Filial Piety – 孝
- 孝箴
- XIAO (Filial Piety)
| 養親之身 | 乃孝之恆 | 成親之德 | 乃孝之純 |
| 養致其敬 | 喪致乎哀 | 能通孝道 | 作聖之陔 |
養親之身 乃孝之恆 以甘旨奉親，為養親之身，乃恆人之孝。
成親之德 乃孝之純 以道德薰親，使親成為有德之人，乃純孝之道。
養致其敬 以衣服飲食居處醫藥四事為養，以禮貌恭順為敬。若只知養活父母，則犬馬亦受人喂養。養不致敬，與 犬馬何異。為人子者，必須敬養無虧，方盡子職。
喪致乎哀 倘不幸父母命終，居喪之時，能極盡本心之哀慟，即可終止。若因哀慟而自毀其身，亦非孝道。
O（論語）「 喪致乎哀而止。」
能通孝道 作聖之陔 能通達行孝之道，推之於仁民愛物，無不相宜。由仁愛其親以及於民物，乃聖賢功用。人能知此，即作聖之陔也。
O 陔，音該，階也。
To support your parents materially and to provide them with nourishment is but the filial piety of an ordinary person. But to support them spiritually and to provide them with the food of virtue is filial piety of the purest nature. While providing food, clothing, shelter and medicine for your parents, you must show them deferential esteem, otherwise, what would be the difference between feeding a farm animal and feeding your parents? When your parents pass away, you must mourn them, but you do not mourn so much that it impairs your health (A). Living in the way of XIAO is a step towards becoming a sage.
NOTE:
(A) Confucian Analects: “Mourning, when carried to the utmost degree of grief, should end.”
