CHAPTER 8

Tsze-hea asked what filial piety was. The Master said, "The difficulty is with the countenance. If, when their elders have any troublesome affairs, the young take the toil of them, and if, when the young have wine and food, they set them before their elders, is THIS to be considered filial piety?"

6. THE ANXIETY OF PARENTS ABOUT THEIR OHILDREN AN ARGUMENT FOR FILIAL PIETY. This engmatical sentence has been interpreted in two ways. Choo He takes 唯(=惟) not in the sense of 'only', but of 'thinking anxiously'.—'Parents have the sorrow of thinking anxiously about their-i.e their children'sbeing unwell. Therefore children should take care of their persons.' The old comm. again take 唯 in the sense of 'only'.—'Let parents have only the sorrow of their children's illness. Let them have no other occasion for sorrow. This will be filial piety.' Mang Woo (the hon. epithet,= 'Bold and of straightforward principle') was the son of Mang E, and by name 彘. 伯merely indicates that he was the eldest son.

7. HOW THERE MUST BE REVERENCE IN FILIAL DUTY. Tsze-yew was the designation of言偃, a native of吴,and distinguished among the disciples of Conf. for his knowledge of the rules of propriety, and for his learning. He is now 4th on the west among 'the wise ones'. 养 is in low. 3d tone,= 'to minister support to', the act of an inferior to a superior. In low.2d tone, it= 'to nurish', 'bring up', Choo He gives a different turn to the sentiment. —'But dogs and horses likewise manage to get their support.' The other and older interpr. is better. 至于, 'Coming to',=as to, quoad. 别, up.4th tone, 别= 'to leave', 'separate from'.

8. THE DUTIES OF FILIAL PIETY MUST BE PERFORMED WITH A CHEERFUL COUNTENANCE. 色, here, nearly analogous to I.3. 事 followed by 劳, =the 'troublesome affairs' in the transl. 弟子, as in I.6. The use of the phrase here extents filial duty to elders generally,—to the 父兄 as well as to the 父母. We have in transl. to supply their respective nom. to the two 有. 食, read tsze, 'rice', and then, food generally. 先生馔, =与先生 (earlier born=elders) 馔之. 曾, low.1st tone,=则, 'then', a transition particle. To these diff. interrogatories about filial duty, the sage, we are told, made answer according to the character of the questioner, as each one needed instruction.