爱人以德

爱护和帮助他人要以合乎道德规范为原则，不能无原则地偏私偏爱、迁就纵容。“德”即道德规范，也指人的道德品行，它是维护良好社会秩序的内在依据。“爱人”属于个人层面的情感，而“德”则是全社会应共同遵守的规范。“爱人”若不“以德”，则既违背了社会的共同规范，也损害爱人者和被爱者的个人品德。“爱人以德”体现了尊崇道义、注重社会秩序及公共利益的精神。

Love the People in Accordance with Rules of Moral Conduct

Love of others must follow the rules of moral conduct, and not be unprincipled, selfish or indulgent. De here refers to moral behavior and consciousness, and is the foundation for upholding proper social order. Loving the people is on a personal emotional level, while morality is a set of commonly accepted rules of social conduct. If not grounded in morality, loving the people will go against the common social norms, and harm the integrity of both giver and receiver. The term expresses a spirit of respect for morality, social order, and common good.

引例

曾子曰：“……君子之爱人也以德，细人之爱人也以姑息。”（《礼记·檀弓上》）（曾子说：“……君子爱护和帮助他人要遵循道德规范，一味迁就纵容别人的错误和缺点来讨好则是小人之举。”）

Zengzi said, "…The man of virtue follows the codes of moral conduct when loving others, while the petty person is indulgent for the sake of peace. What do I wish for? I shall be more than satisfied that even by the time I die I will have followed all the codes of conduct." (The Book of Rites)