They are considered the moral and political requirements of Confucianism as well as the eternal unchanging "essence of life and bonds of society.
"[1] The expression of Sāngāng Wǔcháng is no older than the Han dynasty, when it was first articulated by Dong Zhongshu (179–104 BCE), and was not commonly used until the 10th century CE.
[2] The three bonds are between father and son, lord and retainer, and husband and wife and they constitute three of the five relationships (五倫; wǔlún) described in the Mencius.
[2]The five most important virtues are benevolence (ren 仁), righteousness (yi 義), propriety (li 禮), wisdom (zhi 智), and trustworthiness (xin 信).
It is when someone performs a ritual with reverence, covering social protocol in situations that require a sense of respect, such as weddings, funerals, greetings, and serving food and drink.
[7] Wisdom is understanding the other virtues' characteristic motives and feelings, correctly assessing the quality of a person's character, and knowing the best means to achieve virtuous ends.
Therefore, people are born and respond to the Eight Trigrams, thereby obtaining the five energies (qi 氣) that are the Constant Virtues.