virtue

In ancient Greece, the four cardinal virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice were established according to the system of the city-state (polis), and in medieval Christianity, faith, hope, and love were added to these four cardinal virtues to form the seven cardinal virtues of Catholicism. In the Renaissance, virtue (Latin: virtus, English: virtue) specifically meant manly mental and physical ability (the Greek word arete is also from the same root as the word Ares, the god of war). In China, the three cardinal virtues of wisdom, benevolence, and courage, the five constant virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, the five virtues of parent-child relationships, righteousness between rulers and subjects, the distinction between husband and wife, the order of elders and younger people, and the five cardinal virtues of friend-friendship, and in Japan, the three cardinal virtues of honesty in Shinto, sincerity in Confucianism, and compassion in Buddhism.

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "virtue" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…古代ギリシアでは，その都市国家(ポリス)の体制に応じて知恵，勇気，節制，正義の四元徳が成立し，中世キリスト教の立場では，この四元徳のうえに信仰，希望，愛が加えられて，カトリックの七元徳が成立した。ルネサンス期には徳(ラテン語virtus，英語virtue)は男らしい精神的･身体的有能性を特に意味した(ギリシア語のアレテも軍神を意味するアレスArēsと同根語である)。中国では，智仁勇の三徳，仁義礼智信の五常の徳，父子の親，君臣の義，夫婦の別，長幼の序，朋友の信の五倫の徳，日本では，神道の正直，儒教の誠，仏教の慈悲という三元徳が挙げられよう。…

※「virtue」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

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