舍生取义
Give One’s Life to Uphold Righteousness

舍弃生命以保全道义。“舍生取义”这一主张出自《孟子》。孟子认为，“义”是人之所以为人的本质特征之一，舍“义”而不足以为人。生命固然可贵，但生存却并不是人之所以为人的目的或意义。因此，当保全生命与坚守道义发生冲突的时候，人不应背义苟活，而应牺牲生命以捍卫道义。
This belief is advocated by Mencius. He holds that upholding righteousness is an essential attribute of a dignified man, and without it one would lose his moral standing. Life is precious, but survival should not be the only thing that is important in life. When one faces a choice between saving life and upholding righteousness, he should give life to uphold righteousness.

生亦我所欲也，义亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取义者也。 （《孟子·告子上》）
Both life and righteousness are important to me. However, if I cannot have both, I will give my life so as to uphold righteousness. (Mencius)