The benevolent man loves others.
This allusion comes from Meng Zi (The Book of Mencius). The Confucian thinker, statesman and educator Mencius (c. 372-289 BC), also known as Meng Ke, talked in the book about the difference between a man of virtue and an ordinary person: The man of virtue always treats others with kindness, because he has ren (benevolence) and li (rites) in his heart.
This is a well-known saying attributed to Mencius, but the idea originally came from Confucius (551-479 BC), also known as Kong Qiu, a thinker, educator and statesman and the founder of Confucianism. The benevolent man has virtue, wisdom, courage, integrity and personal charms, and cares for others. Ren, or benevolence, is the highest moral value and greatest virtue cherished in Confucian culture. Its basic meaning is to love others. One should show filial piety to one's parents, respect one's elder brothers, and extend love and care to other family members and eventually to everyone else under heaven.
This is one of the quotations from Chinese classics cited by Xi Jinping at a teacher-student seminar in Peking University in May 2014. Since ancient times, this shrewd observation has been applied in governance, reminding the rulers to love the people as they love their own families and to extend such love to all beings under heaven.
仁者爱人
“仁者爱人”的典故，出自《孟子》。“仁者爱人”主要谈论君子与普通人的分别，在于君子能够保持心中的善端，而保持善端的关键，就是将“仁”和“礼”永存心中。“仁者爱人”这句话虽然出自《孟子》，但这一观念却是直接继承孔子的。“仁者”即有仁德的人，是有大智大勇、德行完满、关爱他人、有人格魅力的人。“仁”是儒家文化中最高的道德范畴和境界，其以“爱人”为基本规定，意指“仁”从孝父母、敬兄长开始，进而关爱家族其他成员，并扩大至关心全天下的人。
“仁者爱人”，是2014年5月习近平在北京大学师生座谈会上发表讲话时引用的一句名言。在孟子提炼的思想命题下，其被应用于治国理政，强调君子由亲爱亲人而仁爱百姓，由仁爱百姓而爱惜万物。
