The Book of Lost Books: An Incomplete History of All the Great Books You'll Never Read Highlight

At the center of Confucius’ vision is a concept that defines his difference from other epochal figures: jen or “humaneness.” Translating concepts from Chinese is a perilous business, and various authors have suggested perfect virtue, magnanimity, altruism, and goodness. Confucius, when asked about jen by his pupil Fan Ch’ih, defined it as “to love others.” It connotes a virtue embedded in being human, which expands to encompass how one should behave toward others.