温良恭俭让

Warmth, kindness, courtesy, frugality, and modesty.

《论语》

"Wen Liang Gong Jian Rang" (温和、善良、恭敬、节俭、谦让) originates from The Analects, Book of Xue Er, and is Zigong's summary of Confucius's personal demeanor. It refers to five virtues: gentleness, goodness, respectfulness, frugality, and humility. These five characters are not listed in isolation but form a progressive sequence: wen is a peaceful attitude in dealing with people and matters, liang is an inner heart of benevolence, gong is respect and reverence for others, jian is self-restraint and moderation, and rang is a mind that does not contend for fame and gain. It is not only the highest realm of personal cultivation but also a concentrated embodiment of the Confucian ideal personality, often used to describe the demeanor of a junzi or a person of high moral standing. In modern contexts, this idiom is mostly used on formal, commendatory occasions, such as evaluating the virtue of an elder, leader, or teacher, and carries a solemn and reverent emotional tone. It emphasizes the cultivation of both inner and outer qualities—both external gentleness and courtesy and inner goodness and humility—and is the starting point in traditional Chinese culture for "cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world."

1. This old professor was gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest throughout his life, and was deeply loved by his students. 2. In teamwork, he always upheld the principle of being gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest, and never competed with others for credit.