Section One Cheng, a Self-referring Imperative
The character "cheng" first appeared in the Book of History, but it was first used as a notional word in "to be perspicacious, trustworthy, straightforward and loyal" in Zuo's Commentary. The commentary for "to be perspicacious, trustworthy, straightforward and loyal" is "cheng 诚means shi 实（being true）". "The Record of Wen Yan" in The Book of Changes admonishes people "to guard against depravity to preserve their honesty" and "to value self-cultivation to nourish honesty". The commentary for "to guard against depravity to preserve their honesty" and "to value self-cultivation to nourish honesty" reads, "cheng means chengshi 诚实（honesty）". "The Record on the Subject of Music" in the Book of Rites emphasizes "valuing frankness and despising hypocrisy", for which the commentary notes that cheng means chengxin 诚信（integrity）. On the whole, cheng bears four kinds of meaning: 1. to tell the truth, or to deceive no one;2. being true, as in opposition to "being false" ;3. to fulfill, achieve, complete;4. to be respectful and prudent, as "Great Learning" in The Book of Rites argues, "wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts".
Cheng, which has much to do with one's inner self, refers to a real and sincere attitude and quality. Compared with xin 信，cheng 诚is more concerned with the individual as a personal requirement for one's moral standard and code of conduct, revealing a concern over what kind of person one is to be. The definition of cheng 诚in Mencius reads, "Cheng is the Way of nature; striving for cheng is the Way of man". Mencius（372B. C-289 B. C.）regarded cheng as the Way of nature, or the most fundamental moral attribute defined by heavenly principles. He also believed that human beings, the most brilliant creatures made by heaven and earth as well as the wisest of all living beings, must act according to the Way of nature by understanding, reflecting on and practicing cheng. In Mencius' opinion, taking the strife for cheng as the Way of man is the most fundamental norm of ethics and morality. In this sense, cheng underlines the individual character, especially the innate truthfulness and its manifestation. This is the reason why Zhu Xi（1130A. D.-1200A. D.）stated that cheng meant "maintaining the inward（correctness）with self-reverence, righteous adjustment of behavior, and...eradication of self-deception and lies. " Self-reverence means no snubbing or dissipating in Zhu Xi's opinion.（Quoted from "A Noble Man Without Gravitas Inspires Mo Awe" in The Complete Works of Zhu Xi.）
The historical origin of the notion of cheng lies in people's worship of ghosts and gods.Cheng is the attitude towards the deity people should have, the feelings they display when offering sacrifices to ancestors, and the request of the Way of nature on the Way of man. As an integral part of the daily life of ancient people, the worship ceremony is not only an order of culture and life, but also an institutional and cultural phenomenon. Only when the ancients, actuated by the purpose of praying for blessings and averting certain disaster or repaying a favor of the deity, were extremely deferential and devout in worshipping, could their sacrifices be accepted by gods, their wishes be realized and spiritual comfort be granted. According to "Utensils for Rites" in The Book of Rites, "the noble man will do his utmost, act with prudence and show the greatest respect and sincerity to avoid breaching rites. " Obviously, people's cheng, which mostly stemmed from their reverence for the deity, can be boiled down to the individual pursuit of life and security.
Further reading
Story 1: The Jade of the He Family
Translation: Bian He, a man of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period（700B. C. -476B. C.）, happened to find a piece of uncut jade in the Chushan Mountain and presented it to his Emperor Li. Li had his jeweler examine the raw gemstone. The jeweler said, "Why, it is a stone! " Emperor Li, who mistook Bian He for a cheater, had his left foot cut off. With the death of Emperor Li, Emperor Wu came to the throne. Bian He presented the raw gemstone to the new Emperor. Wu had his jeweler examine the stone. The jeweler said, "It is merely a stone. " Then, Emperor Wu had the right foot of Bian He cut off as a punishment. After the demise of Emperor Wu, Emperor Wen's reign began. Bian He carried the piece of uncut jade to the foot of the Chushan Mountain and kept wailing there for three days and three nights till blood, instead of tears, streamed down his face. Upon hearing the news, Emperor Wen sent his men to ask him, "Why, when many had their feet cut off, are you grieving so inconsolably? " "I'm not wailing for my feet! I'm wailing for the wrongs that a precious jade was overlooked as stone, and an honest man, punished as a cheater. That is why I feel deeply grieved! " replied He. Being informed of this, Emperor Wen had his jeweler cut the stone open. A rare gem was found nestling inside. In light of this, Emperor Wen named the jade He Shi Bi（the Jade of the He Family）in honor of Bian He's honesty.
Comments: Bian He presented the priceless jade to the Emperors of the State of Chu three times and manifested his honesty and loyalty at the cost of both feet. The Jade of the He Family, whose name has remained immortal, later played an important role in the historical story of "Returning the Jade Intact to the State of Zhao". It has been universally acknowledged as an invaluable asset since then. The recognition of its value came at the cost of Bian He's unrelenting struggle, for which one cannot help but sighing. As far as an individual is concerned, cheng generally means to have a clear conscience, never confusing right and wrong, never compromising or echoing blindly what others have said, but sticking to one's own belief. Bian He lived under the reign of three generations of emperors and suffered from untold hardship, but he never gave up the wish of presenting the precious stone to the monarch. If his faith in the value of the gem had not been so firm, he would have given up his idea long ago.
Story 2: Yan Shu's Honesty
Translation: As a teenager, Yan Shu（991A. D. -1055AD）was recommended to the court by Zhang Zhibai（? -1028A. D.）, whose posthumous title was Wenjie. Emperor Zhenzong（968A. D. -1022A. D.）of the Song Dynasty（960A. D -1279A. D.）called him in and ordered him to participate in the final imperial examination together with over a thousand of candidates for official positions. Yan Shu said, "I have written on the same topic before. The old draft is with me. Please give me another topic. " The emperor valued his honesty very much. When Yan Shu was in office, peace had made hedonic enjoyment a common practice throughout the nation. In their spare time, courtiers usually indulged in merry-making in restaurants. Since he could not afford to idle away in seeking pleasure, Yan Shu always stayed at home, busy himself with reading classics and teaching poems to his brothers. One day, Emperor Zhenzong appointed Yan Shu as the tutor of the crown prince unexpectedly. Knowing the court was puzzled at this appointment, Zhenzong explained, "It's said that most of you have been indulging in pleasure and wine, while Yan Shu shuts himself up at home and devoted himself to reading. He is so prudent and self-disciplined that he is the very person to accompany the crown prince. " Yan Shu accepted this position with gratitude. Emperor Zhenzong again praised him for his rare diligence. Yan Shu said frankly, "I did shut myself up at home reading, but this is not because I am unwilling to seek pleasure, but because I am too poor to do so. " His reply made the emperor value his honesty and frankness all the more. When Emperor Renzong（1010A. D. -1063A. D.）was in power, Yan Shu was put in an important position at last.
Comments: Yan Shu was a renowned official and celebrated ci poet in the Northern Song Dynasty（960A. D. -1127A. D.）. "Helpless to see flowers wither and fall; it's time for the return of swallows that I seem to have met before" is his most famous line. In the position of the prime minister, he was known for his uprightness and frankness. His cheng is mostly manifested by his honest, frank and straightforward way of doing things.