{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_75878/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_75878","id":"gutenberg_75878","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/75878","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Filial piety -- China"],"text":"Transcriber\u2019s Note\n  Italic text displayed as: _italic_\n\n\n\n\n  The Wisdom of the East Series\n\n  EDITED BY\n  L. CRANMER-BYNG\n  Dr. S. A. KAPADIA\n\n\n  THE BOOK OF FILIAL DUTY\n\n\n\n\n  WISDOM OF THE EAST\n\n  THE BOOK OF\n  FILIAL DUTY\n\n  TRANSLATED FROM THE CHINESE\n  OF THE HSIAO CHING\n\n  BY IVAN CH\u00caN\n\n  FIRST SECRETARY TO THE CHINESE LEGATION\n\n\n  WITH THE TWENTY-FOUR EXAMPLES\n  FROM THE CHINESE\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n  LONDON\n  JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET\n  1908\n\n\n\n\n  PRINTED BY\n  HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD.,\n  LONDON AND AYLESBURY.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n                                                                    PAGE\n  INTRODUCTION                                                         7\n\n  THE DOCTRINE OF FILIAL DUTY                                         16\n\n  THE TWENTY-FOUR EXAMPLES                                            33\n\n\n\n\nEDITORIAL NOTE\n\n\nThe object of the Editors of this series is a very definite one. They\ndesire above all things that, in their humble way, these books shall be\nthe ambassadors of goodwill and understanding between East and West\u2014the\nold world of Thought and the new of Action. In this endeavour, and in\ntheir own sphere, they are but followers of the highest example in the\nland. They are confident that a deeper knowledge of the great ideals\nand lofty philosophy of Oriental thought may help to a revival of that\ntrue spirit of Charity which neither despises nor fears the nations of\nanother creed and colour. Finally, in thanking press and public for\nthe very cordial reception given to the \u201cWisdom of the East\u201d Series,\nthey wish to state that no pains have been spared to secure the best\nspecialists for the treatment of the various subjects at hand.\n\n  L. CRANMER-BYNG.\n  S. A. KAPADIA.\n\n  NORTHBROOK SOCIETY,\n  185 PICCADILLY, W.\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\n\nI. THE ORIGIN OF THE BOOK\n\nThe _Hsiao Ching_, or _Book of Filial Duty_, is generally held to be\nthe work of an unknown pupil of Ts\u00eang Ts\u2018an, the disciple of Confucius,\nto whom is attributed the famous Confucian classic known as _The\nGreater Learning_. Certainly it can be traced back as far as 400 B.C.,\nwithin a century from the death of Confucius. The preservation of\nthe text in its present form is due to the Emperor Ming Huang (A.D.\n685-762), one of the most fascinating characters in Chinese history,\nwho had it engraved, together with eleven other of the Confucian\nwritings, on tablets of stone and set up in his capital of Chang-an. He\nafterwards added a commentary of his own, which is still extant, and\nhas proved invaluable to all commentators of a later period. _The Book\nof Filial Duty_ is often found in China bound up with another treatise\ncalled the _Hsiao Hs\u00fceh_, or _Teaching for the Young_, of which the\nfollowing is a specimen: \u201cThe way to become a student is with meekness\nand humility, receiving with confidence every word spoken by the\nmaster. The pupil, when he sees men of virtue, should try to follow\nin their steps; when he hears wise sayings, he should try to conform\nto them. He must not harbour evil designs, but always act honourably.\nWhether at home or abroad, he must have a fixed abode, and resort with\nthose who are well disposed, regulating his demeanour with care, and\ncurbing the passions.\u201d\n\nFew books have enjoyed greater popularity amongst all classes in\nChina than _The Book of Filial Duty_. It may be called _The Book of\nEmperors_, from the fact that so many Emperors, both before and after\nMing Huang, have commentated upon it. Equally it is _The Book of\nYouth_, being the first treatise of importance placed in the hands of\nchildren, after the horn books of elementary instruction. The reason\nfor its survival after so many centuries is not hard to seek. Family\nlife has always been, from time immemorial, the foundation-stone\nof the Chinese Empire, and filial piety is the foundation-stone of\nfamily life. Nor does this duty of son to father merely extend to\nthe living. The living head of the family pays due reverence to the\ncountless ancestors who have preceded him. A witty Chinese writer\nonce remarked that in the West family life only began after death\u2014in\nthe family vault. Here, at any rate, after years of separation and\ndivided interests, the members met to enjoy a common oblivion. I cannot\nbut think that there is some exaggeration in this; yet not even the\ngreatest apologist of Western methods will venture to deny that the\nChinese and indeed most Oriental ideals of family life are superior to\nhis own. Whilst living, only the calls of Empire, or the demands of\ntheir profession, may keep relations apart; but the interests of the\nfamily are always greater than the interests of the individual, and no\nexile is without hope of return to the home of his fathers. The dead\nwill not be forgotten, for it will be the duty of their sons to offer\nsacrifice to their shades. The death-days of two generations of parents\nare kept sacred with solemn festival, and the nameless and unnumbered\ndead have their special days of ceremony and remembrance in the spring\nand autumn. Every house has its family shrine, every village its hall\nof ancestors. Thus the filial piety of the survivors honours those who\nhave gone.\n\nAs regards the living, respect is the great essential of daily\nintercourse. The subject respects his emperor, the son his father,\nthe wife her husband, and the younger brother his elder brother. But\nrespect is not only for those older than ourselves, or of superior\nstation. The wisdom of Confucius is nowhere more clearly shown than in\nhis utterance concerning the respect to be paid to youth: \u201cA youth is\nto be regarded with respect. How do we know that his future will not\nbe equal to our present? If he reach the age of forty or fifty, and\nhas not made himself heard of, then he will indeed not be worthy of\nrespect.\u201d\n\n_Maxima debetur pueris reverentia!_\n\nThe Chinese national spirit is a spirit of continuity; the spirit of\nthe Confucian philosophy is a spirit of harmony with the environment of\ndaily life. \u201cConfucius,\u201d says Tz\u016d-ss\u016d, \u201cpossessed, as if by hereditary\ntransmission, the virtues of Yao and Shun [Emperors of the Golden Age],\nand modelled himself on W\u00ean and Wu [first King of the Chou dynasty,\n1133 B.C.] as his exemplars. Above all, he kept in unison with the\nseasons of the sky; below, he conformed to the water and the land.\n\n\u201cWe may liken him unto the sky and earth in respect of the universality\nwith which they uphold and sustain things, the universality with which\nthey overspread and enfold things. We may liken him unto the four\nseasons in respect of their varied march; unto the sun and moon in\nrespect of their alternate shining.\n\n\u201cAll things are kept in train together without their injuring one\nanother; their ways go on together without interfering one with\nanother: the smaller forces in river streams, the greater forces in\nample transformations. It is this that makes the sky and earth so\ngreat.\u201d[1]\n\nThe first environment of the human soul is that of the family. Before\nwe can become good subjects, before we can aspire to study nature and\nmould ourselves upon the laws of heaven and earth, we must first of\nall learn to become good sons, to complete the unity of family life.\nAll things will be added in their due course. To the Chinese mind the\nsuccessful policy in life is a policy of adjustment. This policy runs\nfrom highest to lowest, and back again from lowest to highest. The\nEmperor adjusts himself to the requirements of his great Ministers,\nthey in their turn to the provincial governors, they in their turn to\nthe local magistrates, and so on down the scale of social order. So\nthis policy of adjustment works equally upwards from the youngest son\nof the meanest family to the Emperor himself, who adjusts his methods\nto those employed by his August Father. As _The Book of Odes_ says:\n\n    That great and noble Prince displayed\n    The sense of right in all he wrought;\n    Adjusting justly, grade by grade,\n    The spirit of his wisdom swayed\n    Peasant and peer; the crowd, the court.\n\nIt is for this reason that _The Book of Filial Duty_ commences with\na chapter on \u201cFilial Piety in the Son of Heaven.\u201d The Emperor is, the\nEmperor always has been, the father of the greatest family on earth\u2014the\nChinese nation.\n\n\nII. THE TWENTY-FOUR EXAMPLES OF FILIAL DUTY\n\nInstead of the _Hsiao Hs\u00fceh_, or _Teaching for the Young_, which is\nusually grouped with _The Book of Filial Duty_, I have chosen _The\nTwenty-four Examples of Filial Duty_ by way of illustration to the\n_Hsiao Ching_. They are na\u00efve and terse, and yet not without their\nsimple charm. Even where they lend themselves to exaggeration, as in\nthe story of the old gentleman who dressed himself in gay garments\nand frisked in front of his very venerable parents, they are not\nmeaningless nor devoid of humanity. The lesson to be drawn is that our\nduty towards our parents is the first obligation in life, and that we\nshould go, if necessary, to all lengths to fulfil it. Nothing is known\nof the authorship of these stories, or the time in which they are\nwritten. Each story is accompanied by its commentary, and probably the\nstories themselves originated during the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1368-1644),\nthe commentaries belonging mostly to the latter years of that dynasty.\nThe period dealt with in these tales is a very wide one, and ranges\nfrom the time of the great Emperor Shun (_circa_ 2300 B.C.) down to\nthe Sung dynasty (A.D. 900-1200). There have been many editions of\n_The Twenty-four Examples_ in Chinese, mostly embellished with quaint\nand original woodcuts, of which the figure on the cover of the present\nvolume, kindly supplied by Mrs. Lionel Giles, is an example.\n\n\nIII. FILIAL DUTY AND PARENTAL LOVE\n\nIn conclusion, I hope none of my readers will imagine, from these\nexamples and the treatise that precedes them, that Chinese family life\nis cold and repellent, and devoid of mutual love. The moment a tiny\nlife enters the circle it is guarded by the triple walls of kinship.\nIn the children our parents return to us; in the children we survive.\nAll through Chinese history the exile longs for return to wife and\nchildren. All through Chinese literature you will find allusion to the\nlove of little ones which has been the heritage of the Chinese from\ntime unknown. _The Book of Odes_, quoted in Mr. Ku Hung-ming\u2019s eloquent\ntranslation of the _Chung Yung_, or _Conduct of Life_, for this Series,\nsays:\n\n    When wives and children and their sires are one,\n    \u2019Tis like the harp and lute in unison.\n    When brothers live in concord and in peace,\n    The strains of harmony shall never cease.\n    The lamp of happy union lights the home,\n    _And bright days follow when the children come_.\n\nWith the Chinese the natural joys of life have always been the most\nsought after. Home, family, friendship, landscape, and flowers\u2014these\nare the pleasures which they delight in. The religion of Confucius\nis the religion of daily life. On the side of the parent there is\nresponsibility; on the side of the child, obedience, but not a blind\none. Of the responsibility of parents there is no question. Confucius\nhimself laid down the law when he sentenced a father, who had brought\nan accusation against his son, to be imprisoned with him. On being\nremonstrated with, he made this memorable reply: \u201cAm I to punish for\na breach of filial piety one who has never been taught to be filially\nminded? Is not he who neglects to teach his son his duties equally\nguilty with the son who fails in them? Crime is not inherent in human\nnature, and therefore the father in the family and the government in\nthe State are responsible for the crimes committed against filial piety\nand the public laws.\u201d\n\nOn the other hand, the obedient son must be able to discriminate and\nnot follow blindly, when the father is at fault. In the _Li Chi_, or\n_Book of Rites_, it is written: \u201cWhen his parents are in error, the\nson must remonstrate with them with respect and gently. If they do not\nreceive his reproof, he must strive more and more to be dutiful and\nrespectful towards them till they are pleased, and then he must again\npoint out their fault.\u201d\n\nThe Chinese give respect to the living, and also reverence the dead.\nIt is from the past that they have tried to learn, and the past is a\npathway which the feet of spirits have trodden and made luminous. And,\nmoreover, no man can escape from his ancestors, even if he go to the\nuttermost parts of the earth and dwell among strangers. Over the heads\nof the family the politician, ancient and modern, looks to the State.\nBut China, from the shelter and security of her myriad bulwarks, has\nwatched the sun of many empires rise and set.\n\n\nNOTE\n\nIn preparing this little book for the press, I am indebted to Mr.\nLionel Giles and Mr. L. Cranmer-Byng for their kind assistance. Mr.\nGiles has revised the English spelling of Chinese names according to\nthe system almost universally adopted by sinologues to-day; while Mr.\nCranmer-Byng has made himself responsible for the Introduction. As\nregards _The Twenty-four Examples of Filial Duty_, due acknowledgment\nmust be made to Vol. VI. of _The Chinese Repository_, which contains\nthe only complete translation of these stories, and has been\nextensively drawn upon for the present work.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[1] Translated by John Carey Hall in _Chinese Civilisation_, by Pierre\nLaffitte.\n\n\n\n\nTHE DOCTRINE OF FILIAL DUTY\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I\n\nTHE MEANING OF FILIAL DUTY\n\n\nOnce upon a time Confucius was sitting in his study, having his\ndisciple Ts\u00eang Ts\u2018an to attend upon him. He asked Ts\u00eang Ts\u2018an: \u201cDo\nyou know by what virtue and power the good Emperors of old made the\nworld peaceful, the people to live in harmony with one another, and\nthe inferior contented under the control of their superiors?\u201d To this\nTs\u00eang Ts\u2018an, rising from his seat, replied: \u201cI do not know this, for\nI am not clever.\u201d Then said Confucius: \u201cThe duty of children to their\nparents is the fountain whence all other virtues spring, and also the\nstarting-point from which we ought to begin our education. Now take\nyour seat, and I will explain this. Our body and hair and skin are all\nderived from our parents, and therefore we have no right to injure any\nof them in the least. This is the first duty of a child.\n\n\u201cTo live an upright life and to spread the great doctrines of humanity\nmust win good reputation after death, and reflect great honour upon our\nparents. This is the last duty of a son.\n\n\u201cHence the first duty of a son is to pay a careful attention to every\nwant of his parents. The next is to serve his government loyally; and\nthe last to establish a good name for himself.\n\n\u201cSo it is written in the _Ta Ya_[2]: \u2018You must think of your ancestors\nand continue to cultivate the virtue which you inherit from them.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II\n\nTHE FILIAL DUTY OF AN EMPEROR\n\n\nIn order to prevent the people from treating their parents with\ncruelty, the Emperor first sets an example to them by showing a dear\nlove to his mother; and in order to teach them not to treat their\nparents with rudeness, he first treats his parents with respect. Having\nloved and respected his own parents, his good conduct will influence\nthe minds of his people, and his good example will be followed by them.\n\nSo it is written in the _Fu Hsing_[3]: \u201cWhen the Emperor has done a\ngood act, millions will be benefited.\u201d\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[2] A section of the _Canon of Poetry_.\n\n[3] The 27th of the books of Chou in the _Canon of History_.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III\n\nTHE FILIAL DUTY OF FEUDAL PRINCES\n\n\nAny man will be secure in his position, however high it may be, if he\ndoes not behave himself in a haughty manner; and will be ever able to\nkeep his wealth if he is frugal and careful in his expenses.\n\nWhen he is able to secure himself in his high position, he can, of\ncourse, remain unimpaired in his dignity; and where he can keep his\nwealth, he will always remain rich. Having placed himself in a position\nof honour, and secured the possession of his wealth, he will be able to\nprotect his country and further the welfare of his people. This is the\nfilial duty of a feudal Prince.\n\nIn the _Shih Ching_ it is thus written: \u201cBe careful as though you were\nstanding upon the brink of a high precipice or treading on thin ice.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV\n\nTHE FILIAL DUTY OF HIGH OFFICERS\n\n\nIf we do not put on such dress as our good Emperors of old would\nforbid, if we do not speak such words as they would forbid, and if\nwe do not behave ourselves in such a way as they would forbid, then\nwe shall be always right in what we say and what we do. If so, then\nnobody will be able to find fault with our words or with our deeds,\nand therefore we shall be able to keep our family from being visited\nwith any serious misfortune, and to offer sacrifices to our ancestors\nfor ever. This is the filial duty of a high officer.\n\nIn the _Shih Ching_ it is thus written: \u201cBe diligent every minute to\nattend upon the one person\u201d (meaning the Emperor).\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V\n\nTHE FILIAL DUTY OF THE LITERARY CLASS\n\n\nFrom the manner in which we should treat our father we learn how to\ntreat our mother. The love toward them is the same. From the manner\nin which we should treat our father we also learn how to serve our\nAugust Master. The respect shown to them is the same. To our mother\nwe show love, to our August Master respect, while to our father, both\nlove and respect. If we can serve our August Master with such feelings\nas we have toward our father, then loyalty is shown; and if we treat\nvenerable persons with respect, then harmony will reign in the circle\nof our life. Not failing to treat the August Master with loyalty and\nthe venerable with respect, we shall be able to make ourselves secure\nin our high position and to offer sacrifices to our ancestors for ever.\n\nThis is the filial duty of the Literati. So in the _Shih Ching_ it is\nwritten: \u201cDo not do anything in the course of a day which will reflect\ndishonour upon your ancestors.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI\n\nTHE FILIAL DUTY OF COMMON PEOPLE\n\n\nTo do the necessary in every season (such as growing crops in spring\nand reaping harvest in autumn), to do the utmost to make lands as\nfertile as possible, and to be frugal in their expense, in order to\nkeep their parents in comfort, is the filial duty of the common people.\n\nFrom the Emperor downwards to the common people, every one has the same\nduty imposed upon him, and there is no instance in which we can find\nthat a man cannot fulfil this duty.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII\n\nTHE \u201cTHREE POWERS\u201d[4]\n\n\nOn hearing what Confucius said about filial duty, Ts\u00eang Tz\u016d remarked:\n\u201cHow great is the use of filial duty!\u201d Here Confucius continued:\n\u201cFilial duty is the constant doctrine of Heaven, the natural\nrighteousness of Earth, and the practical duty of man. Every member of\nthe community ought to observe it with the greatest care. We do what\nis dictated by Heaven and what is good for the general public in order\nto organise the community. On this account our education is widespread,\nthough it is not compulsory, and our government is sound, though it\nis not rigorous. The effect of education upon the minds of the people\nwas well known to the good Emperors of old. They made every person\nlove his parents by loving their own parents first. They induced every\nperson to cultivate his virtue by expounding the advantages of virtue\nto him. They behaved themselves respectfully and humbly, so that the\npeople might not quarrel with one another. They trained the people\nwith ceremonial observances, and educated them with music so that they\nmight live in harmony. They told the people what things they liked or\ndisliked to see done, so that they might understand what they were\nforbidden to do.\n\nIn the _Shih Ching_ it is thus written: \u201cThe dignified statesman is\nalways the subject of the attention of the people.\u201d\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[4] _I.e._ Heaven, Earth, and Man.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII\n\nFILIAL DUTY IN GOVERNMENT\n\n\nThe good Emperors of old ruled the Empire by means of filial duty, and\ndared not neglect the ministers of their vassal states. How much less\nthe dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons! They thereby gained\nthe goodwill of all their vassal states, which sent their deputies\nto represent them in any sacrifice offered to the ancestors of their\nSupreme Master. This is what we mean by saying that the good Emperors\nof old governed the world by filial duty.\n\nAs to the vassal states, their rulers dared not treat widowers and\nwidows with insolence; how then could they dare act so towards the\nliterary class and the people? Hence they gained the goodwill of their\nsubjects, and the latter would join them in offering sacrifices to\ntheir ancestors.\n\nNow we may say a word about a family. If the head of a family do not\nact haughtily towards his servant, he cannot act so to his wife and\nchildren. Hence he will gain the goodwill of all his people, and they\nwill help him in the fulfilment of his filial duty. In such a family\nthe parents must feel happy when they are living, and their spirits\nmust come to enjoy the sacrifice when they are dead. By the principle\nof filial duty the whole world can be made happy and all calamities and\ndangers can be averted. Such was the government of the Empire by the\nenlightened rulers of old, in accordance with the principle of filial\nduty.\n\nIn the _Shih Ching_ it is thus written: \u201cIf you adorn yourself with the\nhighest virtue, the whole world will follow you.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX\n\nGOVERNMENT BY THE SAGE\n\n\nTs\u00eang Tz\u016d asked: \u201cIs filial piety the highest of all the virtues\npossessed by a great sage?\u201d To this Confucius replied: \u201cThere is\nnothing so great in the world as man, and there is nothing so great\nin a man as filial piety. The first duty of a son is to venerate his\nparent, and in order to show reverence for his dead father he has to\noffer him sacrifice when he offers sacrifices to Heaven. A man who had\ndone this was the Duke of Chou. When he offered sacrifices to Heaven\nin a suburban district, he also offered a sacrifice to his deceased\nancestor Hou Chi, and when he offered sacrifice to Heaven at the temple\nnamed Ming Tang, he also made one to his deceased father W\u00ean Wang.\nHis good action produced such an effect that all the feudal barons at\nthat time came to assist him in performing the ceremony of offering\nsacrifice to Heaven. It is therefore evident that there is nothing so\ngreat in human nature as filial piety. The feeling of affection is\nfostered during the time of infancy, and from that affection springs\nreverence. Since every man has a natural reverence, the great sages\nof the time teach him how and when to show it; and since he has a\nnatural feeling of affection, they teach him when and how to cultivate\nit. As the teachings of these sages are based on the principle of\nfilial piety, their doctrine is propagated without effort, and their\ngovernment is effectual without resorting to force. The affection\nbetween a father and a son is natural, and also a source from which\nsprings the reverence which a minister ought to show to his sovereign.\nWhen parents have a son born to them, the regular line of descent in\nthe family is thereby secured. This is the greatest duty in family\nlife. We must treat our parents with the same reverence as is shown\nto our sovereign, because we receive boundless kindness from them and\nare under a natural obligation to do so. If any one does not love his\nparents, but others, he is a rebel against virtue; and if any one\ndoes not respect his parents, but others, he is also a rebel against\nthe standard of rites. Any action which is against the law of nature\nwill certainly not be an example for the public; and any one who gets\na high position, such as that of a ruler, by undue influence instead\nof by good actions, will be despised by good men. As to the latter,\nthey say what they ought to say, and do what they think is good for\nthe public. Their virtue and justice are estimable, their actions are\nworthy of being followed, their behaviour is creditable, and their\nmanner is correct in every way. If such persons are rulers of a state,\nthey will afford to the people a good example to follow and will also\ninspire them with reverence and affection. This is principally the\ncause of their being successful in propagating their doctrines, and\nin effectually carrying on their government. Do you not remember what\nis said in the _Shih Ching_?\u2014\u2018Look at that good man. How correct his\nbehaviour is!\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X\n\nTHE FILIAL DUTY OF A SON\n\n\nConfucius said: \u201cA filial son has five duties to perform to his\nparents: (1) He must venerate them in daily life. (2) He must try to\nmake them happy in every possible way, especially when the meal is\nserved. (3) He must take extra care of them when they are sick. (4) He\nought to show great sorrow for them when they are dead. (5) He must\noffer sacrifices to his deceased parents with the utmost solemnity. If\nhe fulfils these duties, then he can be considered as having done what\nought to be done by a son.\u201d\n\nA son ought not to feel proud of the high position he occupies, ought\nnot to show dissatisfaction with his inferior position to that of\nothers, and ought not to act against the natural feeling of the public.\nIf he is proud and haughty when he is a high official, he will soon\nbring ruin upon himself and his family; if he feels dissatisfied with\nhis lower position, he may be led to do illegal acts; and if he does\nanything contrary to the public feeling, he will probably be the\nobject of attacks. Having thus wronged himself, he cannot be considered\nas a filial son, although he treats his parents every day to luxurious\nmeals.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI\n\nTHE FIVE PUNISHMENTS\n\n\nThe criminal law consists principally of five punishments, which are\ndirected against three thousand offences. Of them, disobedience to\none\u2019s parents is considered the most heinous crime.\n\nTo threaten the sovereign with force is an act which shows that the\nwrongdoer does not know the duty of an inferior to a superior; to\nsay anything against the government founded by the wise men of many\ngenerations gone by is an act which shows that the speaker does not\nknow what law is; and to say that a son need not be filial to his\nparents is also an act which shows that the speaker does not know what\nis the natural relation and duty between a son and parents. Such acts\nwill no doubt lead the man to a wrong course of life.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII\n\nAMPLIFICATION OF THE \u201cIMPORTANT DOCTRINE\u201d\n\n\nConfucius said: \u201cThe best way to teach the people to love their\nsovereign is for the sovereign first to love his own parents; to teach\nthem to be polite to each other is for the sovereign himself first to\nbe polite to all his elders; and to improve bad manners and customs is\nfor him first to pay attention to the composition of the music played\nin the country.\n\n\u201cWhat is etiquette? It is simply due respect to one\u2019s elders. If I\nrespect the parents, the son will be pleased; if I respect the elder\nbrothers, the younger ones will be pleased; and if I respect the\nsovereign, all the ministers will be pleased. I respect only one\nperson, but I please thousands upon thousands. Those to whom the\nrespect is paid are few, and those whom I please are many. This is what\nis called an \u2018important doctrine.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII\n\nAMPLIFICATION OF \u201cTHE HIGHEST VIRTUE\u201d\n\n\nConfucius said: \u201cWhen a ruler wishes to teach his people to love their\nparents, he does not go to their family every day to teach them. He\nteaches them by his showing reverence to all old people. In the same\nmanner he teaches his people to show respect to their elders by doing\nso first; and to be loyal to their ruler by his doing duty to his\nsuperiors first.\n\n\u201cThe _Shih Ching_ says, \u2018The behaviour of the ruler is so good that he\nis loved by the people as their parent.\u2019 A ruler could not have been\nso loved by his people had he not possessed the highest virtue.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV\n\nAMPLIFICATION OF \u201cRAISING THE REPUTATION\u201d\n\n\nConfucius said: \u201cA true gentleman is always filial to his parents, and\nin order to fulfil his duty to them to the fullest extent, he also\nserves his August Master with patriotism. He always shows reverence\nto his elder brothers, and in order to fulfil his duty to them to the\nfullest extent, he does the same towards every one who is older than he.\n\n\u201cAs he can maintain order in his family affairs, so he can do the same\nin the government. He bases the principle of the government of a State\nupon that of a ruling family, and the consequent success will make his\nname to be remembered throughout generations to come.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV\n\nTHE QUESTION OF REMONSTRANCE IN CONNECTION WITH FILIAL DUTY\n\n\nTs\u00eang Tz\u016d said: \u201cI have heard all that you said about parental love,\nfilial love, reverence to elders, how to treat parents every day, and\nhow to please them by making oneself known for good conduct; and now\nI will venture to ask you whether it is filial that a son should obey\nevery command of his father, whether right or wrong?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do you say?\u2014what do you say?\u201d replied Confucius. \u201cOnce upon a\ntime there was a certain Emperor who would have lost his empire through\nhis wickedness, but that he had seven good ministers who often checked\nhis illegal actions by strong protests; there was also a feudal baron\nwho would have lost his feudal estate through wantonness, but for the\nfact that he had five good men who often made strong remonstrances to\nhim; and there was also a statesman who would have brought frightful\ncalamity upon his family, but for the fact that he had three good\nservants who often strongly advised him not to do what he ought not.\n\n\u201cIf a man has a good friend to resist him in doing bad actions, he will\nhave his reputation preserved; so if a father has a son to resist his\nwrong commands, he will be saved from committing serious faults.\n\n\u201cWhen the command is wrong, a son should resist his father, and a\nminister should resist his August Master.\n\n\u201cThe maxim is, \u2018Resist when wrongly commanded.\u2019 Hence how can he be\ncalled filial who obeys his father when he is commanded to do wrong?\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI\n\nTHE INFLUENCE AND FRUIT OF FILIAL PIETY\n\n\nThe good Emperors of old were not only filial to their parents, but\nalso to the Supreme Father and Mother\u2014that is, Heaven and the Earth.\nWhen an Emperor can live in harmony with his elders, there will be\nharmony throughout his dominion between superiors and inferiors; and\nwhen he is filial to the Supreme Father and Mother, he will be blessed\nby them.\n\nAlthough the Emperor is the highest of all ranks, yet he still has some\none to respect. He has his father and elder brothers.\n\nWhy do we offer sacrifices to our ancestors in our family shrine?\nBecause we ought not to forget them. Why must we cultivate our minds\nand be circumspect in our actions? Because we do not wish to bring\ndisgrace upon the name of our ancestors. If we can show respect to them\nwhen we offer them sacrifices in our family shrine, we shall be blessed\nby the Supreme Father and Mother. Filiality to parents and reverence to\nelders will be known to the Supreme Being, and will be followed by the\npeople in every part of the world; no place can remain unaffected by\ntheir influence. In the _Shih Ching_ it is said that \u201cfrom east to west\nand from north to south there is no one who does not submit to rule.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII\n\nSERVING THE SOVEREIGN\n\n\nConfucius said: \u201cA good man always endeavours, while he is in the\nservice of his sovereign, to express the utmost loyalty during\naudience with his August Master, and thinks at his leisure how to\nrepair any wrong his August Master may have done. He will carry out\nany praiseworthy schemes projected by his master, and will correct\nany fault which he may commit. In this way a great affection will be\nfostered between them.\n\n\u201cThus in the _Shih Ching_ it is written: \u2018Although the minister may be\nfar away from his master, yet his affection will not be affected by the\ndistance. He is so attached to him that he thinks of him every day.\u2019\u201d\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII\n\nMOURNING FOR ONE\u2019S PARENTS\n\n\nConfucius said: \u201cWhen a filial son loses his parent, he, of course,\ncannot help crying piteously. He cannot feel happy when he hears music.\nHe will have no appetite for food, however tempting a savoury. He will\ngreet no visitor, have no regard for elegance of speech, and will put\non a mourning-dress instead of a beautiful one. All these tell us\nthe extent of his sorrow for his lost parent. What is meant by the\nsaying that he must try to eat something after three days from the\ndeath of his parent, though he has no appetite for it? It teaches us\nthat although we have to show great sorrow for the dead, yet we must\nnot sacrifice ourselves on their account, and that we must not carry\nself-mortification so far as to destroy our life. This is the doctrine\nlaid down by good men of old. That mourning only extends to the period\nof three years shows that there is a limit for our sorrow.\n\n\u201cFor the corpse we make a coffin and some clothes. We set forth the\nsacrificial vessels, and at the sight of them grief breaks forth\nafresh. The women beat their breasts, the men stamp their feet, and\nwith weeping and wailing escort the coffin to its resting-place. For\nits burial we buy a well-drained ground. In memory of our deceased\nparent we build a shrine. For the purpose of showing our remembrance we\noffer sacrifices every spring and autumn.\n\n\u201cWhen our parents are alive, we should treat them with love and\nrespect. When they are dead, we should have sorrow for them. By doing\nso we shall have performed the duty of mankind, and have done what\nought to be done by a filial son, and by the living to the dead.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWENTY-FOUR EXAMPLES\n\n\nNo. I\n\n_The Filial Piety that influenced Heaven_\n\nY\u00fc Shun, the son of Ku Sou, had an exceedingly filial disposition;\nhis father, however, was stupid, his mother perverse, and his younger\nbrother, Hsiang, very conceited. His actions are related in the _Shang\nShu_, in the _Chung Yung_, and in the works of Mencius. Those who speak\nof him say that Shun cultivated the hills of Li (in the province of\nShansi), where he had elephants to plough his fields and birds to weed\nthe grain. So widespread was the renown of his virtue that the Emperor\nYao heard of him, and sent his nine sons to serve him, and gave to him\ntwo of his daughters in marriage, and afterwards resigned to him the\nimperial dignity.\n\nOf all those whose virtue and filial duty deserve to be illustrated,\nShun is pre-eminent; and his example, in obeying his parents, is worthy\nof being handed down to posterity, through myriads of ages. Once he was\nin great danger in a well, into which he was commanded by his father to\ndescend, and his brother cast down stones upon him; again, he was in a\ngranary, when it was set on fire; but from these, as well as from many\nother dangers, he escaped unhurt. He fished, burned pottery, ploughed\nand sowed, with great toil on the hills of Li. He laboriously performed\nall these duties, but his parents were not affected, while his brother\nHsiang became more insolent and overbearing. His parents alleged crimes\nagainst him, but Shun could not find that he had done wrong; he loved\nand revered them, though they did not requite him with affection. His\nfeelings were grieved at these manifold troubles, and with strong\ncrying and tears he invoked Heaven.\n\nHis perfect sincerity was effectual to renovate his family; his parents\nbecame pleasant, and his brother more conciliatory and virtuous.\nHeaven also considered his excellency to be great, and regarded him\nas truly good, thus establishing his reputation so firmly that it was\nperpetuated to, and influenced, succeeding ages. Even Confucius is\nregarded as elevated but a little above Shun, and I would praise and\nextol them both to coming generations.\n\n\nNo. II\n\n_Affection shown in tasting Soups and Medicines_\n\nThe Emperor W\u00ean of the Han dynasty, the third son of his father, Kao\nTsu, was appointed Prince over the country of Tai. His own mother,\nPo, was Queen-dowager, and W\u00ean was constant in his attendance on her.\nShe was ill for three years, during which time his eyelids did not\nclose, nor was the girdle of his dress unloosed; and she took none of\nthe soups and medicines prepared for her till he had tasted them. This\nbenevolence and filial affection was heard of throughout the empire.\n\nW\u00ean received direction to go and arrange the imperial sacrifices, and\nrequested his mother to accompany him to the royal domains. Morning\nand evening he visited her in her own apartments, and handed her the\nfragrant dishes. If the provisions had lost their flavour, he was\nvexed; and when tasting the medicines he commanded perfect silence. The\nlive-long night his girdle was not loosed, nor for three years were\nhis eyelids closed. By as much as his animal spirits were exhausted,\nby so much the more did his heart become fixed on the subject of its\naffection; and for a long time his thoughts were not distracted. Such\nfilial love and virtue so moved upon Heaven\u2019s kind regard, that it\nwrought upon his father to confer the throne upon him as his patrimony.\n\n\nNo. III\n\n_Gnawing her Finger pained his Heart_\n\nDuring the Chou dynasty there lived a lad named Ts\u00eang Ts\u2018an, a disciple\nof Confucius, who served his mother very dutifully. Ts\u00eang was in the\nhabit of going to the hills to collect faggots; and once, while he was\nthus absent, many guests came to his house, towards whom his mother was\nat a loss to know how to act. She, while expecting her son, who delayed\nhis return, began to gnaw her fingers. Ts\u00eang suddenly felt a pain in\nhis heart, and took up his bundle of faggots in order to return home;\nand when he saw his mother, he kneeled and begged to know what was the\ncause of her anxiety. She replied: \u201cThere have been some guests here\nwho came from a great distance, and I bit my finger in order to arouse\nyou to return to me.\u201d\n\nThe faculties of mind and body in both mother and son sprang originally\nfrom the same source, and are alike; but in common men this connection\nis broken and interrupted, and they are dull and stupid. Those sages\nwhose nature is heavenly differ from the rest of mankind; and virtue,\nas in a breath, permeates their whole souls. At a certain time, when\nTs\u00eang was absent to collect faggots, visitors came and knocked at his\ndoor in great haste; and as there was no man at home ready to receive\nthem, his mother was much grieved. He had entered the dense fog on the\nhills and did not know where he was, when his mother leaned against the\ndoor-post and gnawed her fingers as if she would go in quest of him.\nHer son in the hills is suddenly seized with a pain in his heart, and\nquickly takes up his bundle of faggots to return; although distant,\nhe sympathises with his mother\u2019s grief and complaint. The hearts of\nmother and son are mutually affected, one influencing the other, in the\nsame manner as the amber draws small straws and the loadstone attracts\nthe slender needle. From the remotest period sages have been able to\ncontrol their dispositions, and in the deepest silence have revolved\ntheir actions as in a breath. The moving influence that such minds have\non each other the generality of men cannot understand. The devotedness\nwith which they serve their parents and the respect with which they\ncherish them\u2014who can comprehend.\n\n\nNo. IV\n\n_Clad in a Single Garment, he was obedient to his Mother_\n\nDuring the Chou dynasty lived Min Sun, a disciple of Confucius, who in\nearly life lost his mother. His father subsequently married another\nwife, who bore him two children, but disliked Sun. In winter she\nclothed him in garments made of rushes, while her own children wore\ncotton clothes. Min was employed in driving his father\u2019s chariot,\nand his body was so cold that the reins dropped from his hands, for\nwhich carelessness his father chastised him; yet he did not vindicate\nhimself. When his father knew the circumstances, he determined to\ndivorce his second wife; but Sun said, \u201cWhilst mother remains, one\nson is cold; if mother departs, three sons will be destitute.\u201d The\nfather desisted from his purpose; and after this the mother was led to\nrepentance, and became a good and virtuous parent.\n\nThe filial piety of the renowned Shun influenced Heaven, whilst that of\nMin renovated mankind. If Heaven be influenced, all below it will be\ntransformed; if men be renovated, from them will spring a power able\nto cause their families to become good. In all ages men have exhibited\na great love for their wives; but dutiful children have often met with\nunkindness. Min carefully concealed all his grievances, and refused to\nindulge in any complaint; even while suffering severely from cold and\nhunger, he maintained his affection unabated. During the long period\nwhich he endured this oppressive treatment, his good disposition became\nmanifest; and by his own conduct he was able to maintain the harmony\nof the family unimpaired. His father and mother were influenced by his\nfilial devotion; and his brothers joined in extolling his virtues.\nAll his friends and acquaintances, with united voice, celebrated his\nmerits; and the men of his native village joyfully combined to spread\nthe fame of his actions. The memory of his agreeable countenance and\npleasing manners was perpetuated to the remotest ages; and his example\nwas in many respects like that of Shun, whose parents were equally\nperverse.\n\n\nNo. V\n\n_He carried Rice for his Parents_\n\nIn the Chou dynasty lived Chung Yu, also a disciple of Confucius, who,\nbecause his family was poor, usually ate herbs and coarse pulse; and\nhe also went more than a hundred li to procure rice for his parents.\nAfterwards, when they were dead, he went south to the country of Ch\u2018u,\nwhere he was made commander of a hundred companies of chariots. There\nhe became rich, storing up grain in myriads of measures, reclining\nupon cushions, and eating food served to him in numerous dishes; but,\nsighing, he said: \u201cAlthough I should now desire to eat coarse herbs and\nbring rice for my parents, it cannot be!\u201d\n\n\u201cAlas!\u201d said Chung Yu, \u201calthough I was a scholar, yet my parents were\npoor; and how was I to nourish them?\u201d Exhausted he travelled the long\nroad and cheerfully brought rice for his parents. Pleasantly he endured\nthe toil, and exerted his utmost strength without any commendation.\nAt that time his lot in life was hard and unfortunate, and he little\nexpected the official honours he afterwards enjoyed. But when his\nparents were dead, and he had become rich and honourable, enjoying\nall the luxuries of life, then he was unhappy and discontented; not\ncheerful as in the days of his poverty, nor happy as when he ministered\nto his parents\u2019 wants.\n\n\nNo. VI\n\n_With Sports and Embroidered Robes he amused his Parents_\n\nIn the Chou dynasty there flourished Lao Lai Tz\u016d, who was very obedient\nand reverent towards his parents, manifesting his dutifulness by\nexerting himself to provide them with every delicacy. Although upwards\nof seventy years of age, he declared that he was not yet too old, and,\ndressed in gaudy-coloured garments, would frisk and cut capers like a\nchild in front of his parents. He would also take up buckets of water\nand try to carry them into the house; but, feigning to slip, would fall\nto the ground, wailing and crying like a child; and all these things he\ndid in order to divert his parents.\n\nIn the country of Ch\u2018u lived Lao Lai Tz\u016d, who, when so old that he had\nlost nearly all his teeth, made every effort to rejoice and comfort his\nparents, constantly endeavouring to gladden their hearts. At times he\nimitated the playfulness of a little child, and arraying himself in\ngaudy and variegated clothes, amused them by his strutting and gambols.\nHe would likewise purposely fall on the ground, kicking and wailing\nto the utmost of his power. His mother was delighted, and manifested\nher joy in her countenance. Thus did Lai forget his age in order to\nrejoice the hearts of his parents; and affection, harmony, and joy\nprevailed among the family. If this ardent love for his parents had\nbeen insincere and constrained, how could it be referred to as worthy\nof imitation?\n\n\nNo. VII\n\n_With Deer\u2019s Milk he supplied his Parents_\n\nIn the time of the Chou dynasty lived Yen, who possessed a very filial\ndisposition. His father and mother were aged, and both were afflicted\nwith sore eyes, to cure which they desired to have some deer\u2019s milk.\nYen concealed himself in the skin of a deer, and went deep into the\nforests, among the herds of deer, to obtain some of their milk for his\nparents. While amongst the trees the hunters saw him, and were about\nto shoot at him with their arrows, when Yen disclosed to them his true\ncharacter and related the history of his family, with the reasons for\nhis conduct.\n\nDo his parents desire some milk from the deer? He is not deterred by\nthe obstacles in the way of procuring it; but clothing himself in a\nhairy garment, he goes carefully seeking for it among the multitudes\nof wild beasts. He closely imitated the cry, _yew, yew_, of the fawns,\nwatching for the tracks of the herds. By this mode he obtained the\nsweet secretion; he also surprised the hunters whom he met in the deep\nand lonely forest.\n\n\nNo. VIII\n\n_He sold himself to bury his Father_\n\nDuring the Han dynasty lived Tung Yung, whose family was so very poor\nthat when his father died, he was obliged to sell himself in order to\nprocure money to bury his remains. After this he went to another place\nto gain the means of redeeming himself; and on his way he met a lady\nwho desired to become his wife, and go with him to his master\u2019s house.\nShe went with Tung, and wove three hundred pieces of silk, which being\ncompleted in two months, they returned home; and on the way, having\nreached the shade of the cassia-tree where they met before, the lady\nbid him adieu and vanished from his sight.\n\nTung could not endure to behold his father\u2019s bones lying exposed, but\nhad not sufficient means to bury them. He saw that his household goods\nwere not sufficient, and he said: \u201cThis little body of mine, what is\nthe use of it? If I sell it, I can redeem it again, and thus bury\nmy father, who will be saved from dishonour.\u201d His filial piety moved\nHeaven to direct a female spirit in human form to come and help him in\nfulfilling his engagement; she wove three hundred pieces of silk, and\nthus procured the redemption of a man of truly filial heart.\n\n\nNo. IX\n\n_He hired himself out as a Labourer to support his Mother_\n\nIn the time of the Han dynasty lived Chiang Ko, who, when young, lost\nhis father, and afterwards lived alone with his mother. Times of\ntrouble arising, which caused them much distress, he took his mother\non his back, and fled. On the way he many times met with companies of\nrobbers, who would have compelled him to go with them and become a\nbandit, but Chiang entreated them with tears to spare him, saying that\nhe had his aged mother with him; and the robbers could not bear to\nkill him. Altering his course, he came into the district of Hsia-p\u2018ei,\nextremely impoverished and reduced, where he hired himself out and\nsupported his mother; and such was his diligence that he was able to\nsupply her with whatever she personally required.\n\nPassing over the hills and wading through the streams, he carried his\nmother with much difficulty. It was during a year of famine, when\nall the inhabitants of the land were in confusion from the scarcity\nof food, and engagements were frequent between the soldiers and the\nbandits, and signal fires were lighted on the high hills. Chiang was\nfearful lest the robbers should meet him on the road and plunder him;\nand they did seize him, regardless of his cries and tears, and were\nabout to rob him; but when they knew of his filial piety and affection\nfor his mother, they permitted him to proceed. While journeying, he was\ntoo poor to procure any food beyond the bare necessaries of life; and\nbecause he could not provide comforts and delicacies for his mother,\nhe was grieved as if it had been his fault. He went and hired himself\nfor labour; with the greatest diligence he adhered to his purpose to\nmaintain his mother; and soon the stranger obtained an abundance of\nfood and clothing. This success caused his mother to rejoice, and they\nwere both delighted, she forgetting her former hardships in the joy\nthat filled her breast.\n\n\nNo. X\n\n_He fanned the Pillow and warmed the Bedclothes_\n\nIn the Han dynasty lived Huang Hsiang, who when only nine years old\nlost his mother, whom he loved so ardently and remembered so well that\nall the villagers praised his filial duty. He was employed in the\nseverest toil, and served his father with entire obedience. In summer,\nwhen the weather was warm, he fanned and cooled his father\u2019s pillow\nand bed; and in winter, when it was cold, he warmed the bed-clothes\nwith his body. The magistrate sent him an honorary banner, as a mark of\ndistinction.\n\nWhen the heat of summer made it difficult to sleep quietly, the lad\nknew what would be for the comfort of his venerated parent. Taking a\nfan, he slowly waved it about the silken curtains, and the cool air,\nentering, enveloped and filled the pillows and bed. In winter, when\nthe snow threatened to crush in the roof and the fierce wind shook the\nfences, and the cold penetrated to the bones, making it hazardous to\nunloose the girdle, then Hsiang warmed his father\u2019s bed that he might\nnot fear, because of the cold, to enter the \u201cplace of dreams.\u201d\n\n\nNo. XI\n\n_The Gushing Fountain and the Frisking Carp_\n\nIn the Han dynasty lived Chiang Shih, who served his mother\nwith perfect obedience; and his wife P\u2018ang also fulfilled her\nmother-in-law\u2019s commands without the least reluctance. The old lady\nloved to drink of the water from the river six or seven li away from\nher cottage, and P\u2018ang used to go to draw it and hand it to her.\nShe was also fond of carp, and when it was obtained, deeming herself\nunable to consume alone what her children with great toil and trouble\ncontinually prepared for her, usually invited some of the neighbours\nto feast with her. By the side of the cottage there suddenly gushed a\nfountain, the taste of whose waters was like that of the river, and\nit also produced two living fishes daily. These were taken out and\nprepared by Chiang Shih for his mother.\n\nThe fish from the river were fresh and delicious, and the water was\nsweet; the mother of Chiang Shih wished to taste of both daily. Her\nson went to purchase the fish and her daughter-in-law to bring the\nwater; as constantly as the revolution of morning and evening did they\nexert themselves in this arduous labour. Having obtained the fish and\nwater, her countenance brightened, and, laughing, she invited in one\nof the neighbours to rejoice and partake of them with her. Sitting\nopposite at the table, together they ate them, she foolishly not even\nregarding, but totally forgetting, her son and daughter, who with so\nmuch trouble had prepared them for her. Heaven took pity on these two\nfilial children, and employed its divine power to assist them, sending\na spirit to strike the earth with an axe which caused a perennial\nspring to bubble forth. The taste of the water from the fountain was\nlike that from the river, and two fish continually sported about in\nit, which henceforth Chiang Shih took out for their sustenance, nor\nwas there any fear of the supply failing. To procure the fish now no\nmoney was needed, to obtain the water no long and weary walk was to\nbe taken. It was as if the productions of this river and of the water\nwere transferred into the midst of the cottage; and Chiang Shih could\nsupport his family with ease for many years.\n\n\nNo. XII\n\n_He carved Wood and served his Parents_\n\nDuring the Han dynasty lived Ting Lan, whose parents both died when he\nwas young, before he could obey and support them; and he reflected that\nfor all the trouble and anxiety he had caused them, no recompense had\nyet been given. He then carved wooden images of his parents, and served\nthem as if they had been alive. For a long time his wife would not\nreverence them; and one day, taking a bodkin, she pricked their fingers\nin derision. Blood flowed immediately from the wound; and seeing Ting\ncoming, the images wept. He inquired into the circumstances, and\nforthwith divorced his wife.\n\nHe remembers his parents, but cannot see them; so he carves wood to\nrepresent their persons. He believes that their spirits are now the\nsame as when they were alive, and his quietless heart trusts that\ntheir spirits have entered the carved images. He cannot rest until\nhe has made their statues, so strong is his desire to nourish and\nreverence them. He now reveres them, although dead, as if they were\nalive; and hopes they will condescend to dwell in his ancestral hall.\n\n\nNo. XIII\n\n_For his Mother\u2019s Sake he would bury his Child_\n\nIn the days of the Han dynasty lived Kuo Ch\u00fc, who was very poor. He had\none child three years old; and such was his poverty that his mother\nusually divided her portion of food with this little one. Kuo says to\nhis wife: \u201cWe are so poor that our mother cannot be supported, for the\nchild divides with her the portion of food that belongs to her. Why\nnot bury this child? Another child may be born to us, but a mother,\nonce gone, will never return.\u201d His wife did not venture to object to\nthe proposal, and Kuo immediately digs a hole about three cubits deep,\nwhen suddenly he lights upon a pot of gold, and on the metal reads the\nfollowing inscription: \u201cHeaven bestows this treasure upon Kuo Ch\u00fc, the\ndutiful son; the magistrate may not seize it, nor shall the neighbours\ntake it from him.\u201d\n\nWhat a foolish action, that the sage Kuo should be willing to bury his\nown child! Fearing lest his mother should not have enough to eat, he\nis willing to resign his child to death; but when it is dead, what\nrelief will there be for the grief of its affectionate grandmother?\nWhen a number of cares come at some future time, who then will be able\nto disperse them if the child is dead? But at this time the reflection\nthat his mother would be in want filled his breast with grief, and\nhe had no time to think of the future when he would be childless.\nHeaven having given him a dutiful mind, caused him to take a light hoe\nfor digging the earth. Together Kuo and his wife went, sorrowing and\ndistressed, by the way, until they came to a very hilly place, where\nthey stopped. Having dug into the ground, suddenly a gleam of light\nshot forth, and the pot of yellow gold which Heaven had deposited there\nwas seen. Taking it up, they clasped their child with ecstasy in their\narms and returned home; for now they had sufficient to support their\nwhole family in plenty.\n\n\nNo. XIV\n\n_He seized the Tiger and saved his Father_\n\nIn the Han dynasty lived Yang Hsiang, a lad of fourteen, who was in the\nhabit of following his father to the fields to cut grain. Once a tiger\nseized his father, and was slowly carrying him off, when Yang, anxious\nfor his father and forgetting himself, although he had no iron weapon\nin his hand, rushed forward and seized the tiger by the neck. The beast\nlet the prey fall from his teeth, and fled, and Yang\u2019s father was thus\nsaved from injury and death.\n\nA tiger suddenly appears in the borders of the field, and seizes the\nman as lightly as he catches a sheep, and drags him off. Yang Hsiang,\nseeing the sudden peril of his father, was vexed that he had no weapon\nwith an iron head; but being strongly excited and his feelings roused,\nhe ran forward in the path, crying with a loud voice, and grasped the\ntiger by the neck. The frightened animal fled, nor stopped in its rapid\ncourse until it reached the high hills. Yang then, in a gentle manner,\nraised his father up and led him home, endeavouring to soothe his\nmind and dispel his fears, and also presented him the golden winecup.\nAmong the great number of sages whose reputations are famous, how few\nof them have been devoted and filial at the hazard of their lives!\nBut this lad, quite young and fair, as soon as he saw his father\u2019s\ndanger, risked his own life; surely his fame will spread throughout the\ncountry. We have heard of the lady T\u2018i Ying, who saved her father from\nbanishment, and of young Chu O, who lost her life in trying to rescue\nher father from drowning; and I think that Yang Hsiang will form a trio\nwith them, and the three be celebrated in the same ode.\n\n\nNo. XV\n\n_He collected Mulberries to support his Mother_\n\nDuring the Han dynasty lived Ts\u2018ai Shun, whose father died when he was\nyoung, and who served his mother very dutifully. It happened that,\nduring the troubles of the time, when Wang Mang was plotting to usurp\nthe throne, there were years of scarcity, in which he could not procure\nfood, and Ts\u2018ai was compelled to gather mulberries, which he assorted,\nputting them into two vessels. The red-eyebrowed robber[5] saw him, and\ninquired why he did thus. Ts\u2018ai replied: \u201cThe black and ripe berries I\ngive to my mother, the yellow and unripe ones I eat myself.\u201d The bandit\nadmired his filial affection, and rewarded him with three measures of\nwhite rice and the leg of an ox.\n\nAnxious and fearful, he seeks for food; untiring in his toil, he takes\nup his baskets and penetrates the thickets of the distant forests,\nwhere he finds many mulberry-trees. His hunger now has something\nto satisfy its cravings; he also remembers his mother, and that he\nmust carry some to her. The ripe and unripe berries he does not put\ntogether, but divides them, so that mother and son can each have their\nproper portion. The chieftain heard of his conduct, and highly praised\nhim, conferring a gift upon him, and speaking of his filial piety to\nall around. Taking up his rice and flesh, Ts\u2018ai returned home to his\nmother with the food; and in their joy they even forgot that the year\nwas one of dearth.\n\n\nNo. XVI\n\n_He laid up the Oranges for his Mother_\n\nLu Chi, a lad six years old, who lived in the time of Han and in the\ndistrict of Kinkiang, once met the celebrated general Y\u00fcan Shu, who\ngave him a few oranges. Two of them the lad put in his bosom, and when\nturning to thank the giver, they fell out on the ground. When the\ngeneral saw this, he said: \u201cWhy does my young friend, who is now a\nguest, put the fruit away in his bosom?\u201d The youth, bowing, replied:\n\u201cMy mother is very fond of oranges, and I wished, when I returned home,\nto present them to her.\u201d At this answer Y\u00fcan was much astonished.\n\nOn account of his love for his parent, he would not at first taste the\npresent of fruit, but put into his sleeve to carry home the fragrant\nand luscious gift. I think that when he saw his mother, her pleasant\ncountenance must have brightened, for the fruit filled his bosom and\ndelighted all who came near him. Lu, although so young, had the true\nheavenly disposition; even in the small matter of an orange he did not\nforget his parent\u2019s wishes. Many children are perhaps like this boy,\nand those who requite their parents for the care bestowed upon them, we\nhope, are not few.\n\n\nNo. XVII\n\n_On hearing the Thunder he wept at the Tomb_\n\nIn the country of Wei lived Wang P\u2018ou, a very dutiful child, whose\nmother, when alive, was much afraid of thunder. After her death\nher grave was dug in the hilly forest; and whenever it blew and\nrained furiously, and Wang heard the sound of the chariot of the\nThunder-goddess rolling along, he hastened immediately to the grave,\nand, reverently kneeling, besought her with tears, saying: \u201cI am here,\ndear mother; do not be alarmed.\u201d And afterwards, whenever he read\nin _The Book of Odes_ this sentence, \u201cChildren should have deep and\nardent affection for their parents, who have endured so much anxiety in\nnourishing them,\u201d the tears flowed abundantly at the recollection of\nhis mother.\n\nSuddenly the black clouds arise from the wilderness, whirled by the\nwind; he hears the distant mutter of thunder from the southern hills.\nHeedless of the rain, hastily he speeds over the rugged path leading\nto the tomb, and as he goes round the grave his tones of grief and\nentreaty are heard. The roaring of the dreadful thunder affrights the\nears of men, one clap following another in quick succession. If his\nkind mother, when alive, always dreaded the voice of Heaven\u2019s majesty,\nhow much more will she now, when lying alone in the depths of the wild\nforest! If P\u2018ou was with his mother, he knew she would be comforted;\nand he thinks that if in the green hills she has a companion, she will\nnot be terrified. Afterwards, being successful, he refused to take the\nduties of an officer under the Emperor Ss\u016d-ma, because he wished to go\nfrequently to visit the grave of his parent. And when he was going and\nreturning from it, he would weep at the recollection of his mother, and\nask himself: \u201cIf I have not yet recompensed the care and trouble my\nmother endured for me, what more can I do?\u201d And to this day, whenever\nscholars read the pages of the _Liu O_, they remember how tears bedewed\nthe cheeks of Wang P\u2018ou.\n\n\nNo. XVIII\n\n_He wept to the Bamboos, and Shoots sprang up_\n\nM\u00eang Tsung, who lived in the Chin dynasty, lost his father when young.\nHis mother was very ill, and one winter\u2019s day she longed to taste a\nsoup made of bamboo shoots, but M\u00eang could not procure any. At last he\nwent into the bamboo grove, and, clasping the bamboos with his hands,\nwept bitterly. His filial love moved Nature, and the ground slowly\nopened, sending forth several shoots, which he gathered and carried\nhome. He made a soup of them, which his mother tasted, and immediately\nrecovered from her malady.\n\nIn winter, when the forests are unsightly and bare, and the bamboos\nsombre and gloomy, for plants to send forth their branches is\nsurprising and unexpected. But it is impossible to root out the true\nfilial nature from men who have it, although senseless and ignorant\npeople, not understanding its power, ridicule them, calling them mad.\nThe young M\u00eang Tsung dutifully served his mother, and morning and\nevening waited on her to receive her commands. His mother was ill, and\ndesired the delicacy of a soup made from bamboo shoots; but in dreary\nwinter, Nature still concealed her fruits awaited. With anxious haste\nhe goes to the cheerless forest, which he enters, seeking for them;\nbut not finding the shoots, he entreats the bamboos with tears. One\npetition from his inmost heart ascended to the threshold of heaven,\nand the deities were delighted, laughing with pleasure. A miracle is\nwrought, the ordinary course of nature is reversed, and suddenly the\npearly shoots appear in the forest.\n\n\nNo. XIX\n\n_He slept on Ice to procure Carp_\n\nDuring the Chin dynasty lived Wang Hsiang, who early lost his mother,\nand whose stepmother Chu had no affection for him. His father also,\nhearing many evil reports against him, in course of time ceased to\nregard him with kindness. His mother was in the habit of eating fresh\nfish at her meals, but winter coming, the ice bound up the rivers. Wang\nunloosed his clothes, and went to sleep on the ice in order to seek\nthem; when suddenly the ice opened of itself, and two carp leapt out,\nwhich he took up and carried to his mother. The villagers, hearing of\nthe affair, were surprised, and admired one whose filial duty was the\ncause of such an unusual event.\n\nThe river is firmly bound up by ice, and the fish are hidden in their\ndeep retreats. Perturbed and anxious, Wang goes out to seek the fish,\napparently forgetting that it was winter. His resolution is fixed, and\nalthough it is at the risk of his life, he will go. He was not dismayed\nat the coldness of the snow, nor terrified at the fierceness of the\nwinds. Even the wicked spirits were deterred from injuring him, and\ndared not molest him. If metals and stones can be opened, shall ice be\nconsidered too difficult to cleave? The frisking fish came up on the\nsurface of the water, obedient to the hand of him who would take them\nout. A thousand ages cannot efface the remembrance of the crack in the\nice, nor obliterate the fragrant traces of so worthy a deed.\n\n\nNo. XX\n\n_Wu M\u00eang fed the Mosquitoes_\n\nWu M\u00eang, a lad eight years of age, who lived in the Chin dynasty, was\nvery dutiful to his parents. They were so poor that they could not\nafford to furnish their beds with mosquito-curtains; and every summer\nnight myriads of mosquitoes attacked them without restraint, feasting\nupon their flesh and blood. Although there were so many, yet Wu would\nnot drive them away from himself, lest they should go to his parents\nand annoy them. Such was his filial affection!\n\nThe buzzing of the mosquitoes sounds like _ying, ying_, and their\nunited hum is almost equal to thunder. His tired parents are reclining\non their bed, their countenances already sunk in slumber. Legions of\nmosquitoes fiercely attack them, alternately retreating and advancing.\nThe insects disturb the dreaming sleepers, and with annoyance they\ntoss from side to side. Wu sees them sucking his parents\u2019 blood,\nwhich causes his heart to grieve; his flesh, he thinks, can be easily\npierced, but that of his parents is hard to penetrate. Lying on the\nbed, he threw off his clothes, and soon feeling the pain of their\nattacks, he cried: \u201cI have no dread of you, nor have you any reason to\nfear me; although I have a fan, I will not use it, nor will I strike\nyou with my hand. I will lie very quietly, and let you gorge to the\nfull.\u201d\n\n\nNo. XXI\n\nThis story, commemorating Y\u00fc Ch\u2018ien-lou of the southern Ch\u2018i dynasty,\nis best left out.\n\n\nNo. XXII\n\nThe same applies to this story, commemorating the Lady T\u2018ang of the\nT\u2018ang dynasty.\n\n\nNo. XXIII\n\n_He resigned Office to seek his Mother_\n\nIn the Sung dynasty lived Chu Shou-ch\u2018ang, whose mother, Liu, when he\nwas seven years of age, left the family because she was hated by his\nfather\u2019s wife; and mother and son did not see each other for about\nfifty years. It was during the reign of Sh\u00ean Tsung that Chu resigned\nhis official station and went into the Ch\u2018in country, and there made an\nengagement with his family \u201cthat he would not return until he had found\nhis mother.\u201d He then travelled into T\u2018ung-chou, where he discovered his\nmother, who at that time was over seventy years of age.\n\nThus Chu exclaimed: \u201cI have a mother; but, alas! separated, we abide in\ndifferent villages. It was not the free will of my mother which led\nher thus to forsake her son, but the envious mistress who compelled her\nto go. Without a mother, on whom shall I rely? to whom shall I pour out\nmy sorrows and cares? Now I am grown older and have become an officer,\nbut as yet I have been unable to return the kindness of my parent. In\nwhat place, among all the countries under heaven, does she live? I am\ndetermined to resign my office and seek her abode, not deterred from\nthe trouble of the search. To effect it, I will part from my family and\nno longer be a companion with them; I will not return till I find my\nmother, and they need not await in expectation of me.\u201d Heaven directed\nhis way, and he came into T\u2018ung-chou, where she resided. When the\nmother and the son met each other, joy and grief arose together\u2014joy\nfor the meeting after fifty years, sorrow that they had been so long\napart. But now, in one hour, all their long-accumulated griefs were\nlaid aside, and joy and gladness filled their hearts. Chu possesses the\ntrue heavenly disposition, and honours and riches cannot destroy his\naffection for his mother.\n\n\nNo. XXIV\n\n_He watched by his Mother\u2019s Bedside_\n\nIn the Y\u00fcan-yu period of the Sung dynasty, Huang T\u2018ing-chien filled the\noffice of prefect. He was of a very filial disposition, and although\nhonourable and renowned, yet he received his mother\u2019s commands with the\nutmost deference. When his mother was seized with illness, he watched\nher for a whole year without leaving her bedside or even taking off his\nclothes; and at her death he mourned so bitterly that he himself fell\nill and nearly lost his life.\n\nWell-written poetry flows along like rills meandering among the hills\nand valleys. This instance of a dutiful heart has not as yet been\nbrought into much notice. For a whole year he tended his parent in\nher illness; and both she who dwelt in the curtained room (_i.e._ his\nmother) and he who remained in the hall (_i.e._ his father) strove to\nexpress the merits of their son. It would be difficult to find another\nchild who would have done so\u2014all would be dilatory and unwilling; and\nwhere shall we meet another who would undergo such drudgery himself\nwith keenness and pleasure? Although raised to high office, he does\nnot hesitate to perform the most troublesome and minute duties, for he\nloves his parents; how then can we suppose that he will change from\nwhat he was when young and unhonoured?\n\n\n_Printed by Hazell, Watson & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury._\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[5] That is, the usurper Wang Mang himself.","title":"The book of filial duty","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":12227}