Zhong (忠), usually termed as loyalty, has always been vital in Chinese culture. This concept has not only been held up high by Chinese warlords and intellectuals in the past but also modern-day police and even criminal syndicates. Being loyal is a form of righteousness guarding both the bright and dark side and it sets the rules in this vast country. But this is not something that just remotely affects ordinary people’s daily lives. Rather, loyalty is a frequent subject depicted in Chinese films and of course, the Chinese character zhong is a popular choice of tattoo as well.
There might only be one character for the word zhong, but what it means is not as simple as, say, Kobe Bryant playing only for Los Angeles Lakers during his entire NBA career. While zhong as a word can be translated as “loyalty” in English, it is more than a simple concept. It is a complex and enriching element in Chinese society and is widely applicable to all relationships, intrapersonal as well as interpersonal. Structurally, zhong consists of two parts. It is the combination of the words center (中) and heart (心) which implies zhong as the core of Chinese culture. Besides, as zhong rests in everyone's own heart, it also refers to one’s values and beliefs.
The meaning and responsibility of being loyal are contextually transformed when it is applied to different relationships. Classical Confucianism denotes five basic relationships, namely, the Five Cardinal Relationships (五倫), which basically categorize all relationships in a society. In this hierarchy, the relationship between father and son comes first, followed by the emperor and officials, husband and wife, seniors and juniors, and finally friends. What lies in common in these relationships is that they are essentially bound by loyalty. If loyalty is absent, no relationship can last. Yet, loyalty is not completely identical in different contexts and from the Chinese language, we can see the dynamic of zhong. For instance, we have loyalty and filial piety to parents (忠孝), loyalty in friendship (忠義), loyalty to seniors or country (忠誠), and loyalty in a marriage (忠貞). Although they can all relate to the bigger concept of zhong, each of their presence is distinctive and exclusive. They form a solid foundation for Chinese philosophy. Among all the different scenarios, loyalty to the father figure is placed on top of all others, making the protection of parents necessary and even righteous.
In addition to the leading figure in the family, the leader of a country is the other most respectable person in ancient China, being loyal to the Emperor came with the requirement of absolute loyalty to the country. Take the famous story of Yue Fei (岳飛), who was one of the greatest generals in the Song Dynasty (宋朝, 960-1279). He aspired to serve the Emperor during childhood and even had his mother tattoo the characters “absolute loyalty to the country” (精忠報國) on his back. A man who had such steely determination for loyalty was unfortunately confined by his own patriotic dedication. During an intense war, he was ordered by the Emperor to retreat. Knowing that this retreat would bring him death and even stain his reputation, Yue Fei complied with the emperor’s order after serious hesitations. It did not matter what he believed and that he suffered. What was important here was the absolute loyalty. Yue Fei’s story not only has been appraised in songs, poems, dramas, and the like for more than a thousand years but also is still taught in the formal curriculum of elementary schools in Hong Kong. When discussing zhong, we can never overlook another example of absolute loyalty, Kwan Yu (關羽), a legendary war god in the Three Kingdoms period (三國, 220-280) who would rather die than surrender. Even now, all police stations and criminal syndicate societies have a statue of Kwan Yu to evoke worship of the deity.
The remaining cardinal relationships reinforce what is considered to be the proper behavior between husband and wife, seniors and juniors, and among friends. The wife should always follow and respect her husband’s will, juniors should obey seniors, and friends should stay supportive and sincere to each other at all times. In other words, all relationships in a society fall within this framework and they should all be carried out with loyalty. These so-called rules of conduct are based on mutual respect, not a rigid or intimidating state apparatus, and they are also an effective way to achieve stability and harmony in a society.
Even though the discussion of loyalty has always focused on how one should treat someone else, the concept of zhong actually originates from oneself: one has to be loyal to his/her values. Upholding principles is considered one of the greatest virtues in Chinese society, and once committed to certain values or duties, it is our responsibility to exercise them. Loyalty to ourselves is paramount to being responsible, we do not only take credit for our own successes but at the same time shoulder the consequences in failures.
To live a life of zhong is never easy. It requires persistence and ultimately impacts one’s integrity. When we expect respect from others, we should also take ourselves into account. However complex our society and even the world is, this very great Chinese virtue of zhong should not remain in the past. If you ever see the character zhong tattooed on someone’s back, it may be your destiny to share this great message of Chinese philosophy!
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