noun
right and wrong; loyalty and treason; obedience and disobedience
Refers to the contrast between what is right/obedient/loyal and what is wrong/disobedient/treasonous. Often used in moral, political, or historical contexts. The word is somewhat formal and not common in everyday conversation.
歴史の中で、順逆をわきまえることは難しかった。
Throughout history, it was difficult to discern right from wrong.
彼は順逆の理を説いた。
He expounded the principle of obedience and disobedience.
Compound of 順 (obedience, order) and 逆 (opposite, treason). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in classical Chinese and Japanese texts to discuss moral and political allegiance.