The meaning of “信”
“信” (xìn) means a kind of commitment to truthfulness and integrity in all aspects of life. It was another important value in ancient China.
One idiom is “人無信不立”(rén wú xìn bù lì), which means if a person has no integrity, he cannot take part in society.
Some more idioms are as follows: “一言九鼎” (yī yán jiǔ dǐng), which means one word is worth more than the Nine Tripod Cauldrons (a collection of cauldrons believed to give the emperor the Mandate of Heaven).
“一諾千金” (yī nuò qiān jīn), which means a promise is worth more than lots of money.
Song Lian's Story
Portrait of Song Lian by Gu Jianlong (Pubic Domain)
In ancient China, people thought carefully before they promised something; they would also try their best to hold their promise because they wanted to be an honest person. People also thought that only an honest person could succeed in life.
宋濂 (Sòng Lián) was an influential official of the Ming Dynasty. When he was young, he really enjoyed reading. However, his family was unable to purchase books for him to read. As a result, he borrowed lots of books from others, duplicated them, and then rushed to return the books. Because he always returned the books on time, whatever the weather, people believed he was a trustworthy person, so they were glad to lend the books to him. In addition, reading a lot of books also laid a solid foundation for Song Lian’s future studies and careers.