For more than 2,000 years, the teachings of Confucius （be）an important part of Chinese culture. Scholars in ancient China were expected （educate）in the philosophy and moral values of Confucius. Even today. Confucian thought is still greatly valued in China and in other East Asian countries.
When you read the writings of Confucius. you will see a constantly appearing word. a Chinese character that represents the heart of Confucian thought: character ren. What is ren? If you look （close）at the written character. you can understand it means. The left—hand element of the character represents a person: the element on the right stands for the number two. The two elements. when （join）. indicate relationships between individuals, or with all of society.
Confucius taught that ren was the （high）moral principle. the standard which all other morals were measured. Mencius. one of the greatest scholars famous for his in-depth （analyze）of Confucian thinking. explained ren like this: "love one's parents. love people. love everything in the world." This kind of love should direct everything we do. It leads the way to all other virtues in life.
