Chapter 1 The Origin of Chengxin (Integrity)

Chengxin（integrity）is often considered a phrase indicating honesty and good faith, two basic guidelines for conducting oneself in the society. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty（25A. D. -220A. D.）, Xu Shen（58A. D. -147A. D.）explained in his Origin of Chinese Characters how cheng（honesty）and xin（trustworthiness）explained each other, "composed of a radical, yan 讠（words）, and a character, cheng 成（to live up to）, the character of cheng 誠(chéng)means xin 信" ; "composed of a radical, ren 亻，and a character, yan（言）, the character of xin 信means cheng 誠(chéng)．" Although they are two characters, cheng（honesty）and xin（trustworthiness）interrelate with and differ from each other in meaning.