In Confucianism, yi means righteousness, justice, or moral appropriateness.
Yi describes the ability and willingness to do what is morally right rather than what is merely profitable or personally convenient. In the Analects, Confucius contrasts yi with li, a word that can mean profit or material advantage. This contrast became an important theme in later Confucian ethical thought.
The concept does not mean rigidly applying one rule in every circumstance. It concerns recognizing the appropriate action in a particular situation and acting with integrity. Confucian writers connected yi with judgment, duty, and the conduct expected of a morally cultivated person.
Yi is often confused with li, which refers to ritual propriety and appropriate forms of conduct, and with ren, which refers to humaneness. These ideas overlap, but they are not interchangeable. A person may follow social forms while lacking moral judgment; yi names the righteousness that guides action toward what is appropriate.