Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Warring States period (), during a period known as the "Hundred Schools of Thought", which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural developmen ...

, ''xin'' can refer to either one's "heart" and "mind" (), or to the concept of sincerity or faithfulness ().

''Xin'' (heart-mind)

Literally, ''xin'' () refers to the physical heart, though it also refers to the "mind" as the ancient Chinese believed the heart was the center of human

cognition Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

. However, emotion and reason were not considered as separate, but rather as coextensive; ''xin'' is as much cognitive as emotional, being simultaneously associated with thought and feeling. For these reasons, it is also often translated as "heart-mind". It has a connotation of intention, yet can be used to refer to long-term goals.

Confucianism

Xunzi, an important early

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

thinker, considered ''xin'' () to be cultivated during one's life, in contrast to innate qualities of ''

xing XING is a Hamburg-based career-oriented social networking site, operated by New Work SE (until mid-2019 ''XING SE''). The site is primarily focused on the German-speaking market, alongside XING Spain, and competes with the American platform Li ...

'' (), or human nature.

Daoism

Daoist Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the ''Tao'' ...

view, specifically that of

Zhuang Zhou Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; also rendered in the Wade–Giles romanization as Chuang Tzu), was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States ...

, describes ''xin'' () as being socialised, with environmental pressures influencing personal intentions, sometimes in such a way that can provoke disagreements and conflict. Whereas Confucians viewed it necessary to cultivate ''xin'' to develop ''de'', or moral virtue, Zhuang Zhou considered this socialisation to be detrimental to one's personal nature.

''Xin'' (virtue)

Often translated as sincerity or faithfulness, ''xin'' () is one of "

five constants In Confucianism, the Sangang Wuchang (), sometimes translated as the Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues or the Three Guiding Principles and Five Constant Regulations, or more simply "bonds and virtues" ( ), are the three most impor ...

" (), a group of five cardinal virtues recognised in Confucianism which adds ''xin'' to the "four sprouts" () listed in the ''Mengzi''.

References

Bibliography