MENTAL MODEL · M8513

Four Beginnings

DecideHigh supportDecision Science

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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Humans are born with four moral sprouts: the heart of compassion (the beginning of benevolence), the heart of shame (the beginning of righteousness), the heart of deference (the beginning of propriety), and the heart of right and wrong (the beginning of wisdom).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Moral intuition. When making ethical decisions, do not rely solely on logical reasoning. Listen to your inner 'compassion' or 'shame'. Those instantaneous physiological reactions (sprouts) often point more accurately to what is right than rationality.

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

Mencius proposed the 'Four Beginnings': the heart of compassion (the beginning of benevolence), the heart of shame (the beginning of righteousness), the heart of deference (the beginning of propriety), and the heart of right and wrong (the beginning of wisdom). He believed that human nature inherently possesses these four moral sprouts, and when expanded and filled out, they become benevolence, righteousness, courage, and wisdom.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

When encountering situations, be aware of your current 'beginning' (compassion/shame/deference/discernment)
cultivate and amplify the sprouts rather than suppress them
use the Four Beginnings as the starting point for moral intuition
expand them in education and self-reflection.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

Learning progress0%

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Source support: Explicit

link
zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9B%9B%E5%96%84%E7%AB%AFZH · Explicit
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