Loyalty is the top one of the Eight Cardinal Virtues.

When Chin Dynasty（清朝） got into China, they put Quan（關公） as the top one among the Han’s deities because his loyalty.

What is loyalty? Most of people deem loyalty is a kind of virtue which requires the lower must serves the upper by all of his best.

However, loyalty is composed of  “中（chung）” and  ”心（shin）” in Chinese. “中（chung）” means “middle” or “internal”,  ”心（shin）” means “heart” or “mind”. That is to say loyalty means to do with one’s heart, not only toward the uppers either or lowers, and not only even among people or toward one’s family or country, but also to the thing itself.

Commentary on the Spring and Autumn（左傳） is saying that by loyalty is meant the sovereign’s thought of how to benefit people. And, The Works of Mencius put a words as that loyalty is an earnest exertion to teach the people what is morally good. These are examples for the upper how he should do for the lower.