The Master said:
“Were not King Wu and the Duke of Zhou truly exemplars of consummate filial piety?”
“Filial piety means: skillfully continuing the aspirations of one’s predecessors and faithfully carrying forward their undertakings.
In spring and autumn, they repaired the ancestral temples,
displayed the sacred vessels, arranged the ceremonial robes and garments,
and offered seasonal foods in sacrifice.
The rites performed in the ancestral temple serve to order the generations (“Zhao and Mu”);
ranking by noble title distinguishes high from low;
assigning roles according to responsibilities distinguishes the capable;
during communal toasts, juniors offer first to seniors – thus including even the humble;
at banquets, seating is arranged by age – thus honoring seniority.
Each person takes their proper place, performs the rites, and music is played accordingly.
They reverence those worthy of reverence and cherish those close to them.
They serve the dead as if they were living; they treat the departed as if still present –
this is the utmost expression of filial piety.
The suburban and altar sacrifices (Jiao and She) are for serving Heaven and Earth;
the ancestral temple rites are for honoring one’s forebears.
He who truly understands the meaning of the Jiao, She, Di, and Chang sacrifices –
governing the state will be as clear to him as something held in the palm of his hand!”
子曰：「武王、周公，其達孝矣乎！
夫孝者：善繼人之志，善述人之事者也。
春、秋修其祖廟，陳其宗器，設其裳衣，薦其時食。
宗廟之禮，所以序昭穆也；
序爵，所以辨貴賤也；
序事，所以辨賢也；
旅酬下為上，所以逮賤也；
燕毛，所以序齒也。
踐其位，行其禮，奏其樂，敬其所尊，愛其所親，
事死如事生，事亡如事存，孝之至也。
郊社之禮，所以事上帝也；
宗廟之禮，所以祀乎其先也。
明乎郊社之禮、禘嘗之義，治國其如示諸掌乎！」
Note
This chapter from the Doctrine of the Mean, by praising Kings Wu and the Duke of Zhou as paragons of “consummate filial piety”, systematically articulates the Confucian concept of filial piety across three interwoven dimensions: political, religious, and ethical – and reveals the profound logic by which ritual serves as the foundation of governance.
First, Confucian filial piety extends far beyond familial affection; it is the core mechanism of civilizational transmission. “Skillfully continuing aspirations and faithfully carrying forward undertakings” shows that the true filial child is not merely a mourner but a bearer of cultural mission. King Wu’s overthrow of the tyrant and the Duke of Zhou’s establishment of rites and music were both acts of inheriting and glorifying King Wen’s virtue – hence “consummate filial piety,” which permeates family, state, and cosmos.
Second, ancestral rites are not superstitious rituals but a highly institutionalized system of social integration. “Ordering Zhao and Mu” establishes kinship hierarchy; “ranking by title” upholds political status; “assigning roles by duty” rewards merit; “juniors toasting seniors” fosters vertical solidarity; and “seating by age” honors natural seniority. Here, ritual becomes a sophisticated mechanism harmonizing bloodline, politics, talent, and generational order. As Zhu Xi notes in his Commentary on the Doctrine of the Mean: “Ritual is principle” – it is Heavenly Principle made manifest in human relationships.
Crucially, “serving the dead as if living” is not mere imagination but a ritual practice that awakens moral memory and emotional continuity, integrating individual life into the grand narrative of family, history, and cosmos. This “as-if presence” embodies the Confucian virtue of reverence.
Finally, Confucius directly links understanding “the meaning of the Jiao, She, Di, and Chang sacrifices” with “governing the state as clearly as something in one’s palm.” This reveals his core political philosophy: true governance lies not in cunning or force, but in deep comprehension of cosmic and human order. The suburban and altar sacrifices honor Heaven and Earth; the Di and Chang rites commemorate origins and repay roots. These rites encode cosmology, historiography, and ethics. A ruler who grasps their spirit of “revering Heaven and emulating ancestors” will naturally govern in harmony with both cosmic principle and human sentiment – making the realm as manageable as an object held in the hand.
Thus, this chapter not only defines the highest form of filial piety but also presents the Confucian vision of holistic order: govern through ritual, extend filial love to universal benevolence, and align human society with the moral cosmos.
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