,transcriber's ,note    ,italic text    
displayed as3 italic            ,the    
,wisdom of the ,east ,series            
,,edited ,,by    ,l4 ,,cranmer-,,byng   
,dr4 ,s4 ,a4 ,,kapadia        ,,the     
,,book ,,of ,,filial ,,duty             
,,wisdom ,,of ,,the ,,east      ,,the   
,,book ,,of    ,,filial ,,duty          
,,translated ,,from ,,the ,,chinese     
,,of ,,the ,,hsiao ,,ching      ,,by    
,,ivan ,,ch,n      ,,first ,,secretary  
,,to ,,the ,,chinese ,,legation         
,,with ,,the ,,twenty-,,four ,,examples 
,,from ,,the ,,chinese                  
,illustration      ,,london    ,,john   
,,murray1 ,,albemarle ,,street    #aijh 
,,printed ,,by    ,,hazell1 ,,watson    
,,and ,,viney1 ,,ld41    ,,london ,,and 
,,aylesbury4          ,,contents        
,,page    ,,introduction                
#g      ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,filial  
,,duty                                  
#af      ,,the ,,twenty-,,four          
,,examples                              
#cc          ,,editorial ,,note         

,the object of the ,editors of this     
series is a very definite one4 ,they    
desire above all things that1 in their  
humble way1 these books shall be  the   
ambassadors of goodwill and             
understanding between ,east and         
,west--the  old world of ,thought and   
the new of ,action4 ,in this endeavour1 
and in  their own sphere1 they are but  
followers of the highest example in the 
land4 ,they are confident that a deeper 
knowledge of the great ideals  and lofty
 philosophy of ,oriental thought may    
help to a revival of that  true spirit  
of ,charity which neither despises nor  
fears the nations of  another creed and 
colour4 ,finally1 in thanking press and 
public for  the very cordial reception  
given to the 8,wisdom of the ,east0     
,series1  they wish to state that no    
pains have been spared to secure the    
best  specialists for the treatment of  
the various subjects at hand4      ,l4  
,,cranmer-,,byng4    ,s4 ,a4 ,,kapadia4 
,,northbrook ,,society1    #ahe         

,,piccadilly1 ,w4                       
,,introduction      ,i4 ,,the ,,origin  
,,of ,,the ,,book    ,the ,hsiao ,ching1
 or ,book of ,filial ,duty1 is generally
 held to be  the work of an unknown     
pupil of ,tsng ,ts#8an1 the disciple of 
,confucius1  to whom is attributed the  
famous ,confucian classic known as ,the 
,greater ,learning4 ,certainly it can be
 traced back as far as #djj ,b4,c41     
within a century from the death of      
,confucius4 ,the preservation of  the   
text in its present form is due to the  
,emperor ,ming ,huang 7,a4,d4           
#fhe-gfb71 one of the most fascinating  
characters in ,chinese history1  who had
 it engraved1 together with eleven other
 of the ,confucian  writings1 on tablets
 of stone and set up in his capital of  
,chang-an4 ,he  afterwards added a      
commentary of his own1 which is still   
extant1 and  has proved invaluable to   
all commentators of a later period4 ,the
 ,book  of ,filial ,duty is often found 
in ,china bound up with another treatise

  called the ,hsiao ,hseh1 or ,teaching 
for the ,young1 of which the  following 
is a specimen3 8,the way to become a    
student is with meekness  and humility1 
receiving with confidence every word    
spoken by the  master4 ,the pupil1 when 
he sees men of virtue1 should try to    
follow  in their steps2 when he hears   
wise sayings1 he should try to conform  
to them4 ,he must not harbour evil      
designs1 but always act honourably4     
,whether at home or abroad1 he must have
 a fixed abode1 and resort with  those  
who are well disposed1 regulating his   
demeanour with care1 and  curbing the   
passions40    ,few books have enjoyed   
greater popularity amongst all classes  
in  ,china than ,the ,book of ,filial   
,duty4 ,it may be called ,the ,book of  
,emperors1 from the fact that so many   
,emperors1 both before and after  ,ming 
,huang1 have commentated upon it4       
,equally it is ,the ,book of  ,youth1   
being the first treatise of importance  
placed in the hands of  children1 after 

the horn books of elementary            
instruction4 ,the reason  for its       
survival after so many centuries is not 
hard to seek4 ,family  life has always  
been1 from time immemorial1 the         
foundation-stone  of the ,chinese       
,empire1 and filial piety is the        
foundation-stone of  family life4 ,nor  
does this duty of son to father merely  
extend to  the living4 ,the living head 
of the family pays due reverence to the 
countless ancestors who have preceded   
him4 ,a witty ,chinese writer  once     
remarked that in the ,west family life  
only began after death--in  the family  
vault4 ,here1 at any rate1 after years  
of separation and  divided interests1   
the members met to enjoy a common       
oblivion4 ,i cannot  but think that     
there is some exaggeration in this2 yet 
not even the  greatest apologist of     
,western methods will venture to deny   
that the  ,chinese and indeed most      
,oriental ideals of family life are     
superior to  his own4 ,whilst living1   

only the calls of ,empire1 or the       
demands of  their profession1 may keep  
relations apart2 but the interests of   
the  family are always greater than the 
interests of the individual1 and no     
exile is without hope of return to the  
home of his fathers4 ,the dead  will not
 be forgotten1 for it will be the duty  
of their sons to offer  sacrifice to    
their shades4 ,the death-days of two    
generations of parents  are kept sacred 
with solemn festival1 and the nameless  
and unnumbered  dead have their special 
days of ceremony and remembrance in the 
spring  and autumn4 ,every house has its
 family shrine1 every village its hall  
of ancestors4 ,thus the filial piety of 
the survivors honours those who  have   
gone4    ,as regards the living1 respect
 is the great essential of daily        
intercourse4 ,the subject respects his  
emperor1 the son his father1  the wife  
her husband1 and the younger brother his
 elder brother4 ,but  respect is not    
only for those older than ourselves1 or 

of superior  station4 ,the wisdom of    
,confucius is nowhere more clearly shown
 than in  his utterance concerning the  
respect to be paid to youth3 8,a youth  
is  to be regarded with respect4 ,how do
 we know that his future will not  be   
equal to our present8 ,if he reach the  
age of forty or fifty1 and  has not made
 himself heard of1 then he will indeed  
not be worthy of  respect40    ,maxima  
debetur pueris reverentia6    ,the      
,chinese national spirit is a spirit of 
continuity2 the spirit of  the          
,confucian philosophy is a spirit of    
harmony with the environment of  daily  
life4 8,confucius10 says ,tz-ss1        
8possessed1 as if by hereditary         
transmission1 the virtues of ,yao and   
,shun ,emperors of the ,golden ,age1    
and modelled himself on ,wn and ,wu     
first ,king of the ,chou dynasty1  #aacc
 ,b4,c4 as his exemplars4 ,above all1 he
 kept in unison with the  seasons of the
 sky2 below1 he conformed to the water  
and the land4    8,we may liken him unto

 the sky and earth in respect of the    
universality  with which they uphold and
 sustain things1 the universality with  
which  they overspread and enfold       
things4 ,we may liken him unto the four 
seasons in respect of their varied      
march2 unto the sun and moon in  respect
 of their alternate shining4    8,all   
things are kept in train together       
without their injuring one  another2    
their ways go on together without       
interfering one with  another3 the      
smaller forces in river streams1 the    
greater forces in  ample                
transformations4 ,it is this that makes 
the sky and earth so  great40#a    ,the 
first environment of the human soul is  
that of the family4 ,before  we can     
become good subjects1 before we can     
aspire to study nature and  mould       
ourselves upon the laws of heaven and   
earth1 we must first of  all learn to   
become good sons1 to complete the unity 
of family life4  ,all things will be    
added in their due course4 ,to the      

,chinese mind the  successful policy in 
life is a policy of adjustment4 ,this   
policy runs  from highest to lowest1 and
 back again from lowest to highest4 ,the
  ,emperor adjusts himself to the       
requirements of his great ,ministers1   
they in their turn to the provincial    
governors1 they in their turn to  the   
local magistrates1 and so on down the   
scale of social order4 ,so  this policy 
of adjustment works equally upwards from
 the youngest son  of the meanest family
 to the ,emperor himself1 who adjusts   
his methods  to those employed by his   
,august ,father4 ,as ,the ,book of ,odes
 says3        ,that great and noble     
,prince displayed      ,the sense of    
right in all he wrought2      ,adjusting
 justly1 grade by grade1      ,the      
spirit of his wisdom swayed             
,peasant and peer2 the crowd1 the court4
    ,it is for this reason that ,the    
,book of ,filial ,duty commences with  a
 chapter on 8,filial ,piety in the ,son 
of ,heaven40 ,the ,emperor is1 the      

,emperor always has been1 the father of 
the greatest family on earth--the       
,chinese nation4      ,,ii4 ,,the       
,,twenty-,,four ,,examples ,,of ,,filial
 ,,duty    ,instead of the ,hsiao ,hseh1
 or ,teaching for the ,young1 which is  
usually grouped with ,the ,book of      
,filial ,duty1 ,i have chosen ,the      
,twenty-four ,examples of ,filial ,duty 
by way of illustration to the  ,hsiao   
,ching4 ,they are nave and terse1 and   
yet not without their  simple charm4    
,even where they lend themselves to     
exaggeration1 as in  the story of the   
old gentleman who dressed himself in gay
 garments  and frisked in front of his  
very venerable parents1 they are not    
meaningless nor devoid of humanity4 ,the
 lesson to be drawn is that our  duty   
towards our parents is the first        
obligation in life1 and that we  should 
go1 if necessary1 to all lengths to     
fulfil it4 ,nothing is known  of the    
authorship of these stories1 or the time
 in which they are  written4 ,each story

 is accompanied by its commentary1 and  
probably the  stories themselves        
originated during the ,ming dynasty     
7,a4,d4 #acfh-afdd71  the commentaries  
belonging mostly to the latter years of 
that dynasty4  ,the period dealt with in
 these tales is a very wide one1 and    
ranges  from the time of the great      
,emperor ,shun 7circa #bcjj ,b4,c47 down
 to  the ,sung dynasty 7,a4,d4          
#ijj-abjj74 ,there have been many       
editions of  ,the ,twenty-four ,examples
 in ,chinese1 mostly embellished with   
quaint  and original woodcuts1 of which 
the figure on the cover of the present  
volume1 kindly supplied by ,mrs4 ,lionel
 ,giles1 is an example4      ,,iii4     
,,filial ,,duty ,,and ,,parental ,,love 
,in conclusion1 ,i hope none of my      
readers will imagine1 from these        
examples and the treatise that precedes 
them1 that ,chinese family life  is cold
 and repellent1 and devoid of mutual    
love4 ,the moment a tiny  life enters   
the circle it is guarded by the triple  

walls of kinship4  ,in the children our 
parents return to us2 in the children we
 survive4  ,all through ,chinese history
 the exile longs for return to wife and 
children4 ,all through ,chinese         
literature you will find allusion to the
  love of little ones which has been the
 heritage of the ,chinese from  time    
unknown4 ,the ,book of ,odes1 quoted in 
,mr4 ,ku ,hung-ming's eloquent          
translation of the ,chung ,yung1 or     
,conduct of ,life1 for this ,series1    
says3        ,when wives and children   
and their sires are one1      ',tis like
 the harp and lute in unison4      ,when
 brothers live in concord and in peace1 
,the strains of harmony shall never     
cease4      ,the lamp of happy union    
lights the home1      ,and bright days  
follow when the children come4    ,with 
the ,chinese the natural joys of life   
have always been the most  sought after4
 ,home1 family1 friendship1 landscape1  
and flowers--these  are the pleasures   
which they delight in4 ,the religion of 

,confucius  is the religion of daily    
life4 ,on the side of the parent there  
is  responsibility2 on the side of the  
child1 obedience1 but not a blind  one4 
,of the responsibility of parents there 
is no question4 ,confucius  himself laid
 down the law when he sentenced a       
father1 who had brought  an accusation  
against his son1 to be imprisoned with  
him4 ,on being  remonstrated with1 he   
made this memorable reply3 8,am ,i to   
punish for  a breach of filial piety one
 who has never been taught to be        
filially  minded8 ,is not he who        
neglects to teach his son his duties    
equally  guilty with the son who fails  
in them8 ,crime is not inherent in human
  nature1 and therefore the father in   
the family and the government in  the   
,state are responsible for the crimes   
committed against filial piety  and the 
public laws40    ,on the other hand1 the
 obedient son must be able to           
discriminate and  not follow blindly1   
when the father is at fault4 ,in the ,li

 ,chi1 or  ,book of ,rites1 it is       
written3 8,when his parents are in      
error1 the  son must remonstrate with   
them with respect and gently4 ,if they  
do not  receive his reproof1 he must    
strive more and more to be dutiful and  
respectful towards them till they are   
pleased1 and then he must again  point  
out their fault40    ,the ,chinese give 
respect to the living1 and also         
reverence the dead4  ,it is from the    
past that they have tried to learn1 and 
the past is a  pathway which the feet of
 spirits have trodden and made luminous4
 ,and1  moreover1 no man can escape from
 his ancestors1 even if he go to the    
uttermost parts of the earth and dwell  
among strangers4 ,over the heads  of the
 family the politician1 ancient and     
modern1 looks to the ,state4  ,but      
,china1 from the shelter and security of
 her myriad bulwarks1 has  watched the  
sun of many empires rise and set4       
,,note    ,in preparing this little book
 for the press1 ,i am indebted to ,mr4  

,lionel ,giles and ,mr4 ,l4             
,cranmer-,byng for their kind           
assistance4 ,mr4  ,giles has revised the
 ,english spelling of ,chinese names    
according to  the system almost         
universally adopted by sinologues       
to-day2 while ,mr4  ,cranmer-,byng has  
made himself responsible for the        
,introduction4 ,as  regards ,the        
,twenty-four ,examples of ,filial ,duty1
 due acknowledgment  must be made to    
,vol4 ,,vi4 of ,the ,chinese            
,repository1 which contains  the only   
complete translation of these stories1  
and has been  extensively drawn upon for
 the present work4      ,,footnotes3    
#a ,translated by ,john ,carey ,hall in 
,chinese ,civilisation1 by ,pierre      
,laffitte4          ,,the ,,doctrine    
,,of ,,filial ,,duty          ,,chapter 
,i    ,,the ,,meaning ,,of ,,filial     
,,duty      ,once upon a time ,confucius
 was sitting in his study1 having his   
disciple ,tsng ,ts#8an to attend upon   
him4 ,he asked ,tsng ,ts#8an3 8,do  you 

know by what virtue and power the good  
,emperors of old made the  world        
peaceful1 the people to live in harmony 
with one another1 and  the inferior     
contented under the control of their    
superiors80 ,to this  ,tsng ,ts#8an1    
rising from his seat1 replied3 8,i do   
not know this1 for  ,i am not clever40  
,then said ,confucius3 8,the duty of    
children to their  parents is the       
fountain whence all other virtues       
spring1 and also the  starting-point    
from which we ought to begin our        
education4 ,now take  your seat1 and ,i 
will explain this4 ,our body and hair   
and skin are all  derived from our      
parents1 and therefore we have no right 
to injure any  of them in the least4    
,this is the first duty of a child4     
8,to live an upright life and to spread 
the great doctrines of humanity  must   
win good reputation after death1 and    
reflect great honour upon our  parents4 
,this is the last duty of a son4        
8,hence the first duty of a son is to   

pay a careful attention to every  want  
of his parents4 ,the next is to serve   
his government loyally2 and  the last to
 establish a good name for himself4     
8,so it is written in the ,ta ,ya#b3    
#8,you must think of your ancestors  and
 continue to cultivate the virtue which 
you inherit from them4'0                
,,chapter ,,ii    ,,the ,,filial ,,duty 
,,of ,,an ,,emperor      ,in order to   
prevent the people from treating their  
parents with  cruelty1 the ,emperor     
first sets an example to them by showing
 a dear  love to his mother2 and in     
order to teach them not to treat their  
parents with rudeness1 he first treats  
his parents with respect4 ,having  loved
 and respected his own parents1 his good
 conduct will influence  the minds of   
his people1 and his good example will be
 followed by them4    ,so it is written 
in the ,fu ,hsing#c3 8,when the ,emperor
 has done a  good act1 millions will be 
benefited40      ,,footnotes3    #b ,a  
section of the ,canon of ,poetry4    #c 

,the #bgth of the books of ,chou in the 
,canon of ,history4          ,,chapter  
,,iii    ,,the ,,filial ,,duty ,,of     
,,feudal ,,princes      ,any man will be
 secure in his position1 however high it
 may be1 if he  does not behave himself 
in a haughty manner2 and will be ever   
able to  keep his wealth if he is frugal
 and careful in his expenses4    ,when  
he is able to secure himself in his high
 position1 he can1 of  course1 remain   
unimpaired in his dignity2 and where he 
can keep his  wealth1 he will always    
remain rich4 ,having placed himself in a
 position  of honour1 and secured the   
possession of his wealth1 he will be    
able to  protect his country and further
 the welfare of his people4 ,this is the
  filial duty of a feudal ,prince4      
,in the ,shih ,ching it is thus written3
 8,be careful as though you were        
standing upon the brink of a high       
precipice or treading on thin ice40     
,,chapter ,,iv    ,,the ,,filial ,,duty 
,,of ,,high ,,officers      ,if we do   

not put on such dress as our good       
,emperors of old would  forbid1 if we do
 not speak such words as they would     
forbid1 and if  we do not behave        
ourselves in such a way as they would   
forbid1 then  we shall be always right  
in what we say and what we do4 ,if so1  
then  nobody will be able to find fault 
with our words or with our deeds1  and  
therefore we shall be able to keep our  
family from being visited  with any     
serious misfortune1 and to offer        
sacrifices to our ancestors  for ever4  
,this is the filial duty of a high      
officer4    ,in the ,shih ,ching it is  
thus written3 8,be diligent every minute
 to  attend upon the one person0        
7meaning the ,emperor74                 
,,chapter ,v    ,,the ,,filial ,,duty   
,,of ,,the ,,literary ,,class      ,from
 the manner in which we should treat our
 father we learn how to  treat our      
mother4 ,the love toward them is the    
same4 ,from the manner  in which we     
should treat our father we also learn   

how to serve our  ,august ,master4 ,the 
respect shown to them is the same4 ,to  
our mother  we show love1 to our ,august
 ,master respect1 while to our father1  
both  love and respect4 ,if we can serve
 our ,august ,master with such feelings 
as we have toward our father1 then      
loyalty is shown2 and if we treat       
venerable persons with respect1 then    
harmony will reign in the circle  of our
 life4 ,not failing to treat the ,august
 ,master with loyalty and  the venerable
 with respect1 we shall be able to make 
ourselves secure  in our high position  
and to offer sacrifices to our ancestors
 for ever4    ,this is the filial duty  
of the ,literati4 ,so in the ,shih      
,ching it is  written3 8,do not do      
anything in the course of a day which   
will reflect  dishonour upon your       
ancestors40          ,,chapter ,,vi     
,,the ,,filial ,,duty ,,of ,,common     
,,people      ,to do the necessary in   
every season 7such as growing crops in  
spring  and reaping harvest in autumn71 

to do the utmost to make lands as       
fertile as possible1 and to be frugal in
 their expense1 in order to  keep their 
parents in comfort1 is the filial duty  
of the common people4    ,from the      
,emperor downwards to the common people1
 every one has the same  duty imposed   
upon him1 and there is no instance in   
which we can find  that a man cannot    
fulfil this duty4          ,,chapter    
,,vii    ,,the 8,,three ,,powers0#d     
,on hearing what ,confucius said about  
filial duty1 ,tsng ,tz remarked3  8,how 
great is the use of filial duty60 ,here 
,confucius continued3  8,filial duty is 
the constant doctrine of ,heaven1 the   
natural  righteousness of ,earth1 and   
the practical duty of man4 ,every member
 of  the community ought to observe it  
with the greatest care4 ,we do what  is 
dictated by ,heaven and what is good for
 the general public in order  to        
organise the community4 ,on this account
 our education is widespread1  though it
 is not compulsory1 and our government  

is sound1 though it  is not rigorous4   
,the effect of education upon the minds 
of the people  was well known to the    
good ,emperors of old4 ,they made every 
person  love his parents by loving their
 own parents first4 ,they induced every 
person to cultivate his virtue by       
expounding the advantages of virtue  to 
him4 ,they behaved themselves           
respectfully and humbly1 so that the    
people might not quarrel with one       
another4 ,they trained the people  with 
ceremonial observances1 and educated    
them with music so that they  might live
 in harmony4 ,they told the people what 
things they liked or  disliked to see   
done1 so that they might understand what
 they were  forbidden to do4    ,in the 
,shih ,ching it is thus written3 8,the  
dignified statesman is  always the      
subject of the attention of the people40
      ,,footnotes3    #d ,i4e4 ,heaven1 
,earth1 and ,man4          ,,chapter    
,,viii    ,,filial ,,duty ,,in          
,,government      ,the good ,emperors of

 old ruled the ,empire by means of      
filial duty1 and  dared not neglect the 
ministers of their vassal states4 ,how  
much less  the dukes1 marquises1 earls1 
viscounts1 and barons6 ,they thereby    
gained  the goodwill of all their vassal
 states1 which sent their deputies  to  
represent them in any sacrifice offered 
to the ancestors of their  ,supreme     
,master4 ,this is what we mean by saying
 that the good ,emperors  of old        
governed the world by filial duty4      
,as to the vassal states1 their rulers  
dared not treat widowers and  widows    
with insolence2 how then could they dare
 act so towards the  literary class and 
the people8 ,hence they gained the      
goodwill of their  subjects1 and the    
latter would join them in offering      
sacrifices to  their ancestors4    ,now 
we may say a word about a family4 ,if   
the head of a family do not  act        
haughtily towards his servant1 he cannot
 act so to his wife and  children4      
,hence he will gain the goodwill of all 

his people1 and they  will help him in  
the fulfilment of his filial duty4 ,in  
such a family  the parents must feel    
happy when they are living1 and their   
spirits  must come to enjoy the         
sacrifice when they are dead4 ,by the   
principle  of filial duty the whole     
world can be made happy and all         
calamities and  dangers can be averted4 
,such was the government of the ,empire 
by the  enlightened rulers of old1 in   
accordance with the principle of filial 
duty4    ,in the ,shih ,ching it is thus
 written3 8,if you adorn yourself with  
the  highest virtue1 the whole world    
will follow you40          ,,chapter    
,,ix    ,,government ,,by ,,the ,,sage  
,tsng ,tz asked3 8,is filial piety the  
highest of all the virtues  possessed by
 a great sage80 ,to this ,confucius     
replied3 8,there is  nothing so great in
 the world as man1 and there is nothing 
so great  in a man as filial piety4 ,the
 first duty of a son is to venerate his 
parent1 and in order to show reverence  

for his dead father he has to  offer him
 sacrifice when he offers sacrifices to 
,heaven4 ,a man who had  done this was  
the ,duke of ,chou4 ,when he offered    
sacrifices to ,heaven  in a suburban    
district1 he also offered a sacrifice to
 his deceased  ancestor ,hou ,chi1 and  
when he offered sacrifice to ,heaven at 
the temple  named ,ming ,tang1 he also  
made one to his deceased father ,wn     
,wang4  ,his good action produced such  
an effect that all the feudal barons at 
that time came to assist him in         
performing the ceremony of offering     
sacrifice to ,heaven4 ,it is therefore  
evident that there is nothing so  great 
in human nature as filial piety4 ,the   
feeling of affection is  fostered during
 the time of infancy1 and from that     
affection springs  reverence4 ,since    
every man has a natural reverence1 the  
great sages  of the time teach him how  
and when to show it2 and since he has a 
natural feeling of affection1 they teach
 him when and how to cultivate  it4 ,as 

the teachings of these sages are based  
on the principle of  filial piety1 their
 doctrine is propagated without effort1 
and their  government is effectual      
without resorting to force4 ,the        
affection  between a father and a son is
 natural1 and also a source from which  
springs the reverence which a minister  
ought to show to his sovereign4  ,when  
parents have a son born to them1 the    
regular line of descent in  the family  
is thereby secured4 ,this is the        
greatest duty in family  life4 ,we must 
treat our parents with the same         
reverence as is shown  to our sovereign1
 because we receive boundless kindness  
from them and  are under a natural      
obligation to do so4 ,if any one does   
not love his  parents1 but others1 he is
 a rebel against virtue2 and if any one 
does not respect his parents1 but       
others1 he is also a rebel against  the 
standard of rites4 ,any action which is 
against the law of nature  will         
certainly not be an example for the     

public2 and any one who gets  a high    
position1 such as that of a ruler1 by   
undue influence instead  of by good     
actions1 will be despised by good men4  
,as to the latter1  they say what they  
ought to say1 and do what they think is 
good for  the public4 ,their virtue and 
justice are estimable1 their actions are
  worthy of being followed1 their       
behaviour is creditable1 and their      
manner is correct in every way4 ,if such
 persons are rulers of a state1  they   
will afford to the people a good example
 to follow and will also  inspire them  
with reverence and affection4 ,this is  
principally the  cause of their being   
successful in propagating their         
doctrines1 and  in effectually carrying 
on their government4 ,do you not        
remember what  is said in the ,shih     
,ching8--#8,look at that good man4 ,how 
correct his  behaviour is6'0            
,,chapter ,x    ,,the ,,filial ,,duty   
,,of ,a ,,son      ,confucius said3 8,a 
filial son has five duties to perform to

 his  parents3 7#a7 ,he must venerate   
them in daily life4 7#b7 ,he must try to
  make them happy in every possible way1
 especially when the meal is  served4   
7#c7 ,he must take extra care of them   
when they are sick4 7#d7 ,he  ought to  
show great sorrow for them when they are
 dead4 7#e7 ,he must  offer sacrifices  
to his deceased parents with the utmost 
solemnity4 ,if  he fulfils these duties1
 then he can be considered as having    
done what  ought to be done by a son40  
,a son ought not to feel proud of the   
high position he occupies1 ought  not to
 show dissatisfaction with his inferior 
position to that of  others1 and ought  
not to act against the natural feeling  
of the public4  ,if he is proud and     
haughty when he is a high official1 he  
will soon  bring ruin upon himself and  
his family2 if he feels dissatisfied    
with  his lower position1 he may be led 
to do illegal acts2 and if he does      
anything contrary to the public feeling1
 he will probably be the  object of     

attacks4 ,having thus wronged himself1  
he cannot be considered  as a filial    
son1 although he treats his parents     
every day to luxurious  meals4          
,,chapter ,,xi    ,,the ,,five          
,,punishments      ,the criminal law    
consists principally of five            
punishments1 which are  directed against
 three thousand offences4 ,of them1     
disobedience to  one's parents is       
considered the most heinous crime4      
,to threaten the sovereign with force is
 an act which shows that the  wrongdoer 
does not know the duty of an inferior to
 a superior2 to  say anything against   
the government founded by the wise men  
of many  generations gone by is an act  
which shows that the speaker does not   
know what law is2 and to say that a son 
need not be filial to his  parents is   
also an act which shows that the speaker
 does not know what  is the natural     
relation and duty between a son and     
parents4 ,such acts  will no doubt lead 
the man to a wrong course of life4      

,,chapter ,,xii    ,,amplification ,,of 
,,the 8,,important ,,doctrine0          
,confucius said3 8,the best way to teach
 the people to love their  sovereign is 
for the sovereign first to love his own 
parents2 to teach  them to be polite to 
each other is for the sovereign himself 
first to  be polite to all his elders2  
and to improve bad manners and customs  
is  for him first to pay attention to   
the composition of the music played  in 
the country4    8,what is etiquette8 ,it
 is simply due respect to one's elders4 
,if ,i  respect the parents1 the son    
will be pleased2 if ,i respect the elder
  brothers1 the younger ones will be    
pleased2 and if ,i respect the          
sovereign1 all the ministers will be    
pleased4 ,i respect only one  person1   
but ,i please thousands upon thousands4 
,those to whom the  respect is paid are 
few1 and those whom ,i please are many4 
,this is what  is called an #8important 
doctrine4'0          ,,chapter ,,xiii   
,,amplification ,,of 8,,the ,,highest   

,,virtue0      ,confucius said3 8,when a
 ruler wishes to teach his people to    
love their  parents1 he does not go to  
their family every day to teach them4   
,he  teaches them by his showing        
reverence to all old people4 ,in the    
same  manner he teaches his people to   
show respect to their elders by doing   
so first2 and to be loyal to their ruler
 by his doing duty to his  superiors    
first4    8,the ,shih ,ching says1      
#8,the behaviour of the ruler is so good
 that he  is loved by the people as     
their parent4' ,a ruler could not have  
been  so loved by his people had he not 
possessed the highest virtue40          
,,chapter ,,xiv    ,,amplification ,,of 
8,,raising ,,the ,,reputation0          
,confucius said3 8,a true gentleman is  
always filial to his parents1 and  in   
order to fulfil his duty to them to the 
fullest extent1 he also  serves his     
,august ,master with patriotism4 ,he    
always shows reverence  to his elder    
brothers1 and in order to fulfil his    

duty to them to the  fullest extent1 he 
does the same towards every one who is  
older than he4    8,as he can maintain  
order in his family affairs1 so he can  
do the same  in the government4 ,he     
bases the principle of the government of
 a ,state  upon that of a ruling family1
 and the consequent success will make   
his  name to be remembered throughout   
generations to come40          ,,chapter
 ,,xv    ,,the ,,question ,,of          
,,remonstrance ,,in ,,connection ,,with 
,,filial ,,duty      ,tsng ,tz said3 8,i
 have heard all that you said about     
parental love1  filial love1 reverence  
to elders1 how to treat parents every   
day1 and  how to please them by making  
oneself known for good conduct2 and now 
,i will venture to ask you whether it is
 filial that a son should obey  every   
command of his father1 whether right or 
wrong80    8,what do you say8--what do  
you say80 replied ,confucius4 8,once    
upon a  time there was a certain        
,emperor who would have lost his empire 

through  his wickedness1 but that he had
 seven good ministers who often checked 
his illegal actions by strong protests2 
there was also a feudal baron  who would
 have lost his feudal estate through    
wantonness1 but for the  fact that he   
had five good men who often made strong 
remonstrances to  him2 and there was    
also a statesman who would have brought 
frightful  calamity upon his family1 but
 for the fact that he had three good    
servants who often strongly advised him 
not to do what he ought not4    8,if a  
man has a good friend to resist him in  
doing bad actions1 he will  have his    
reputation preserved2 so if a father has
 a son to resist his  wrong commands1 he
 will be saved from committing serious  
faults4    8,when the command is wrong1 
a son should resist his father1 and a   
minister should resist his ,august      
,master4    8,the maxim is1 #8,resist   
when wrongly commanded4' ,hence how can 
he be  called filial who obeys his      
father when he is commanded to do       

wrong80          ,,chapter ,,xvi        
,,the ,,influence ,,and ,,fruit ,,of    
,,filial ,,piety      ,the good         
,emperors of old were not only filial to
 their parents1 but  also to the        
,supreme ,father and ,mother--that is1  
,heaven and the ,earth4  ,when an       
,emperor can live in harmony with his   
elders1 there will be  harmony          
throughout his dominion between         
superiors and inferiors2 and  when he is
 filial to the ,supreme ,father and     
,mother1 he will be blessed  by them4   
,although the ,emperor is the highest of
 all ranks1 yet he still has some  one  
to respect4 ,he has his father and elder
 brothers4    ,why do we offer          
sacrifices to our ancestors in our      
family shrine8  ,because we ought not to
 forget them4 ,why must we cultivate our
 minds  and be circumspect in our       
actions8 ,because we do not wish to     
bring  disgrace upon the name of our    
ancestors4 ,if we can show respect to   
them  when we offer them sacrifices in  

our family shrine1 we shall be blessed  
by the ,supreme ,father and ,mother4    
,filiality to parents and reverence to  
elders will be known to the ,supreme    
,being1 and will be followed by the     
people in every part of the world2 no   
place can remain unaffected by  their   
influence4 ,in the ,shih ,ching it is   
said that 8from east to west  and from  
north to south there is no one who does 
not submit to rule40          ,,chapter 
,,xvii    ,,serving ,,the ,,sovereign   
,confucius said3 8,a good man always    
endeavours1 while he is in the  service 
of his sovereign1 to express the utmost 
loyalty during  audience with his       
,august ,master1 and thinks at his      
leisure how to  repair any wrong his    
,august ,master may have done4 ,he will 
carry out  any praiseworthy schemes     
projected by his master1 and will       
correct  any fault which he may commit4 
,in this way a great affection will be  
fostered between them4    8,thus in the 
,shih ,ching it is written3 #8,although 

the minister may be  far away from his  
master1 yet his affection will not be   
affected by the  distance4 ,he is so    
attached to him that he thinks of him   
every day4'0          ,,chapter ,,xviii 
,,mourning ,,for ,,one',s ,,parents     
,confucius said3 8,when a filial son    
loses his parent1 he1 of course1  cannot
 help crying piteously4 ,he cannot feel 
happy when he hears music4  ,he will    
have no appetite for food1 however      
tempting a savoury4 ,he will  greet no  
visitor1 have no regard for elegance of 
speech1 and will put  on a              
mourning-dress instead of a beautiful   
one4 ,all these tell us  the extent of  
his sorrow for his lost parent4 ,what is
 meant by the  saying that he must try  
to eat something after three days from  
the  death of his parent1 though he has 
no appetite for it8 ,it teaches us  that
 although we have to show great sorrow  
for the dead1 yet we must  not sacrifice
 ourselves on their account1 and that we
 must not carry  self-mortification so  

far as to destroy our life4 ,this is the
 doctrine  laid down by good men of old4
 ,that mourning only extends to the     
period  of three years shows that there 
is a limit for our sorrow4    8,for the 
corpse we make a coffin and some        
clothes4 ,we set forth the  sacrificial 
vessels1 and at the sight of them grief 
breaks forth  afresh4 ,the women beat   
their breasts1 the men stamp their feet1
 and  with weeping and wailing escort   
the coffin to its resting-place4 ,for   
its burial we buy a well-drained ground4
 ,in memory of our deceased  parent we  
build a shrine4 ,for the purpose of     
showing our remembrance we  offer       
sacrifices every spring and autumn4     
8,when our parents are alive1 we should 
treat them with love and  respect4 ,when
 they are dead1 we should have sorrow   
for them4 ,by doing  so we shall have   
performed the duty of mankind1 and have 
done what  ought to be done by a filial 
son1 and by the living to the dead4     
,,the ,,twenty-,,four ,,examples        

,no4 ,i    ,the ,filial ,piety that     
influenced ,heaven    ,y ,shun1 the son 
of ,ku ,sou1 had an exceedingly filial  
disposition2  his father1 however1 was  
stupid1 his mother perverse1 and his    
younger  brother1 ,hsiang1 very         
conceited4 ,his actions are related in  
the ,shang  ,shu1 in the ,chung ,yung1  
and in the works of ,mencius4 ,those who
 speak  of him say that ,shun cultivated
 the hills of ,li 7in the province of   
,shansi71 where he had elephants to     
plough his fields and birds to weed  the
 grain4 ,so widespread was the renown of
 his virtue that the ,emperor  ,yao     
heard of him1 and sent his nine sons to 
serve him1 and gave to him  two of his  
daughters in marriage1 and afterwards   
resigned to him the  imperial dignity4  
,of all those whose virtue and filial   
duty deserve to be illustrated1  ,shun  
is pre-eminent2 and his example1 in     
obeying his parents1 is worthy  of being
 handed down to posterity1 through      
myriads of ages4 ,once he was  in great 

danger in a well1 into which he was     
commanded by his father to  descend1 and
 his brother cast down stones upon him2 
again1 he was in a  granary1 when it was
 set on fire2 but from these1 as well as
 from many  other dangers1 he escaped   
unhurt4 ,he fished1 burned pottery1     
ploughed  and sowed1 with great toil on 
the hills of ,li4 ,he laboriously       
performed  all these duties1 but his    
parents were not affected1 while his    
brother  ,hsiang became more insolent   
and overbearing4 ,his parents alleged   
crimes  against him1 but ,shun could not
 find that he had done wrong2 he loved  
and revered them1 though they did not   
requite him with affection4 ,his        
feelings were grieved at these manifold 
troubles1 and with strong  crying and   
tears he invoked ,heaven4    ,his       
perfect sincerity was effectual to      
renovate his family2 his parents  became
 pleasant1 and his brother more         
conciliatory and virtuous4  ,heaven also
 considered his excellency to be great1 

and regarded him  as truly good1 thus   
establishing his reputation so firmly   
that it was  perpetuated to1 and        
influenced1 succeeding ages4 ,even      
,confucius is  regarded as elevated but 
a little above ,shun1 and ,i would      
praise and  extol them both to coming   
generations4      ,no4 ,,ii             
,affection shown in tasting ,soups and  
,medicines    ,the ,emperor ,wn of the  
,han dynasty1 the third son of his      
father1 ,kao  ,tsu1 was appointed       
,prince over the country of ,tai4 ,his  
own mother1  ,po1 was ,queen-dowager1   
and ,wn was constant in his attendance  
on her4  ,she was ill for three years1  
during which time his eyelids did not   
close1 nor was the girdle of his dress  
unloosed2 and she took none of  the     
soups and medicines prepared for her    
till he had tasted them4 ,this          
benevolence and filial affection was    
heard of throughout the empire4    ,wn  
received direction to go and arrange the
 imperial sacrifices1 and  requested his

 mother to accompany him to the royal   
domains4 ,morning  and evening he       
visited her in her own apartments1 and  
handed her the  fragrant dishes4 ,if the
 provisions had lost their flavour1 he  
was  vexed2 and when tasting the        
medicines he commanded perfect silence4 
,the  live-long night his girdle was not
 loosed1 nor for three years were  his  
eyelids closed4 ,by as much as his      
animal spirits were exhausted1  by so   
much the more did his heart become fixed
 on the subject of its  affection2 and  
for a long time his thoughts were not   
distracted4 ,such  filial love and      
virtue so moved upon ,heaven's kind     
regard1 that it  wrought upon his father
 to confer the throne upon him as his   
patrimony4      ,no4 ,,iii    ,gnawing  
her ,finger pained his ,heart    ,during
 the ,chou dynasty there lived a lad    
named ,tsng ,ts#8an1 a disciple  of     
,confucius1 who served his mother very  
dutifully4 ,tsng was in the  habit of   
going to the hills to collect faggots2  

and once1 while he was  thus absent1    
many guests came to his house1 towards  
whom his mother was  at a loss to know  
how to act4 ,she1 while expecting her   
son1 who delayed  his return1 began to  
gnaw her fingers4 ,tsng suddenly felt a 
pain in  his heart1 and took up his     
bundle of faggots in order to return    
home2  and when he saw his mother1 he   
kneeled and begged to know what was the 
cause of her anxiety4 ,she replied3     
8,there have been some guests here  who 
came from a great distance1 and ,i bit  
my finger in order to arouse  you to    
return to me40    ,the faculties of mind
 and body in both mother and son sprang 
originally  from the same source1 and   
are alike2 but in common men this       
connection  is broken and interrupted1  
and they are dull and stupid4 ,those    
sages  whose nature is heavenly differ  
from the rest of mankind2 and virtue1   
as in a breath1 permeates their whole   
souls4 ,at a certain time1 when  ,tsng  
was absent to collect faggots1 visitors 

came and knocked at his  door in great  
haste2 and as there was no man at home  
ready to receive  them1 his mother was  
much grieved4 ,he had entered the dense 
fog on the  hills and did not know where
 he was1 when his mother leaned against 
the  door-post and gnawed her fingers as
 if she would go in quest of him4  ,her 
son in the hills is suddenly seized with
 a pain in his heart1 and  quickly takes
 up his bundle of faggots to return2    
although distant1  he sympathises with  
his mother's grief and complaint4 ,the  
hearts of  mother and son are mutually  
affected1 one influencing the other1 in 
the  same manner as the amber draws     
small straws and the loadstone attracts 
the slender needle4 ,from the remotest  
period sages have been able to  control 
their dispositions1 and in the deepest  
silence have revolved  their actions as 
in a breath4 ,the moving influence that 
such minds have  on each other the      
generality of men cannot understand4    
,the devotedness  with which they serve 

their parents and the respect with which
 they  cherish them--who can comprehend4
      ,no4 ,,iv    ,clad in a ,single   
,garment1 he was obedient to his ,mother
    ,during the ,chou dynasty lived ,min
 ,sun1 a disciple of ,confucius1 who in 
early life lost his mother4 ,his father 
subsequently married another  wife1 who 
bore him two children1 but disliked     
,sun4 ,in winter she  clothed him in    
garments made of rushes1 while her own  
children wore  cotton clothes4 ,min was 
employed in driving his father's        
chariot1  and his body was so cold that 
the reins dropped from his hands1 for   
which carelessness his father chastised 
him2 yet he did not vindicate  himself4 
,when his father knew the circumstances1
 he determined to  divorce his second   
wife2 but ,sun said1 8,whilst mother    
remains1 one  son is cold2 if mother    
departs1 three sons will be destitute40 
,the  father desisted from his purpose2 
and after this the mother was led to    
repentance1 and became a good and       

virtuous parent4    ,the filial piety of
 the renowned ,shun influenced ,heaven1 
whilst that of  ,min renovated mankind4 
,if ,heaven be influenced1 all below it 
will be  transformed2 if men be         
renovated1 from them will spring a power
 able  to cause their families to become
 good4 ,in all ages men have exhibited  
a great love for their wives2 but       
dutiful children have often met with    
unkindness4 ,min carefully concealed all
 his grievances1 and refused to  indulge
 in any complaint2 even while suffering 
severely from cold and  hunger1 he      
maintained his affection unabated4      
,during the long period  which he       
endured this oppressive treatment1 his  
good disposition became  manifest2 and  
by his own conduct he was able to       
maintain the harmony  of the family     
unimpaired4 ,his father and mother were 
influenced by his  filial devotion2 and 
his brothers joined in extolling his    
virtues4  ,all his friends and          
acquaintances1 with united voice1       

celebrated his  merits2 and the men of  
his native village joyfully combined to 
spread  the fame of his actions4 ,the   
memory of his agreeable countenance and 
pleasing manners was perpetuated to the 
remotest ages2 and his example  was in  
many respects like that of ,shun1 whose 
parents were equally  perverse4         
,no4 ,v    ,he carried ,rice for his    
,parents    ,in the ,chou dynasty lived 
,chung ,yu1 also a disciple of          
,confucius1 who1  because his family was
 poor1 usually ate herbs and coarse     
pulse2 and  he also went more than a    
hundred li to procure rice for his      
parents4  ,afterwards1 when they were   
dead1 he went south to the country of   
,ch#8u1  where he was made commander of 
a hundred companies of chariots4 ,there 
he became rich1 storing up grain in     
myriads of measures1 reclining  upon    
cushions1 and eating food served to him 
in numerous dishes2 but1  sighing1 he   
said3 8,although ,i should now desire to
 eat coarse herbs and  bring rice for my

 parents1 it cannot be60    8,alas60    
said ,chung ,yu1 8although ,i was a     
scholar1 yet my parents were  poor2 and 
how was ,i to nourish them80 ,exhausted 
he travelled the long  road and         
cheerfully brought rice for his parents4
 ,pleasantly he endured  the toil1 and  
exerted his utmost strength without any 
commendation4  ,at that time his lot in 
life was hard and unfortunate1 and he   
little  expected the official honours he
 afterwards enjoyed4 ,but when his      
parents were dead1 and he had become    
rich and honourable1 enjoying  all the  
luxuries of life1 then he was unhappy   
and discontented2 not  cheerful as in   
the days of his poverty1 nor happy as   
when he ministered  to his parents'     
wants4      ,no4 ,,vi    ,with ,sports  
and ,embroidered ,robes he amused his   
,parents    ,in the ,chou dynasty there 
flourished ,lao ,lai ,tz1 who was very  
obedient  and reverent towards his      
parents1 manifesting his dutifulness by 
exerting himself to provide them with   

every delicacy4 ,although upwards  of   
seventy years of age1 he declared that  
he was not yet too old1 and1  dressed in
 gaudy-coloured garments1 would frisk   
and cut capers like a  child in front of
 his parents4 ,he would also take up    
buckets of water  and try to carry them 
into the house2 but1 feigning to slip1  
would fall  to the ground1 wailing and  
crying like a child2 and all these      
things he  did in order to divert his   
parents4    ,in the country of ,ch#8u   
lived ,lao ,lai ,tz1 who1 when so old   
that he had  lost nearly all his teeth1 
made every effort to rejoice and comfort
 his  parents1 constantly endeavouring  
to gladden their hearts4 ,at times he   
imitated the playfulness of a little    
child1 and arraying himself in  gaudy   
and variegated clothes1 amused them by  
his strutting and gambols4  ,he would   
likewise purposely fall on the ground1  
kicking and wailing  to the utmost of   
his power4 ,his mother was delighted1   
and manifested  her joy in her          

countenance4 ,thus did ,lai forget his  
age in order to  rejoice the hearts of  
his parents2 and affection1 harmony1 and
 joy  prevailed among the family4 ,if   
this ardent love for his parents had    
been insincere and constrained1 how     
could it be referred to as worthy  of   
imitation8      ,no4 ,,vii    ,with     
,deer's ,milk he supplied his ,parents  
,in the time of the ,chou dynasty lived 
,yen1 who possessed a very filial       
disposition4 ,his father and mother were
 aged1 and both were afflicted  with    
sore eyes1 to cure which they desired to
 have some deer's milk4  ,yen concealed 
himself in the skin of a deer1 and went 
deep into the  forests1 among the herds 
of deer1 to obtain some of their milk   
for his  parents4 ,while amongst the    
trees the hunters saw him1 and were     
about  to shoot at him with their       
arrows1 when ,yen disclosed to them his 
true  character and related the history 
of his family1 with the reasons for  his
 conduct4    ,do his parents desire some

 milk from the deer8 ,he is not deterred
 by  the obstacles in the way of        
procuring it2 but clothing himself in a 
hairy garment1 he goes carefully seeking
 for it among the multitudes  of wild   
beasts4 ,he closely imitated the cry1   
yew1 yew1 of the fawns1  watching for   
the tracks of the herds4 ,by this mode  
he obtained the  sweet secretion2 he    
also surprised the hunters whom he met  
in the deep  and lonely forest4         
,no4 ,,viii    ,he sold himself to bury 
his ,father    ,during the ,han dynasty 
lived ,tung ,yung1 whose family was so  
very poor  that when his father died1 he
 was obliged to sell himself in order to
  procure money to bury his remains4    
,after this he went to another place  to
 gain the means of redeeming himself2   
and on his way he met a lady  who       
desired to become his wife1 and go with 
him to his master's house4  ,she went   
with ,tung1 and wove three hundred      
pieces of silk1 which being  completed  
in two months1 they returned home2 and  

on the way1 having  reached the shade of
 the cassia-tree where they met before1 
the lady  bid him adieu and vanished    
from his sight4    ,tung could not      
endure to behold his father's bones     
lying exposed1 but  had not sufficient  
means to bury them4 ,he saw that his    
household goods  were not sufficient1   
and he said3 8,this little body of mine1
 what is  the use of it8 ,if ,i sell it1
 ,i can redeem it again1 and thus bury  
my father1 who will be saved from       
dishonour40 ,his filial piety moved     
,heaven to direct a female spirit in    
human form to come and help him in      
fulfilling his engagement2 she wove     
three hundred pieces of silk1 and  thus 
procured the redemption of a man of     
truly filial heart4      ,no4 ,,ix      
,he hired himself out as a ,labourer to 
support his ,mother    ,in the time of  
the ,han dynasty lived ,chiang ,ko1 who1
 when young1 lost  his father1 and      
afterwards lived alone with his mother4 
,times of  trouble arising1 which caused

 them much distress1 he took his mother 
on his back1 and fled4 ,on the way he   
many times met with companies of        
robbers1 who would have compelled him to
 go with them and become a  bandit1 but 
,chiang entreated them with tears to    
spare him1 saying that  he had his aged 
mother with him2 and the robbers could  
not bear to  kill him4 ,altering his    
course1 he came into the district of    
,hsia-p#8ei1  extremely impoverished and
 reduced1 where he hired himself out and
  supported his mother2 and such was his
 diligence that he was able to  supply  
her with whatever she personally        
required4    ,passing over the hills and
 wading through the streams1 he carried 
his  mother with much difficulty4 ,it   
was during a year of famine1 when  all  
the inhabitants of the land were in     
confusion from the scarcity  of food1   
and engagements were frequent between   
the soldiers and the  bandits1 and      
signal fires were lighted on the high   
hills4 ,chiang was  fearful lest the    

robbers should meet him on the road and 
plunder him2  and they did seize him1   
regardless of his cries and tears1 and  
were  about to rob him2 but when they   
knew of his filial piety and affection  
for his mother1 they permitted him to   
proceed4 ,while journeying1 he was  too 
poor to procure any food beyond the bare
 necessaries of life2 and  because he   
could not provide comforts and          
delicacies for his mother1  he was      
grieved as if it had been his fault4 ,he
 went and hired himself  for labour2    
with the greatest diligence he adhered  
to his purpose to  maintain his mother2 
and soon the stranger obtained an       
abundance of  food and clothing4 ,this  
success caused his mother to rejoice1   
and they  were both delighted1 she      
forgetting her former hardships in the  
joy  that filled her breast4      ,no4  
,x    ,he fanned the ,pillow and warmed 
the ,bedclothes    ,in the ,han dynasty 
lived ,huang ,hsiang1 who when only nine
 years old  lost his mother1 whom he    

loved so ardently and remembered so well
 that  all the villagers praised his    
filial duty4 ,he was employed in the    
severest toil1 and served his father    
with entire obedience4 ,in summer1  when
 the weather was warm1 he fanned and    
cooled his father's pillow  and bed2 and
 in winter1 when it was cold1 he warmed 
the bed-clothes  with his body4 ,the    
magistrate sent him an honorary banner1 
as a mark of  distinction4    ,when the 
heat of summer made it difficult to     
sleep quietly1 the lad  knew what would 
be for the comfort of his venerated     
parent4 ,taking a  fan1 he slowly waved 
it about the silken curtains1 and the   
cool air1  entering1 enveloped and      
filled the pillows and bed4 ,in winter1 
when  the snow threatened to crush in   
the roof and the fierce wind shook the  
fences1 and the cold penetrated to the  
bones1 making it hazardous to  unloose  
the girdle1 then ,hsiang warmed his     
father's bed that he might  not fear1   
because of the cold1 to enter the 8place

 of dreams40      ,no4 ,,xi    ,the     
,gushing ,fountain and the ,frisking    
,carp    ,in the ,han dynasty lived     
,chiang ,shih1 who served his mother    
with perfect obedience2 and his wife    
,p#8ang also fulfilled her              
mother-in-law's commands without the    
least reluctance4 ,the old lady  loved  
to drink of the water from the river six
 or seven li away from  her cottage1 and
 ,p#8ang used to go to draw it and hand 
it to her4  ,she was also fond of carp1 
and when it was obtained1 deeming       
herself  unable to consume alone what   
her children with great toil and trouble
  continually prepared for her1 usually 
invited some of the neighbours  to feast
 with her4 ,by the side of the cottage  
there suddenly gushed a  fountain1 the  
taste of whose waters was like that of  
the river1 and  it also produced two    
living fishes daily4 ,these were taken  
out and  prepared by ,chiang ,shih for  
his mother4    ,the fish from the river 
were fresh and delicious1 and the water 

was  sweet2 the mother of ,chiang ,shih 
wished to taste of both daily4 ,her  son
 went to purchase the fish and her      
daughter-in-law to bring the  water2 as 
constantly as the revolution of morning 
and evening did they  exert themselves  
in this arduous labour4 ,having obtained
 the fish and  water1 her countenance   
brightened1 and1 laughing1 she invited  
in one  of the neighbours to rejoice and
 partake of them with her4 ,sitting     
opposite at the table1 together they ate
 them1 she foolishly not even           
regarding1 but totally forgetting1 her  
son and daughter1 who with so  much     
trouble had prepared them for her4      
,heaven took pity on these two  filial  
children1 and employed its divine power 
to assist them1 sending  a spirit to    
strike the earth with an axe which      
caused a perennial  spring to bubble    
forth4 ,the taste of the water from the 
fountain was  like that from the river1 
and two fish continually sported about  
in  it1 which henceforth ,chiang ,shih  

took out for their sustenance1 nor  was 
there any fear of the supply failing4   
,to procure the fish now no  money was  
needed1 to obtain the water no long and 
weary walk was to  be taken4 ,it was as 
if the productions of this river and of 
the water  were transferred into the    
midst of the cottage2 and ,chiang ,shih 
could  support his family with ease for 
many years4      ,no4 ,,xii    ,he      
carved ,wood and served his ,parents    
,during the ,han dynasty lived ,ting    
,lan1 whose parents both died when he   
was young1 before he could obey and     
support them2 and he reflected that  for
 all the trouble and anxiety he had     
caused them1 no recompense had  yet been
 given4 ,he then carved wooden images of
 his parents1 and served  them as if    
they had been alive4 ,for a long time   
his wife would not  reverence them2 and 
one day1 taking a bodkin1 she pricked   
their fingers  in derision4 ,blood      
flowed immediately from the wound2 and  
seeing ,ting  coming1 the images wept4  

,he inquired into the circumstances1 and
  forthwith divorced his wife4    ,he   
remembers his parents1 but cannot see   
them2 so he carves wood to  represent   
their persons4 ,he believes that their  
spirits are now the  same as when they  
were alive1 and his quietless heart     
trusts that  their spirits have entered 
the carved images4 ,he cannot rest until
  he has made their statues1 so strong  
is his desire to nourish and  reverence 
them4 ,he now reveres them1 although    
dead1 as if they were  alive2 and hopes 
they will condescend to dwell in his    
ancestral hall4      ,no4 ,,xiii    ,for
 his ,mother's ,sake he would bury his  
,child    ,in the days of the ,han      
dynasty lived ,kuo ,ch1 who was very    
poor4 ,he had  one child three years    
old2 and such was his poverty that his  
mother  usually divided her portion of  
food with this little one4 ,kuo says to 
his wife3 8,we are so poor that our     
mother cannot be supported1 for the     
child divides with her the portion of   

food that belongs to her4 ,why  not bury
 this child8 ,another child may be born 
to us1 but a mother1  once gone1 will   
never return40 ,his wife did not venture
 to object to  the proposal1 and ,kuo   
immediately digs a hole about three     
cubits deep1  when suddenly he lights   
upon a pot of gold1 and on the metal    
reads the  following inscription3       
8,heaven bestows this treasure upon ,kuo
 ,ch1 the  dutiful son2 the magistrate  
may not seize it1 nor shall the         
neighbours  take it from him40    ,what 
a foolish action1 that the sage ,kuo    
should be willing to bury his  own      
child6 ,fearing lest his mother should  
not have enough to eat1 he  is willing  
to resign his child to death2 but when  
it is dead1 what  relief will there be  
for the grief of its affectionate       
grandmother8  ,when a number of cares   
come at some future time1 who then will 
be able  to disperse them if the child  
is dead8 ,but at this time the          
reflection  that his mother would be in 

want filled his breast with grief1 and  
he had no time to think of the future   
when he would be childless4  ,heaven    
having given him a dutiful mind1 caused 
him to take a light hoe  for digging the
 earth4 ,together ,kuo and his wife     
went1 sorrowing and  distressed1 by the 
way1 until they came to a very hilly    
place1 where  they stopped4 ,having dug 
into the ground1 suddenly a gleam of    
light  shot forth1 and the pot of yellow
 gold which ,heaven had deposited there 
was seen4 ,taking it up1 they clasped   
their child with ecstasy in their  arms 
and returned home2 for now they had     
sufficient to support their  whole      
family in plenty4      ,no4 ,,xiv    ,he
 seized the ,tiger and saved his ,father
    ,in the ,han dynasty lived ,yang    
,hsiang1 a lad of fourteen1 who was in  
the  habit of following his father to   
the fields to cut grain4 ,once a tiger  
seized his father1 and was slowly       
carrying him off1 when ,yang1 anxious   
for his father and forgetting himself1  

although he had no iron weapon  in his  
hand1 rushed forward and seized the     
tiger by the neck4 ,the beast  let the  
prey fall from his teeth1 and fled1 and 
,yang's father was thus  saved from     
injury and death4    ,a tiger suddenly  
appears in the borders of the field1 and
 seizes the  man as lightly as he       
catches a sheep1 and drags him off4     
,yang ,hsiang1  seeing the sudden peril 
of his father1 was vexed that he had no 
weapon  with an iron head2 but being    
strongly excited and his feelings       
roused1  he ran forward in the path1    
crying with a loud voice1 and grasped   
the  tiger by the neck4 ,the frightened 
animal fled1 nor stopped in its rapid   
course until it reached the high hills4 
,yang then1 in a gentle manner1  raised 
his father up and led him home1         
endeavouring to soothe his  mind and    
dispel his fears1 and also presented him
 the golden winecup4  ,among the great  
number of sages whose reputations are   
famous1 how few  of them have been      

devoted and filial at the hazard of     
their lives6  ,but this lad1 quite young
 and fair1 as soon as he saw his        
father's  danger1 risked his own life2  
surely his fame will spread throughout  
the  country4 ,we have heard of the lady
 ,t#8i ,ying1 who saved her father from 
banishment1 and of young ,chu ,o1 who   
lost her life in trying to rescue  her  
father from drowning2 and ,i think that 
,yang ,hsiang will form a trio  with    
them1 and the three be celebrated in the
 same ode4      ,no4 ,,xv    ,he        
collected ,mulberries to support his    
,mother    ,during the ,han dynasty     
lived ,ts#8ai ,shun1 whose father died  
when he was  young1 and who served his  
mother very dutifully4 ,it happened     
that1  during the troubles of the time1 
when ,wang ,mang was plotting to usurp  
the throne1 there were years of         
scarcity1 in which he could not procure 
food1 and ,ts#8ai was compelled to      
gather mulberries1 which he assorted1   
putting them into two vessels4 ,the     

red-eyebrowed robber#e saw him1 and     
inquired why he did thus4 ,ts#8ai       
replied3 8,the black and ripe berries ,i
  give to my mother1 the yellow and     
unripe ones ,i eat myself40 ,the bandit 
admired his filial affection1 and       
rewarded him with three measures of     
white rice and the leg of an ox4        
,anxious and fearful1 he seeks for food2
 untiring in his toil1 he takes  up his 
baskets and penetrates the thickets of  
the distant forests1  where he finds    
many mulberry-trees4 ,his hunger now has
 something  to satisfy its cravings2 he 
also remembers his mother1 and that he  
must carry some to her4 ,the ripe and   
unripe berries he does not put          
together1 but divides them1 so that     
mother and son can each have their      
proper portion4 ,the chieftain heard of 
his conduct1 and highly praised  him1   
conferring a gift upon him1 and speaking
 of his filial piety to  all around4    
,taking up his rice and flesh1 ,ts#8ai  
returned home to his  mother with the   

food2 and in their joy they even forgot 
that the year  was one of dearth4       
,no4 ,,xvi    ,he laid up the ,oranges  
for his ,mother    ,lu ,chi1 a lad six  
years old1 who lived in the time of ,han
 and in the  district of ,kinkiang1 once
 met the celebrated general ,yan ,shu1  
who  gave him a few oranges4 ,two of    
them the lad put in his bosom1 and when 
turning to thank the giver1 they fell   
out on the ground4 ,when the  general   
saw this1 he said3 8,why does my young  
friend1 who is now a  guest1 put the    
fruit away in his bosom80 ,the youth1   
bowing1 replied3  8,my mother is very   
fond of oranges1 and ,i wished1 when ,i 
returned home1  to present them to her40
 ,at this answer ,yan was much          
astonished4    ,on account of his love  
for his parent1 he would not at first   
taste the  present of fruit1 but put    
into his sleeve to carry home the       
fragrant  and luscious gift4 ,i think   
that when he saw his mother1 her        
pleasant  countenance must have         

brightened1 for the fruit filled his    
bosom and  delighted all who came near  
him4 ,lu1 although so young1 had the    
true  heavenly disposition2 even in the 
small matter of an orange he did not    
forget his parent's wishes4 ,many       
children are perhaps like this boy1  and
 those who requite their parents for the
 care bestowed upon them1 we  hope1 are 
not few4      ,no4 ,,xvii    ,on hearing
 the ,thunder he wept at the ,tomb      
,in the country of ,wei lived ,wang     
,p#8ou1 a very dutiful child1 whose     
mother1 when alive1 was much afraid of  
thunder4 ,after her death  her grave was
 dug in the hilly forest2 and whenever  
it blew and  rained furiously1 and ,wang
 heard the sound of the chariot of the  
,thunder-goddess rolling along1 he      
hastened immediately to the grave1  and1
 reverently kneeling1 besought her with 
tears1 saying3 8,i am here1  dear       
mother2 do not be alarmed40 ,and        
afterwards1 whenever he read  in ,the   
,book of ,odes this sentence1 8,children

 should have deep and  ardent affection 
for their parents1 who have endured so  
much anxiety in  nourishing them10 the  
tears flowed abundantly at the          
recollection of  his mother4            
,suddenly the black clouds arise from   
the wilderness1 whirled by the  wind2 he
 hears the distant mutter of thunder    
from the southern hills4  ,heedless of  
the rain1 hastily he speeds over the    
rugged path leading  to the tomb1 and as
 he goes round the grave his tones of   
grief and  entreaty are heard4 ,the     
roaring of the dreadful thunder         
affrights the  ears of men1 one clap    
following another in quick succession4  
,if his  kind mother1 when alive1 always
 dreaded the voice of ,heaven's majesty1
  how much more will she now1 when lying
 alone in the depths of the wild        
forest6 ,if ,p#8ou was with his mother1 
he knew she would be comforted2  and he 
thinks that if in the green hills she   
has a companion1 she will  not be       
terrified4 ,afterwards1 being           

successful1 he refused to take the      
duties of an officer under the ,emperor 
,ss-ma1 because he wished to go         
frequently to visit the grave of his    
parent4 ,and when he was going and      
returning from it1 he would weep at the 
recollection of his mother1 and  ask    
himself3 8,if ,i have not yet           
recompensed the care and trouble my     
mother endured for me1 what more can ,i 
do80 ,and to this day1 whenever         
scholars read the pages of the ,liu ,o1 
they remember how tears bedewed  the    
cheeks of ,wang ,p#8ou4      ,no4       
,,xviii    ,he wept to the ,bamboos1 and
 ,shoots sprang up    ,mng ,tsung1 who  
lived in the ,chin dynasty1 lost his    
father when young4  ,his mother was very
 ill1 and one winter's day she longed to
 taste a  soup made of bamboo shoots1   
but ,mng could not procure any4 ,at last
 he  went into the bamboo grove1 and1   
clasping the bamboos with his hands1    
wept bitterly4 ,his filial love moved   
,nature1 and the ground slowly  opened1 

sending forth several shoots1 which he  
gathered and carried  home4 ,he made a  
soup of them1 which his mother tasted1  
and immediately  recovered from her     
malady4    ,in winter1 when the forests 
are unsightly and bare1 and the bamboos 
sombre and gloomy1 for plants to send   
forth their branches is  surprising and 
unexpected4 ,but it is impossible to    
root out the true  filial nature from   
men who have it1 although senseless and 
ignorant  people1 not understanding its 
power1 ridicule them1 calling them mad4 
,the young ,mng ,tsung dutifully served 
his mother1 and morning and  evening    
waited on her to receive her commands4  
,his mother was ill1 and  desired the   
delicacy of a soup made from bamboo     
shoots2 but in dreary  winter1 ,nature  
still concealed her fruits awaited4     
,with anxious haste  he goes to the     
cheerless forest1 which he enters1      
seeking for them2  but not finding the  
shoots1 he entreats the bamboos with    
tears4 ,one  petition from his inmost   

heart ascended to the threshold of      
heaven1  and the deities were delighted1
 laughing with pleasure4 ,a miracle is  
wrought1 the ordinary course of nature  
is reversed1 and suddenly the  pearly   
shoots appear in the forest4      ,no4  
,,xix    ,he slept on ,ice to procure   
,carp    ,during the ,chin dynasty lived
 ,wang ,hsiang1 who early lost his      
mother1  and whose stepmother ,chu had  
no affection for him4 ,his father also1 
hearing many evil reports against him1  
in course of time ceased to  regard him 
with kindness4 ,his mother was in the   
habit of eating fresh  fish at her      
meals1 but winter coming1 the ice bound 
up the rivers4 ,wang  unloosed his      
clothes1 and went to sleep on the ice in
 order to seek  them2 when suddenly the 
ice opened of itself1 and two carp leapt
 out1  which he took up and carried to  
his mother4 ,the villagers1 hearing of  
the affair1 were surprised1 and admired 
one whose filial duty was the  cause of 
such an unusual event4    ,the river is 

firmly bound up by ice1 and the fish are
 hidden in their  deep retreats4        
,perturbed and anxious1 ,wang goes out  
to seek the fish1  apparently forgetting
 that it was winter4 ,his resolution is 
fixed1 and  although it is at the risk  
of his life1 he will go4 ,he was not    
dismayed  at the coldness of the snow1  
nor terrified at the fierceness of the  
winds4 ,even the wicked spirits were    
deterred from injuring him1 and  dared  
not molest him4 ,if metals and stones   
can be opened1 shall ice be  considered 
too difficult to cleave8 ,the frisking  
fish came up on the  surface of the     
water1 obedient to the hand of him who  
would take them  out4 ,a thousand ages  
cannot efface the remembrance of the    
crack in the  ice1 nor obliterate the   
fragrant traces of so worthy a deed4    
,no4 ,,xx    ,wu ,mng fed the           
,mosquitoes    ,wu ,mng1 a lad eight    
years of age1 who lived in the ,chin    
dynasty1 was  very dutiful to his       
parents4 ,they were so poor that they   

could not  afford to furnish their beds 
with mosquito-curtains2 and every summer
  night myriads of mosquitoes attacked  
them without restraint1 feasting  upon  
their flesh and blood4 ,although there  
were so many1 yet ,wu would  not drive  
them away from himself1 lest they should
 go to his parents  and annoy them4     
,such was his filial affection6    ,the 
buzzing of the mosquitoes sounds like   
ying1 ying1 and their  united hum is    
almost equal to thunder4 ,his tired     
parents are reclining  on their bed1    
their countenances already sunk in      
slumber4 ,legions of  mosquitoes        
fiercely attack them1 alternately       
retreating and advancing4  ,the insects 
disturb the dreaming sleepers1 and with 
annoyance they  toss from side to side4 
,wu sees them sucking his parents'      
blood1  which causes his heart to       
grieve2 his flesh1 he thinks1 can be    
easily  pierced1 but that of his parents
 is hard to penetrate4 ,lying on the    
bed1 he threw off his clothes1 and soon 

feeling the pain of their  attacks1 he  
cried3 8,i have no dread of you1 nor    
have you any reason to  fear me2        
although ,i have a fan1 ,i will not use 
it1 nor will ,i strike  you with my     
hand4 ,i will lie very quietly1 and let 
you gorge to the  full40      ,no4 ,,xxi
    ,this story1 commemorating ,y       
,ch#8ien-lou of the southern ,ch#8i     
dynasty1  is best left out4      ,no4   
,,xxii    ,the same applies to this     
story1 commemorating the ,lady ,t#8ang  
of the  ,t#8ang dynasty4      ,no4      
,,xxiii    ,he resigned ,office to seek 
his ,mother    ,in the ,sung dynasty    
lived ,chu ,shou-ch#8ang1 whose mother1 
,liu1 when he  was seven years of age1  
left the family because she was hated by
 his  father's wife2 and mother and son 
did not see each other for about  fifty 
years4 ,it was during the reign of ,shn 
,tsung that ,chu resigned  his official 
station and went into the ,ch#8in       
country1 and there made an  engagement  
with his family 8that he would not      

return until he had found  his mother40 
,he then travelled into ,t#8ung-chou1   
where he discovered his  mother1 who at 
that time was over seventy years of age4
    ,thus ,chu exclaimed3 8,i have a    
mother2 but1 alas6 separated1 we abide  
in  different villages4 ,it was not the 
free will of my mother which led  her   
thus to forsake her son1 but the envious
 mistress who compelled her  to go4     
,without a mother1 on whom shall ,i     
rely8 to whom shall ,i pour out  my     
sorrows and cares8 ,now ,i am grown     
older and have become an officer1  but  
as yet ,i have been unable to return the
 kindness of my parent4 ,in  what place1
 among all the countries under heaven1  
does she live8 ,i am  determined to     
resign my office and seek her abode1 not
 deterred from  the trouble of the      
search4 ,to effect it1 ,i will part from
 my family and  no longer be a companion
 with them2 ,i will not return till ,i  
find my  mother1 and they need not await
 in expectation of me40 ,heaven directed

  his way1 and he came into             
,t#8ung-chou1 where she resided4 ,when  
the  mother and the son met each other1 
joy and grief arose together--joy  for  
the meeting after fifty years1 sorrow   
that they had been so long  apart4 ,but 
now1 in one hour1 all their             
long-accumulated griefs were  laid      
aside1 and joy and gladness filled their
 hearts4 ,chu possesses the  true       
heavenly disposition1 and honours and   
riches cannot destroy his  affection for
 his mother4      ,no4 ,,xxiv    ,he    
watched by his ,mother's ,bedside    ,in
 the ,yan-yu period of the ,sung        
dynasty1 ,huang ,t#8ing-chien filled the
  office of prefect4 ,he was of a very  
filial disposition1 and although        
honourable and renowned1 yet he received
 his mother's commands with the  utmost 
deference4 ,when his mother was seized  
with illness1 he watched  her for a     
whole year without leaving her bedside  
or even taking off his  clothes2 and at 
her death he mourned so bitterly that he

 himself fell  ill and nearly lost his  
life4    ,well-written poetry flows     
along like rills meandering among the   
hills  and valleys4 ,this instance of a 
dutiful heart has not as yet been       
brought into much notice4 ,for a whole  
year he tended his parent in  her       
illness2 and both she who dwelt in the  
curtained room 7i4e4 his  mother7 and he
 who remained in the hall 7i4e4 his     
father7 strove to  express the merits of
 their son4 ,it would be difficult to   
find another  child who would have done 
so--all would be dilatory and unwilling2
 and  where shall we meet another who   
would undergo such drudgery himself     
with keenness and pleasure8 ,although   
raised to high office1 he does  not     
hesitate to perform the most troublesome
 and minute duties1 for he  loves his   
parents2 how then can we suppose that he
 will change from  what he was when     
young and unhonoured8      ,printed by  
,hazell1 ,watson  ,viney1 ,ld41 ,london 
and ,aylesbury4      ,,footnotes3    #e 

,that is1 the usurper ,wang ,mang       
himself4