加密数字货币交易所-《论语》详解：给所有曲解孔子的人-孟武伯问孝。子曰：“父母唯其疾之忧。”

Meng Wu Bo asked about filial piety. The Confucius said: “Parents only worry about their child’s illness.”

Yang Bojun: Meng Wu Bo inquired about filial piety from Confucius. Confucius replied: “Parents only worry about their child’s sickness.”

Qian Mu: Meng Wu Bo asked: “What is filial piety?” The master said: “Let your parents only worry about your illness.”

Li Zehou: Meng Wu Bo asked how to be filial. Confucius said: “Make your parents only concerned about your sickness.”

Detailed explanation:

In the previous three interpretations, Yang’s explanation becomes a non-answer, clearly mistaken; Qian and Li’s explanations are similar but both turn filial piety into a behavioral norm detached from actual emotional sincerity.

Meng Wu Bo, the son of Meng Yi in the previous chapter. “Parents only worry about their child’s illness” is an inversion and omission of “only those who worry about their child’s illness.” “Only” (唯) means “only”; “its” (其) refers to children; “之” is a structural particle. Confucius’s statement here is very straightforward and practical. What is filial piety? Confucius provides a standard for judgment: it is the feeling when “children even when sick, worry about their parents.” Why? Because when oneself is ill, causing parents to worry, and making it impossible for parents to be properly cared for, leading to their anxiety, which results in sorrow. This emotion arises in the present and from the heart, without needing moral norms to constrain it.

This chapter, like the previous one, examines “filial piety” from the perspective of specific individuals, emphasizing its immediacy as a concrete behavior. Filial piety is not an abstract moral concept but a genuine present emotion—when you are sick, you naturally worry about your parents. Of course, the same applies when you are not sick; the immediate feeling of concern for parents is also filial piety. But in extreme situations like illness, if one can still naturally generate concern for parents, that filial piety has been tested. Some so-called filial children, who are sweet-tongued in daily life, only think of themselves in critical moments; the saying “no filial child before the sickbed” is well known, and this applies even more so to situations like illness. These cannot be considered true filial piety.

Note that “illness” here refers only to sickness, not to misdeeds or other causes of trouble. The greatest misfortune in life is to grow old and send off one’s hair and teeth without proper care. Children who encounter accidents due to bad habits and fail to cherish their lives are the most unfilial in the world. Similarly, if one suffers injury, disability, imprisonment, or even death due to one’s own actions, the reasoning is the same. Why? Because someone who causes injury, imprisonment, or death through improper behavior cannot truly generate concern for their parents in the moment. If they truly worried about their parents, they would not tolerate any misconduct that puts themselves in danger.

Canzhong’s plain translation of Zen talk:

Meng Wu Bo asked about filial piety. The Confucius said: “Parents only worry about their child’s illness.”

Meng Wu Bo asked about filial piety, and Confucius said: “(Filial piety is) the feeling that arises in the moment when even if oneself is sick, one worries about their parents.”

Zi Xia asked about filial piety. The Confucius said: “A difficult expression. When there is something, the disciple serves; when there is wine and food, the elder eats and drinks. Is this considered filial piety?”

Yang Bojun: Zi Xia asked about filial piety. Confucius said: “Having a joyful expression in front of parents is difficult. When there is something, young people serve; when there is wine and food, elders eat and drink. Can this be considered filial piety?”

Qian Mu: Zi Xia asked: “What is filial piety?” The master said: “The difficulty lies in the expression of children. When encountering something, the young work hard; when there is wine and food, let the elders eat first. Is this filial piety?”

Li Zehou: Zi Xia asked how to be filial. Confucius said: “Not giving parents a good face. When there is something, young people serve; when there is wine and food, let the elders eat first. Is this filial piety?”

Detailed explanation:

“Expression” (色) originally means facial expression; “difficult” (难) means hard; “affair” (事) means matter or event; “to bear” (服) means to carry or undertake; “its” (其) refers to “affair”; “serve” (劳) means to labor or trouble; “disciple” (弟子) means young people; “elder” (先生) refers to older persons; “dishes” (馔) means food and drink; “曾” originally is an adverb for emphasis.

This chapter still discusses “filial piety” from the emotional perspective of the present. “When there is something, the disciple serves; when there is wine and food, the elder eats and drinks”—to most people, this seems to be filial piety. But Confucius does not agree. Because such so-called filial acts can be entirely unwilling, performed under moral pressure, not arising from genuine inner emotion. If these acts are not driven by sincere feelings in the moment, and are merely outward displays, then the expression will be difficult (色难). This difficulty means that such behavior cannot truly be considered filial piety.