The Classic of Filial Piety

Name: The Classic of Filial Piety
ISBN: 9787545169249

Liu YuejinLiaohai Publishing House · ChinaApr 2025

Rating 3.8

Word count: 71K words
Chapters: 38
ISBN: 9787545169249

Summary

The Classic of Filial Piety is a Confucian classic expounding the doctrine of filial piety and governance through filial piety. It sets forth the basic content and requirements of "filial piety" in Confucian thought and advances the proposition of "governing all under heaven through filial piety," which exerted an important influence on ancient Chinese social thought.

This edition is based on the Yuan Taiding third-year ten-column edition of the Classic of Filial Piety with Commentary and Subcommentary held in the National Library of China. This is the earliest extant combined edition of commentary and subcommentary on the Classic of Filial Piety, and it preserves the appearance of its first printing, giving it high bibliographic value.

The editor has meticulously collated the original text and, in the introduction, comprehensively surveys the work's background, main content, contemporary value, and textual transmission, offering readers an ideal edition for reading.

Editor's review

The Classic of Filial Piety is short, yet it is a key to understanding traditional Chinese ethical and political ideas. It extends "filial piety" from family ethics to a governing philosophy, proposing "governing all under heaven through filial piety," a line of thinking that profoundly influenced the construction of order in ancient society. The value of this edition lies in its textual basis: it uses the Yuan Taiding third-year ten-column edition of the Classic of Filial Piety with Commentary and Subcommentary held in the National Library of China. This is the earliest extant combined edition of commentary and subcommentary, and it preserves the appearance of its first printing, giving it high bibliographic value. The editor has done meticulous collation, and the introduction systematically surveys the background, main content, contemporary value, and textual transmission—equivalent to providing ordinary readers with a "user's guide." It is best read not as a precept to be wholly endorsed but as a text in intellectual history to be examined: how filial piety was articulated, institutionalized, and invested with political function. It suits readers interested in Confucian classics, ancient ethics, or textual collation, and also suits study contexts requiring a reliable original text with clear annotations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Confucian classics and traditional Chinese ethics
Students of Chinese, history, and philosophy who need a reliable edition as a study text
Readers concerned with the bibliography and collation of ancient books who wish to learn about combined commentary editions
Teachers who need an original text with an introduction for classics recitation or traditional culture courses

Not a good fit for

Young readers seeking vernacular stories or light introductory读物
Readers expecting a discussion of parent-child relationships from a modern psychological perspective
Readers who only want a quick overview and are unwilling to engage the original text and commentaries

Reading tips

Read the introduction first to understand the background of the work and the textual situation; then proceed to the original text for smoother comprehension.
Read slowly sentence by sentence alongside the commentary and subcommentary, taking simple notes on key concepts such as "filial piety" and "governance" to sort out their layers of meaning.
After finishing, choose two or three passages to compare with contemporary family ethics, distinguishing historical context from universal value.
If used for a course or reading group, read the original text first, then discuss the historical role and limitations of "governing all under heaven through filial piety."

About the publisher

Liaohai Publishing House China · Founded in 1996

Liaohai Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for textbooks and the collation of ancient works. Its publishing scope covers state-approved textbooks, local curriculum materials, supplementary educational books, and national and local ancient-text compilation projects, while also extending into humanities fields such as Eastern philosophy. Its catalog contains about 4,694 titles, with representative works including the multi-volume Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), and its author resources include classic writers and works such as Sima Qian and Confucius. Grounded in educational publishing and the transmission of traditional culture, the press maintains sustained investment in ancient-text collation, forming a publishing profile that balances textbooks and scholarship. Due to limited public information, its more specific publishing directions and features require further supplementation.

版权信息
《新时代万有文库》编辑委员会
出版委员会
总序
出版说明
导言
整理说明
孝经注疏序
孝经正义
孝经序
卷一
开宗明义章第一
天子章第二
卷二
诸侯章第三
卿大夫章第四
士章第五
卷三
庶人章第六
三才章第七
卷四
孝治章第八
卷五
圣治章第九
卷六
纪孝行章第十
五刑章第十一
广要道章第十二
卷七
广至德章第十三
广扬名章第十四
谏争章第十五
卷八
应感章第十六
事君章第十七
卷九
丧亲章第十八
书后跋

FAQ

How does this edition differ from ordinary editions of the Classic of Filial Piety?

The main differences lie in the base text and the editing. This edition uses the Yuan Taiding third-year ten-column edition of the Classic of Filial Piety with Commentary and Subcommentary held in the National Library of China. This is the earliest extant combined edition of commentary and subcommentary, preserving the appearance of its first printing, and has high bibliographic value. The editor has also done meticulous collation and, in the introduction, surveyed the background, content, and textual transmission, making it easy for readers to read on the basis of a reliable text.

Can I get through it without a foundation in classical Chinese?

The original text of the Classic of Filial Piety is short and its sentence patterns are relatively regular, so the entry threshold is not high; but the commentary and subcommentary involve ancient terminology and ritual background, which may be difficult for first-time readers. It is advisable to read the introduction first to build a framework, then understand sentence by sentence with the help of the commentaries, without insisting on mastering it in one reading; repeated review is fine.

Are the ideas in the book still applicable today?

They need to be viewed separately. Filial piety as the way of respect and support in family ethics still has value for discussion; but "governing all under heaven through filial piety," which binds ethics to governance, is a product of specific historical conditions and carries the limitations of its era. It is best read as a text in intellectual history, understanding how it formed and operated, rather than being adopted without analysis.

Is it suitable for classics recitation?

Yes. The original text is not long and is suitable for recitation in sections. But this edition includes commentary, subcommentary, and an introduction, and carries a large amount of information; if used only for recitation, focus first on the original text and leave the commentaries as aids to understanding. If used for teaching, it is advisable to pair it with the background explanation in the introduction to avoid mere rote recitation without understanding.

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About the author

Liu Yuejin Author · China · 1958

Liu Yuejin was born in November 1958 in Baicheng, Jilin. He is a member of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and deputy director of the Division of Literature and Philosophy, and he previously served as director of the Institute of Literature and editor-in-chief of Literary Heritage. He has long engaged in research on the literature of the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties and on classical philology, and is the author of works including A Chronicle of Qin and Han Literature, Philology of Medieval Literature, and Powerful Families and Literary Anthologies. His writings center on classics from the pre-Qin period through the Six Dynasties, touching on works such as Zhuangzi, Laozi, the Analects, the Book of Songs, Xunzi, Han Feizi, The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons, and The Art of War. His works are commonly classified under documentary literature, Eastern philosophy, philosophy readings, classical poetry, culture, and general biography. Overall, his writing is grounded in textual scholarship, emphasizing the organization and interpretation of classical texts, and maintains a balance between academic research and general reading, offering readers a solid reference for understanding ancient Chinese thought and literary traditions.