several ways, including caring for others and "overcoming oneself and returning to ritual propriety". Ren is rooted in family life: affection and respect towards parents and siblings are its foundation, and it is cultivated by practising ritual (li). The Analects also contain a negative 'golden rule': do not do to others what you would not want for yourself. Later Confucians interpreted ren differently: Mencius grounded it in an innate compassion for others' distress, while Xunzi stressed the training of dispositions through ritual and study.

The questions it belongs to

• 3.2.3 Character-Based ApproachesShould ethics ask what to do, or who to be?
• 3.2.5 Care and Relational ApproachesDoes morality start with rules, or with the people you are responsible for?

Thinkers

• Confucius
• Mencius
• Xunzi

Traditions

• Chinese

To read

• Analects — Confucius
• Mencius (Mengzi) — Mencius
• Xunzi — Xunzi

Sources and further reading

• Confucius (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
• Confucius (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Written by the Coordinates of Thought editors and checked against the sources above on 29 October 2026. Not peer-reviewed. How we write and check.

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