📖 Meaning
The faculty of mind that distinguishes right from wrong. It refers to a person's innate moral sense and ability to judge correctness in matters of ethics and conduct. In Confucian thought, it is considered one of the four beginnings of virtue, specifically the seed of wisdom.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Mencius (孟子), a foundational text of Confucianism compiled during the Warring States period. In the chapter Gaozi I (告子上), the philosopher Mencius argues that all humans possess four innate moral beginnings, among which the sense of right and wrong (是非之心) is the starting point of wisdom (智之端也). Mencius used this concept to defend his view that human nature is inherently good, as opposed to the views of his intellectual rival Gaozi. The idiom has since become a standard expression for moral discernment in Chinese philosophical and everyday discourse.
💡 Example Usage
作为法官，必须常存是非之心，公正地审理每一起案件。
As a judge, one must always maintain a sense of right and wrong and adjudicate every case fairly.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 是非之心
- Pinyin: shì fēi zhī xīn
- Literal Translation: right, wrong, 's, heart/mind
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4