Volume 3/The Hsiao/Chapter 2

Chapter II.

Filial Piety in the Son of Heaven.

He who loves his parents will not dare (to incur the risk of) being hated by any man, and he who reveres his parents will not dare (to incur the risk of) being contemned by any man[1]. When the love and reverence (of the Son of Heaven) are thus carried to the utmost in the service of his parents, the lessons of his virtue affect all the people, and he becomes ​a pattern to (all within) the four seas[2]:—this is the filial piety of the Son of Heaven[3].

It is said in (the Marquis of).mw-parser-output.wst-tooltip{cursor:help;border-bottom:thin dotted cornflowerblue}.mw-parser-output.wst-tooltip-nodash{border-bottom:none}Fû on Punishments[4],

'The One man will have felicity, and the millions of the People will depend on (what ensures his happiness).'