"The sense of shame and disgust" comes from Mencius, Gongsun Chou I, referring to the innate feelings of shame and aversion to evil that humans possess, and is one of the core concepts of the Confucian theory of the goodness of human nature. Mencius believed that the sense of shame and disgust is one of the four sprouts of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom, and is the beginning of righteousness. It emphasizes the inner moral judgment of a person, namely feeling shame for immoral behavior and developing disgust toward evil phenomena. This emotion is not only the foundation of personal cultivation but also the guarantee of social moral order. In modern usage, this idiom is mostly used to describe a person who has moral bottom lines, knows honor and disgrace, and distinguishes good from evil, and it often appears in contexts discussing moral education and character cultivation. Its emotional tone is solemn and positive, carrying an affirmation of noble virtue. In terms of cultural background, it embodies the Confucian belief in the innate goodness of human nature and the pursuit of moral perfection through introspection and self-cultivation.
📝 Example
1. He received a good family education from an early age and has a sense of shame, never doing anything against his conscience. (Referring to having a sense of shame and morality)
2. In the face of injustice in society, a person with a sense of shame will not stand by but will step forward. (Referring to hatred of evil and a sense of justice)