Filial Duty, Chapter 8: Filial Duty in Government

Translation

CHAPTER VIII

FILIAL DUTY IN GOVERNMENT

The good Emperors of old ruled the Empire by means of filial duty, and

dared not neglect the ministers of their vassal states. How much less

the dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, and barons! They thereby gained

the goodwill of all their vassal states, which sent their deputies

to represent them in any sacrifice offered to the ancestors of their

Supreme Master. This is what we mean by saying that the good Emperors

of old governed the world by filial duty.

As to the vassal states, their rulers dared not treat widowers and

widows with insolence; how then could they dare act so towards the

literary class and the people? Hence they gained the goodwill of their

subjects, and the latter would join them in offering sacrifices to

their ancestors.

Now we may say a word about a family. If the head of a family do not

act haughtily towards his servant, he cannot act so to his wife and

children. Hence he will gain the goodwill of all his people, and they

will help him in the fulfilment of his filial duty. In such a family

the parents must feel happy when they are living, and their spirits

must come to enjoy the sacrifice when they are dead. By the principle

of filial duty the whole world can be made happy and all calamities and

dangers can be averted. Such was the government of the Empire by the

enlightened rulers of old, in accordance with the principle of filial

duty.

In the Shih Ching it is thus written: “If you adorn yourself with the

highest virtue, the whole world will follow you.”

Practical Reading

Serving the ruler with loyalty and dignity is the official's expression of filial duty. The underlying principle is that how you serve those above you reflects how you honor those who raised you.

In modern terms: your approach to authority reveals your character. Do you serve with integrity, or do you perform loyalty while cutting corners? The text suggests that filial duty extends into the quality of your work—doing it with dignity benefits not only your employer but also your parents' reputation.