孝 xiào filial piety
filial piety; obedience; mourning
How it came to be
会意 · Meaning + meaning
Two or more parts whose meanings together make the new meaning.
The oldest form shows an old man with long hair bent over a child: the young holding up the old.
用法
- Filial devotion to parents: 孝顺 (xiàoshùn) dutiful, 孝敬 (xiàojìng) to honor and provide for elders, 尽孝 (jìn xiào) to fulfill one's filial duty.
- Also mourning: 戴孝 (dàixiào) to wear mourning for a dead relative.
- A core Confucian virtue; 不孝 (búxiào) is a serious reproach.