The original text is chengren mei 成人美, short for the idiom chengren zhi mei 成人之美, meaning “to help others achieve their goals or realize their aspirations.” This term originates from The Analects 論語, where Confucius discusses the concept of ren 仁, often translated as “benevolence” or “humaneness,” which includes the idea of helping others succeed as a virtuous act. The full passage is “A gentleman helps others in achieving their good and does not help them in doing what is bad. A petty person does the opposite” 君子成人之美，不成人之恶。小人反是 (Book 12, Chapter 16).
Language and Culture Center (LCC) at Duke Kunshan University
