The Book of Songs says: From west to east, from south to north, no one does not obey. This is the case, Zeng Tzu said: Trees should be cut down at the right time, and animals should be hunted at the right time. Confucius said: Even if it is to cut down a tree, even if it is to hunt and kill a beast, as long as it is cut down and killed at the wrong time, it is unfilial. There are three levels of filial piety: small filial piety only needs to contribute, middle filial piety requires meritorious service, and great filial piety requires what to have. Remembering the nurturing grace of your parents and forgetting your fatigue can be said to be contributing. Practicing benevolence and righteousness can be said to be a meritorious achievement. Widely beneficial, people have brought gifts to participate in their own sacrifices, so to speak, what they want.

When parents love themselves, they happily remember them forever. My parents didn't like me, so I was afraid to reflect on myself, but I didn't complain. If your parents are at fault, you can persuade them politely, but you can't contradict them. When a parent dies, he is so poor that he borrows money from others to hold sacrifices, and he does not pray to the wicked, which is called lifelong filial piety.

When Le Zhengzichun walked down the hall, he accidentally sprained his foot, and he didn't go out for several months, and his face was still worried. His disciple was puzzled by this, so he asked, "Why is it that the teacher's foot injury has healed, and he has not been out for several months, and his face is still worried?" Le Zheng Zichun said: You asked too well! You and I heard Zengzi say, and Zengzi also heard from Confucius: Born of heaven and raised by earth, there is nothing more noble than man. Parents have given birth to themselves completely, and those who are sons must also return their bodies to their parents intact, which is called filial piety. Not to damage the body, not to insult the reputation, this is called integrity. Therefore, the gentleman does not dare to forget filial piety when he raises his legs and moves his feet. Now that I have sprained my foot, it is a sign of forgetting filial piety, so I have a sad face.

I dare not forget my parents every time I lift my feet, and I dare not forget my parents every time I say a word. Because he did not dare to forget his parents every time he lifted his feet, he walked on the main road instead of taking the evil path, crossed the river by boat instead of swimming, and did not dare to risk the remains of his deceased parents. Because I dare not forget my parents every time I say a word, I don't hurt others out of my mouth, and I never let other people's insults come out of my mouth. Not letting one's body be humiliated is equivalent to not letting one's parents be humiliated, and doing this can be called filial piety.

In the past, when Yu Shun was in the past, although he respected virtuous people, he did not forget to respect older people; Although the Xia Dynasty respected those with titles, it did not forget to respect the elderly; Although the Yin Dynasty respected the rich, it did not forget to respect the elderly; Although the Zhou Dynasty respected those who were related to each other, it did not forget to respect the elderly. The Yu, Xia, Yin, and Four generations are recognized as prosperous times, and they have not forgotten their respect for the elderly. From this point of view, age has been valued for a long time, and its importance is second only to filial piety.

Therefore, in the imperial court, if they have the same rank and rank, the older person is on top; When he reached the age of seventy, he could go to court on crutches, and if the king consulted, he should sit down in the hall with a pomp mat; When he was eighty years old, he could not only go to the court with a cane, but also return to his house after passing through the court, and if the monarch had any advice, he would have to go to his house in person to seek advice. In this way, the passage was passed through the imperial court. Walking on the road, you can't walk side by side with the elderly, who if they are the age of their brothers, they will walk diagonally behind him; If the elder is the age of his father, he walks closely behind him. Whether you're riding a car or walking, give way to the elderly when you encounter them.

I saw gray hair; The old man carries the burden and walks, and the young man has to do the work for him. In this way, the road is passable on the road. Living in the township, everything is important to the elderly, even the poor old people are not abandoned, and the young people are not allowed to bully the weak and bully the widows. In this way, the road will go with the township. According to the ancient rules, when you reach the age of fifty, you can not participate in field hunting activities, and when distributing the prey, you should let the older ones get more. In this way, the road is open to field hunting.

In the army, the seniors are the same. In this way, the road will pass through the military. The way of filial piety, starting from the imperial court, is passed on the road, through the township, through the field hunting, and through the military, everyone holds the belief that they would rather die for filial piety, and no one dares to violate it.

The Son of Heaven of the Zhou Dynasty sacrificed King Wen in the Ming Hall to enjoy the Emperor of Heaven, just to educate the princes to understand filial piety; The banquet of the three elders and the five watchmen in the university is to educate the princes to know how to be honest; In Xixue (the name of the primary school in the Zhou Dynasty), the sages of the previous generation were sacrificed in order to educate the princes and cultivate morality; The Son of Heaven personally cultivated the fields in order to educate the princes to sacrifice their ancestors with the fruits of their labor; The purpose of arranging for the princes to meet the Son of Heaven on a regular basis was to educate the princes on how to fulfill their duties. The above five items are the most important education in the world.

In the Taixue banquet for the three elders and the fifth watch, the Son of Heaven opened his clothes and personally cut the meat, held the sauce and invited them to eat, held the wine and invited them to rinse their mouths, and also wore a top hat and a shield in his hand to dance for them. This is to demonstrate to the princes how to respect the elderly. Therefore, the residents of the township can also respect the elderly, even those poor old people are not left out, and young people can not bully the weak with the strong, and they cannot bully the widows with the public. The Son of Heaven set up four schools, and when he entered the school at an age, even the prince had to discuss etiquette with his classmates according to their age.