Integrating the Five Ethical Codes
This notion first appeared in The Discourses of the States, in which it is stated that "Qi of the Shang Dynasty can integrate the five ethical codes so that people can live in peace." Qi (dates unknown) was the earliest ancestor of the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-c. 1046 BC) and had once been an official working for Shun, a legendary monarch in ancient China. In ancient times, the five ethical codes were also called "five canons," referring to five ethical requirements within a family: righteousness of father, amiability of mother, amicability of elder brother, politeness of younger brother, and filial piety of son. These requirements were used to educate the people, and also became the foundation for dealing with familial, political and social relations in ancient times. The objective of integrating the five ethical codes is to bring about a harmonious state among these codes.
In fact, the ancients thought that the people's harmonious life was dependent on moral education. Moral education attaches great importance to the improvement and perfection of individual moral quality, with the aim of reaching the state of "和" (i.e., harmony). In addition, the purpose of moral education is to realize "合" (i.e., unity) of the people, so that "the people can live in peace." Therefore, integrating the five ethical codes is to educate people with these five basic ethical standards, so that social harmony and unity can be achieved on the premise of people's acceptance of these five ethical codes. It is also a fundamental feature of traditional Chinese social governance.
和合五教
和合五教的说法，见于《国语》，所谓“商契能和合五教，以保于百姓者也”。契，是商代的始祖，曾经做过舜的司徒，负责教化。五教，古代也称“五典”，即父义、母慈、兄友、弟恭、子孝等五种伦理观念，是古代教化百姓，处理家庭、社会、政治关系的基础。和合五教，就是使这五种伦理教化达到和谐融洽的状态。
古人认为，百姓的和谐生活状态，实际上是经由道德教化而达成的。道德教化重视个体道德修养的提升、道德境界的完善，即达到“和”的状态。道德教化的目的，则是百姓的“合”，也就是“保于百姓”。因此，和合五教就是从五种基本道德规范的教化出发，在百姓认可接纳这五种伦理观念的前提下，促使社会达到和谐统一的状态，这也是中国传统社会治理的基本特点。
