Comparision between 仁義 and 正義


**仁義【じんぎ】** and **正義【せいぎ】** both involve justice but 仁義【じんぎ】 says "justice and
humanity" while [正義]{せいぎ} is only "justice". I've always believed that 仁義【じんぎ】
was "moral justice" while 正義【せいぎ】 is "lawful justice". So, what's the
difference?




I think you may be confusing the meaning of 義 a little bit.

The common meaning between 仁義 and 正義 is " _morality_ " (as in following one's
obligations), rather than "justice".

There are a number of differences:

## 仁義

  * Used to refer to two of the Confucian moral ideals, 仁 and 義 in one word 
  * The moral compunction to protect others from harm 
  * Social obligations to others
  * Righteous action based on kindness, compassion and empathy

## 正義

  * The correct way to conduct oneself 
  * Justice, fairness
  * The correct interpretation/meaning (of what is right)

The word 正義 is almost always used to translate the philosophical concept of
"justice", especially from Western sources. 仁義 on the other hand, has strong
Confucian overtones.

I think you could express these ideas more compactly this way:

>   * **仁** 義 - **Compassion** -based Morality  
>  (The obligation to do what is _kind_ )
>   * **正** 義 - **Truth** -based Morality  
>  (The obligation to do what is _correct_ )
>




I think you may be confusing the meaning of 義 a little bit.

The common meaning between 仁義 and 正義 is " _morality_ " (as in following one's
obligations), rather than "justice".

There are a number of differences:

## 仁義

  * Used to refer to two of the Confucian moral ideals, 仁 and 義 in one word 
  * The moral compunction to protect others from harm 
  * Social obligations to others
  * Righteous action based on kindness, compassion and empathy

## 正義

  * The correct way to conduct oneself 
  * Justice, fairness
  * The correct interpretation/meaning (of what is right)

The word 正義 is almost always used to translate the philosophical concept of
"justice", especially from Western sources. 仁義 on the other hand, has strong
Confucian overtones.

I think you could express these ideas more compactly this way:

>   * **仁** 義 - **Compassion** -based Morality  
>  (The obligation to do what is _kind_ )
>   * **正** 義 - **Truth** -based Morality  
>  (The obligation to do what is _correct_ )
>

