to advance or retreat / knowing when to come and when to leave / a sense of propriety
四维
sì wéi
the four social bonds: propriety, justice, integrity and honor / see 禮義廉恥|礼义廉耻[li3 yi4 lian2 chi3] / the four directions / the four limbs (Chinese medicine) / four-dimensional
越轨
yuè guǐ
to run off the track / to step out of line / to overstep the bounds of propriety
Confucian moral injunctions for women, namely: obey in turn three men father, husband and son, plus the four virtues of morality 德[de2], physical charm 容, propriety in speech 言 / and efficiency in needlework 功
三纲五常
sān gāng wǔ cháng
three principles and five virtues (idiom) / the three rules (ruler guides subject, father guides son and husband guides wife) and five constant virtues of Confucianism (benevolence 仁, righteousness 義|义, propriety 禮|礼, wisdom 智 / and fidelity 信)
不知进退
bù zhī jìn tuì
not knowing when to come or leave (idiom) / with no sense of propriety
仁义道德
rén yì dào dé
compassion, duty, propriety and integrity (idiom) / all the traditional virtues / mainly used sarcastically, to mean hypocritical
礼义廉耻
lǐ yì lián chǐ
sense of propriety, justice, integrity and honor (i.e. the four social bonds, 四維|四维[si4 wei2])
the five cardinal virtues in traditional Chinese ethics: benevolence 仁[ren2], justice 義|义[yi4], propriety 禮|礼[li3], wisdom 智[zhi4] and honor 信[xin4] / alternative term for 五倫|五伦[wu3lun2], the five cardinal relationships / alternative term for 五行[wu3xing2], the five elements
四德
sì dé
four Confucian injunctions 孝悌忠信 / (for men), namely: piety 孝 / to one's parents, respect 悌 / to one's older brother, loyalty 忠 / to one's monarch, faith 信 / to one's male friends / the four Confucian virtues for women of morality 德[de2], physical charm 容, propriety in speech 言 / and efficiency in needlework 功
lǐ