Zeng Shen (505–435 BC), also known as Zengzi, was a prominent disciple of Confucius and one of the key figures in Confucianism.
One day, when Zengzi’s wife was going to the market, their son cried and clamoured to go with her.
“Go back now!” she wheedled him. ”When I get home we’ll kill the pig for you.”
Upon her return, she found Zeng Shen about to kill the pig. She hastily stopped him.
”I didn’t really mean it,” she protested. ”I just said that to keep the boy quiet.”
“How can you deceive a child like that?” asked Zeng Shen.
“Children know nothing to begin with, but they copy their parents and learn from them. When you cheat the boy, you are teaching him to lie. If a mother deceives her child, he will not trust her, and that is no way to bring him up.”
So he slaughtered the pig after all.
Allegorical Meaning
The Weight of “Small” Promises
Zengzi’s wife casually tells her child: “Be good, and I’ll slaughter a pig for you later.” When she later dismisses it as just “merely amusing a child”, Zengzi insists on fulfilling the promise.
- Micro-Actions, Macro-Consequences
A seemingly trivial lie teaches the child that language is disposable. - Psychological Foundation
Childhood experiences of broken trust shape adult cynicism.
The child who learns words are empty grows into the citizen who believes oaths are air.
The Knife as a Tool of Truth
Zengzi’s slaughter of the pig is radical pedagogy:
- Symbolic Violence: Destroying economic value (the pig) to preserve moral value (integrity).
- Costly Signaling: Sacrifice proves commitment.
Han Feizi’s Lesson: Trust cannot be bought cheaply.
The Child as Future Citizen
- A child taught that “words are actions” becomes an adult who honors contracts.
- Parents are the first lawmakers. Their consistency shapes the child’s inner legal code.
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