FILIAL PIETY IS THE ROOT OF HUMANITY

(By: Fr. Gerardo T. Tacdoro, Ph.D)

Introduction

Filial piety is regarded as one of the classic teachings of Confucius. Filial piety, in its

simplest sense, means respect and reverence for one’s parent. It is about the child ’s good attitude

towards his parents which is then extended to one’s teachers and elders. Confucius explicitly

stated that filial piety is ‘not being disobedient’ (Analects, 5:2). To give glory to one’s father and

mother is, indeed, the completion of filial piety.

This short paper aims to present a claim that Filial piety is the root of humanity, which, in

most cases, Confucius refers to as the general virtue that points the way to the perfection of man

once imbibed. This paper presents the importance of discipline in the value/moral formation

of a person and the development of his character in the context of the family which mould him to

become a man of humanity. This presents to the reader the understanding of Confucian

humanity and filial piety and unfolds to him the knowledge that filial piety is the foundation of

humanity as it answers the following questions: What is humanity? What is filial piety? In

what way does filial piety become a root of humanity?

On Humanity

The primary concern of Confucius in his works was “a good society based on good

government and harmonious human relations” (Confucius, 15). Confucius formulated a

fundamental concept called jen or humanity. What is humanity? The word jen, as found

occasionally in pre-Confucian texts, denotes the particular virtue of kindness, more especially the

kindness of a ruler to his subjects (Confucius, 16). In Confucius, instead of perpetuating the
ancient understanding of jen as a particular virtue, he transformed it into a general virtue. In the

Analects, jen is used in the broader sense of an all-encompassing ethical ideal which includes all

the desirable qualities of man (Shun http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=97920083). In

most cases, to Confucius the man of jen is the perfect man as he is a man of the golden rule, for,

“wishing to establish his own character, he also establishes the character of others, and wishing

to be prominent himself, he also helps others to be prominent.” (Analects, 6:28). A man of

humanity is, therefore, a man of good character who is faithful and sensitive not only for the

good of himself but also for the good of others.

Jen is expressed in terms of chung and shu, or conscientiousness and altruism

respectively, which is “one thread” running through Confucius’ teachings (Confucius, 17).

Chung means the full development of one’s [original good] mind and shu means the extension of

that mind to others. Chung is the way of heaven, whereas shu is the way of man; the former is

substance while the latter is function. Liu Pao-nan is correct in equating chung with Confucius’

saying, “Establish one’s own character,” and shu with “Also establish the character of others.”

(Confucius, 27) Chung and shu as “one thread” suggest a richer, deeper meaning for jen.

Moreover, jen means that a person demonstrates conscientiousness toward others, a sense of

being concerned about people’s well-being, and acts toward others with nurturing care and

consideration. On the other hand, jen also has a level of sympathy, or empathy—the capacity to

share in the feelings of others and to express one’s own concern for any plight or misfortune that

might befall them (Taylor 48).

The practice of humanity starts with oneself and develops in one self. According to

Confucius as soon as one wants it, there it is right by him (analects, 7:29). The practice of

humanity depends on oneself (Analects, 12:1). It finds its way back to propriety, which means
behaving with ritual attitude toward others, especially the elders. When asked about the detailed

items, Confucius said, “Do not look at what is contrary to propriety, do not speak what is

contrary to propriety, and do not make any movement which is contrary to propriety” (Analects,

12:1b). The man of humanity knows how to respect in private life, serious in his responsibilities

and faithful in his dealing with others even if he lives with the barbarians his attitude does not

change and he never abandons humanity even for a lapse of a single meal (Analects, 4:5).

Humanity or jen as virtue, once imbibed, makes man distinctively human.

On Filial Piety

What is Filial piety? Filial piety is a translation of Chinese character means ‘xiao’. It is

originally a pictograph, “consisting of a hand holding a stick and beating a child” (Yao 2000,

28). The pictograph can refer, then, to a discipline given to a child by his father in order for the

child to learn the ways of his father, may it be rigorously if possible. The child, therefore, has to

obey his father so that he can learn from his ways. This discipline brings the child into a filial

piety.

Filial piety, in its simplest sense, means respect and reverence for one’s parents.

Respect and reverence for one’s parents includes the child’s obedience of his parent’s will.

Confucius said, “When a man’s father is alive, look at the bent of his will” (Analects, 1:11). The

child has to take to heart what his father wishes him to be. It implies that if the child follows his

father’s will, he is expected, as he grows up, to become like his father in ways and in conduct.

This means that the obedient child lives in his life the desires of his father, even if sometimes it

goes against his own desires. If the child finds his father’s will unfavourable, he may express to
his father his sentiments. But if his father does not honour his sentiments, the child still has to

submit himself to his father’s will with respect and reverence.

According to Confucius, “In serving his parents, a son may gently remonstrate with them.

If the child sees that his parents are not inclined to listen to him, he should resume an attitude of

reverence and not abandon his effort to serve them” (Analects, 4:18). Between the child and his

parents, in moments of conflict of interests, the will of the parents should always be followed

unreservedly. Life is expected to flow from the family, in the relationship of the child to his

elders, so that home may become the fundamental context for education and the formation of

virtues that the child needs to develop in his life.

In the practice of filial piety, the child has to follow the ways of his father and he should

“never disobey” (Analects, 2:5). When Confucius was asked about the meaning of the phrase

“never disobey”, he said that when parents are alive the child has to serve them according to the

rules of propriety and that when they die he should bury them according to the rules of propriety

and sacrifice to them according to the rules of propriety (Analects, 2:5). The word propriety is li

which originally meant “ritual,” “rite,” or even “sacrifice”. The Chinese character for the word

was a pictogram of a sacrificial vessel being presented to a spirit” (Taylor 2004, 53). When

applied to the context of service according to the rules of propriety, this means that the person

behaves with a ritual attitude towards his elders. In performing the ritual, one is not only doing it

for its own sake, but most importantly he “enters into a special relationship with the object of the

rituals (Taylor, 53). This further means that a person acts with an attitude of deference toward

his father done with moral authority. It is in this way that the child learns the ways of his

father. Li, while it denotes what English means by ritual and etiquette, is primarily concerned
with the influence of behaviour, the influence set by example. Human beings like to look up to,

and follow in the footsteps, of those they deem admirable and worthy (Wilson

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/dharmajim/GreatLearning.html).

The obedience of a child to his father that goes with the life of his father and continues

even unto his grave is a way to filial piety. Confucius says, “When his father is dead, look at his

conduct. If for three years [of mourning] he does not change from the way of his father, he may

be called filial” (Analects, 1:11). Fan Tsu-yu understood the saying to mean that the son should

observe the father’s will and past conduct (Confucius, 21). It can also be that the way of the

father is of course the moral principle which has guided or should have guided the son’s

conduct (Confucius, 21). By this interpretation, the son’s character is judged according to his

intention to obey his father or not to obey him. But when his father is already dead and he is left

alone unto himself to decide for his actions, the son will be judged by his own conduct.

The filial child must be earnest and faithful to his father. The child can only be earnest

when he is sincere in his show of respect to his father and he can only be faithful to him when he

takes to heart his father’s words at all times wherever goes, for Confucius said, “Men should be

filial when at home and respectful to their elders when away from home” (Analects, 1:6a). The

child’s obedience to his father should always be constant and for all time and whether he is with

his father’s presence or away from his sight.

Confucius said, “Filial piety nowadays means to be able to support one’s parents. But we

support even dogs and horses. If there is no feeling of reverence, wherein lies the difference”

(Analects, 2:7)?” The support of a filial child to his parents must be an expression of his
reverence to them. The child should honour his parents as he supports them. The mention of

support here may mean the one that is mentioned in the book of rights.

The young people similarly should help and support their parents in leaving or
entering rooms, either by going before them or by supporting them. When they
bring in the basin for them to wash, the younger will carry the wash stand and the
older the water. The children will ask to be allowed to pour out the water; when
the parents have finished washing, the children will hand them a towel. (Rainey
2010, 27)

The support to one’s parents should be done with reverence for without reverence what else

could be compared to the support one is giving to the animals? If this is so, then the child ’s

action would only be simply doing things just for the sake of doing it. Instead, the support to

one’s parents should be done with reverence so as to emphasize the sense of filiality in one’s

attitude.

Filial Piety is the root of Humanity

It is believed that filial piety, which is respect and reverence for one’s parents, is

considered the most fundamental of all human values and is the root of humanity. Humanity,

being the all-encompassing ethical ideal and the ultimate goal of man, starts with filial piety.

When the root is firmly established, the moral law (Tao) will grow. Filial piety and brotherly

respect are the root of humanity (jen) (Analects 1:2). In the Confucian point of view, filial piety

becomes the root of humanity as it forms in the child the virtue of respect and reverence to his

parent which he later extends to others outside his home.

When Confucius said that filial piety is the root of humanity, it tells us that the effects of

filial piety are not just in the family but in the society as well. Filial piety in the home develops

into the virtue of dutifulness or loyalty outside of the home. The Analects argues that if a young

man is filial toward his parents and respectful to his older brothers, he will rarely become the
kind of man who will defy his superiors or stir up rebellion (Rainey, 2010, 28) because he had

already developed in himself that virtue of respect and support which has formed his good

character toward others. The Confucian man of humanity learns loyalty to his ruler by learning

filial piety at home.

Filial piety derives from the basic human relationships developed in the family, in the

relation of parent and child. When the child is disciplined by his parent, he develops in himself

respect to his parent and obedience to his will and, in so doing, the child learns the ways and

conduct of his parent. This practice of discipline in the family forms the child character and

develops in him the virtues of respect and concern for his parent. This is filial piety. As he

grows older and keeps in himself these virtues of respect and concern to others, he becomes a

man of humanity. Being the root, filial piety sets the foundation of humanity as the ultimate

virtue of man.

The Chinese character xiao (filial piety) shows the young man supporting the old man.

There is this sense of respect and support by the child of his parent which extends even after the

death of his parent. The analects points this out by saying that the filial child has to look at the

bent of his father’s will when he is alive and he has to look at his father ’s conduct when he is

dead (Analects, 1:11). When the child is formed in the family, he becomes a man of humanity

because by his concern for his father, he also develops his concern and care for others. As the

filial child establishes his own character (chung), he also establishes the character of others (shu)

(Confucius, 27) through his show of concern and support for them. This is how the Chinese

character jen (humanity) describes it - a sense of a person together with others.

 Obedience, for Confucius, is something that has to be learned deeply by heart. It implies

a deeper realization and acceptance on the part of the child of a correct behaviour that comes

from the will of his father for him to follow. It is not a kind that is blind obedience, which means

following only the command “to the letter” but it goes further into the sense of how the

command should form the value of respect and reverence in the child. In the parent–child

relationship, children’s education, especially their moral training and cultivation of character, is

the first duty of their parents. If a son was not educated well, it was his father who should be

blamed (zi bu jiao, fu zhi guo) (Yao 2000, 182). The true ground of learning is filial piety,

respect for elders, earnestness and faithfulness (Yao, 213).

Ideally, the family is the first place we are taught how to behave and the place

where moral cultivation begins (Rainey 2010, 29). By practicing filial piety we learn to put

others’ interests before our own. The family is a place where the child has the chance to expand

his moral abilities. Relations in the family teach the child how to deal with other people and how

to respect other people. This is how filial piety becomes the root of humanity. Throughout the

Confucian tradition the family plays a crucial role in the development of ethical virtues. Here we

find the argument that there is nothing greater than filial piety and it is the basis of all teachings

and virtues and, thus, the root of humanity.

 REFERENCE LIST

Confucius. The Analects. Notes in Philosophy Class.

Rainey, Lee Dian. 2010. Confucius and Confucianism: The Essentials. Oxford: Willey-
Blackwell.

Shun, Kwong-loi. Jen and Li in the Analects. http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?

a=o&d=97920083 (Accessed November 5, 2010).

Taylor, Rodney. 2004. Confucianism. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.

Wilson, Jim. Becoming Fully Human.

http://nichirenscoffeehouse.net/dharmajim/GreatLearning.html (Accessed February 22,
2011).

Yao, Xinzhong. 2000. An Introduction to Confucianism. New York: Cambridge University

Press.

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