Meng Yi asked about the treatment of parents. The Master said, “Never disobey! “
When Fan Chi was driving his carriage for him, the Master said, “Meng asked me about the treatment of parents and I said,
‘Never disobey!’”
Fan Chi said, “In what sense did you mean it?” The Master said, “While they are alive, serve them according to ritual. When they die, bury them according to ritual and sacrifice to them according to ritual. “
孟懿子問孝。子曰：「無違。」樊遲御，子告之曰：「孟孫問孝於我，我對曰『無違』。」樊遲曰：「何謂也？」子曰：「生事之以禮；死葬之以禮，祭之以禮。」
Notes
Meng Yizi belonged to the Three Huan families of Lu — aristocrats holding real power. During the Spring and Autumn period, nobles often transgressed ritual norms. Confucius’ response, ‘never act contrary to ritual propriety’, subtly cautioned them to uphold ritual discipline, binding filial piety within the framework of ritual governance to prevent privilege from breeding license.
By linking filial piety to ritual propriety, Confucius’ deeper logic was this:
The family is society’s foundation. Standardizing filial piety through ritual stabilizes domestic order, which then extends to society at large.
Leave a Reply