Where does “仁義礼智信” come from?

仁義礼智信 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 信, from Middle Chinese 信.

仁義礼智信 (Japanese): the five Confucian virtues (benevolence, justice, courtesy, wisdom and sincerity)

Definitions

  1. the five Confucian virtues (benevolence, justice, courtesy, wisdom and sincerity)

Ancestry of “仁義礼智信”, step by step

仁義礼智信 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.

via Japanese 信

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese信trust, faith
2Middle Chinese信—

via Japanese 礼

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese礼a bow, the gesture of bending at the waist
2Middle Chinese禮—

via Japanese 仁

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Japanese仁humanity; benevolence
Every word from Middle Chinese 信 →Every word from Japanese 信 →