Examples of Filial Piety (14th Century CE)

According to Chinese tradition, filial piety (hsiao) was the primary duty of all Chinese. Being a filial son meant complete obedience to one's parents ... ExamplesofFilialPiety(14thCenturyCE) AccordingtoChinesetradition,filialpiety(hsiao)wastheprimarydutyofallChinese.Beingafilialsonmeantcompleteobediencetoone'sparentsduringtheirlifetimeand--astheygrewolder--takingthebestpossiblecareofthem.Aftertheirdeaththeeldestsonwasrequiredtoperformritualsacrificesattheirgravesiteorintheancestraltemple.AsoncouldalsoexpresshisdevotiontohisparentsbypassingtheCivilServiceexaminations,winningprestigeforthewholefamily.Mostimportantofall,asonhadtomakesurethatthefamilylinewouldbecontinued.Dyingwithoutasonthereforewasoneoftheworstoffensesagainsttheconceptoffilialpiety.Ifamarriageremainedbarren,itwasason'sdutytotakeasecondwifeoradoptachildinordertocontinuethefamily.SinceChinesewomenbecamepartoftheirhusband'sfamilythroughmarriage,filialconductforawomanmeantfaithfullyservingherin-laws,inparticularhermother-in-law,andgivingbirthtoason.Byfulfillingtheseduties,shealsogainedprestigeforherownfamily.Ifthemotheranddaughter-in-lawdidnotgetalong,filialpietydemandedthatamanshouldgetridofhiswifeinordertopleasehismother.Hecouldalwaysgetanotherwife,buthewouldonlyhaveonemother.Whilecontinuing thefamilylinewasprobablythemostimportantissueforthevastmajorityoftheChinese,Buddhistmonksandnunswererequiredtoremaincelibate.TheirrefusaltofulfilltheobligationsoffilialpietymadethemsuspectintheeyesofotherChinese.Alongwiththeeunuchsattheemperor'scourtandTaoistprieststheywereoftenbelievedtoconductthemselvesinanimmoralorcriminalmanner. StoriesaboutexemplaryfilialconductaboundinChinesehistory.TheTwenty-FourExamplesofFilialPiety(Er-shih-ssuhsiao)werechosenandcompiledbyKuoChü-chingduringtheYüanDynasty(1280-1368CE)whilehewasmourningthedeathofhisfather.Othercollectionsfollowed.Eventoday,thesestoriesformanimportantpartofChinesefolklore.Youmaybesurprisedathowbriefthesestoriesareandhowlittlebackgroundisgiven.Tworeasonsmayexplainthis:Ontheonehand,everyonewassofamiliarwiththeheroesoftheseexamplesthatitwasunnecessarytogiveanydetailsabouttheirlives.Ontheotherhand,brevity isconsideredtobegoodstyleintheclassicChinesetradition. Followingaresixofthetwenty-fourexamplesfromtheEr-shih-ssuhsiao. FreezinginaThinCoatinObediencetoHisStepmother MinTzu-chienhadlosthismotheratayoungage.Hisfatherremarried andhadtwomoresonswithhissecondwife.Shealwaysdressed herownsonsinthicklypaddedrobes.Buttoherstepsonshegave onlyathincoatpaddedwithcattails[insteadofcotton].One winterday,whenMinTzu-chienwastoldtoholdthereinsofhis father'scart,hewasshiveringsobadlythathedroppedthereins. Thiswayhisfatherfoundoutthathiswifedressedhisoldest sonverypoorly.Inhisragehedecidedtodismisshissecond wife.ButMinTzu-chiensaid:"Ifshestays,onesonwill befreezing.Butifsheleaves,allthreesonswillsufferfrom thecold."Whenhisstepmotherheardthis,shechangedher attitudetowardsMinTzu-chien. AllowingMosquitoestoFeastonHisBlood DuringtheChinDynasty(4th-5thCenturyCE),aboynamedWuMeng (1)wasalreadyservinghisparentsinexemplaryfilialpiety althoughhewasjusteightyearsold.Thefamilywassopoorthat theycouldnotevenaffordagauzenetagainstthemosquitoes. Thereforeeverynightinthesummerswarmsofmosquitoeswould comeandbitethem.WuMengletthemallfeastonhisnakedstomach. Eventhoughthereweresomany,hedidnotdrivethemaway.He fearedthatthemosquitoes,havinglefthim,wouldinsteadbite hisparents.Hisheartwastrulyfilledwithloveforhisparents. SacrificingHisSonfortheSakeofHisMother KuoChi,wholivedduringtheHanDynasty(200BCE-200CE)and hisfamilywereverypoor.Hehadathree-year-oldson.Eventhough therewaslittlefood,KouChi'smotherwouldalwaysgivepart ofhersharetohergrandsonsothathedidnotsufferhunger. OnedayKuoChisaidtohiswife,"Wearesopoorandneedy thatwecannotgivemotherenoughtoeat,andontopofthisour soniseatingpartofmother'sshare.Itwerebetterifweburied ourson."(2)Hestarteddiggingagrave.Whenhehaddug aholeofaboutthreechih(3),hediscoveredapotfilled withgoldandtheinscription:"Officialsmaynottakeit, peoplemaynotstealit." WearingChildren'sClothestoAmuseHisParents DuringthetimeoftheChouDynasty(11th-3rdCenturyBCE),there wasamannamedLaoLai-tzu(4)whowasbynatureextremelyfilial. Hetookcareofbothhisparentsandprovidedforthemwiththe choicestdelicacies.Afterhehimselfturnedseventy,henever spokeabouthisage.(5)Heoftenworeclothesstripedinfive colorsandactedlikeaninfantinfrontofhisparents.Hewould carryabowlofwatertothem,andthenstumbleonpurpose.Lying onthefloorhewouldcrylikealittlechildinordertomake hisparentslaugh. CryingintheBamboo-GroveandMakingtheBambooSprout DuringtheeraoftheThreeKingdoms(3rdCenturyCE)therelived amannamedMengSung,alsoknownas[Meng]Chien-wu(6).Hehad losthisfatherduringhischildhood.Whenhismotherwasold andsickshecravedfreshbamboo-shootseventhoughitwaswinter. Sunghadnoideahowhecouldgetthem.Indesperation,hewent intoabamboogrove,claspedabamboostemandbrokeintotears. Hisfilialdevotionmovedheavenandearthandtheyforcedthe earthtocrackopen.Numerousshootsofbamboocameout.Meng Sungcarriedthemhomeandmadethemintoasoupforhismother. Assoonasshehadeatenshefeltmuchbetter. CleaninghisMother'sChamberpot HuangT'ing-chien(7)oftheSungDynasty,alsoknownas[Huang] Shan-gu,becameamemberoftheHanlinacademy(8)during theYuan-Yureign(1086-1094CE)(9). Hewasbynatureextremelyfilial.Eventhoughhewassuchan esteemedandfamousperson,heservedhismotherwithutmostdevotion. Everyeveninghewouldpersonallycleanhismother'schamberpot. Notamomentpassedwithouthisfulfillinghisfilialduties. NOTES (1)AccordingtoChinesetradition,WuMenglaterinlifestudied blackmagicandcouldcrossariverwithoutaboat,wavingafan ofwhitefeathersoverthewater.Hisbodydidnotdecomposeafter deathandfinallydisappeared. (2)Chinesetextssometimescontinuethisconversation:"We canalwaysgetanotherson,butitisimpossibletogetanother mother." (3)Onechihisapproximately11incheslong. (4)LaoLai-tzulivedduringtheSpringandAutumnPeriod(770-476 CE)oftheChouDynastyandwasanativeofCh'uinSouth-West China.AccordingtoChinesetradition,thekingofCh'ueventually heardofhisabilitytomakepeoplelaughandgavehimapost inhiscourt. (5)InChinaitisquiteunusualeventodayforbothmenand womenaboveseventynottomentiontheiragewithpride.Insome colloquialversionsofthisstoryitissaidthathedoesnot mentionhisagesothathisparentswouldnotbesadandrealize thatboththeirsonandtheythemselvesmightbeneardeath. (6)MengSungeventuallybecamekeeperoftheimperialfishponds underthefirstemperorofthesucceedingChindynasty. (7)HuangT'ing-chien(1050-1110CE)wasawell-knownpoetand calligrapher. (8)TheHanlinacademywasthecentralinstitutionoflearning inImperialChina.Thisappointmentwasveryprestigiousforany scholar. (9)Uponhisascensiontothethroneandwheneverheconsidered itbeneficial,aChineseemperorproclaimedanewmaximforhis reign."Yuanyu"means"greatprotection." TranslatedbyLydiaGerber FromReadingAbouttheWorld,Volume1,editedbyPaulBrians,MaryGallwey,DouglasHughes,AzfarHussain,RichardLaw,MichaelMyers,MichaelNeville,RogerSchlesinger,AliceSpitzer,andSusanSwan(NY:HarcourtBraceCustomBooks).