Xìn

Xin is one of the main Five Constants and translates to trustworthiness or integrity. Basically, it's about staying honest and reliable to others. Important for maintaining relationship with others.

Meaning

Anyone can be honest, but you have xin you need to actually say what you do and do what you say. Someone who isn't trustworthy isn't someone who can stand, as Confucius said. (paraphrased) Relationships quickly fall apart without the glue that is xin, because when there's no trust chaos ensues.

Importance

All virtues in Confucianism can't be used by itself, and for the case of xin it serves as a binding between virtues. Because, you could perform a ritual but it doesn't carry any meaning because what is a ritual without the trust of the person performing it?

According to Confucius, society without trust in leadership quickly collapses.

Integrity

Xin isn't only about building the trust that others have in you. It also shapes you, as a person. According to Mencius, moral failure starts when you break your own word.

Harmony

Without xin, there is no harmony. Breaking the trust of someone isn't only unethical, but it also distrupts social harmony and your own integrity. Xin also depends on other virtues, don't just keep making blind promises. Xin can be guided by wisdom (zhi, e.g. not keeping a promise that pledges to do wrong) and ren (benevolence, e.g. telling the truth and harming others).

Cultivation

You aren't born with Xin, just like you aren't born with any other virtue. You need to build it up and cultivate it, and is a major key to improvement of the self. Someone who's trustworthy also (somewhat) doubles as righteousness, and someone who lacks xin is also no good. One can build up xin by keeping your promises and reflecting on them when they're broken.

You can also look up to role models, for example from honest people who have a streak of keeping their promises and learn from them.