ChinesePod

shì a ，cóngxiǎodàodà ，jiù jiàoyù wǒmen yào xiàoshùn fùmǔ 。suǒwèi bǎi shàn xiào wéi xiān ，zuò shénme shìqing dōu yào bǎ xiào fàng zài shǒuwèi 。ér rújiāsīxiǎng zhōng zuì jīběn de dàodé guānniàn zhīyī jiùshì “xiào ”zhège zì ，tā yě zài wúxíng zhōng zuǒyòu le wǒmen de sīxiǎng 。wúlùn zěnme shuō ，jiǎng xiàodào juéduì shì yīzhǒng měidé 。bùguò nǐ zìjǐ yě bié yìngchēng zhe ，érqiě nǐ yào zhīdào zěnme zuò duì lǎorén cái shì zuìhǎo de ，wǒmen de miànzi bù zhòngyào 。

Yes, ever since we were very young, they've been teaching us to be good to our parents. They say that filial piety is the greatest of the virtues. Whatever you do, you should put your parents first. In Confucian thinking, the most fundamental ethical concept is filial piety. Imperceptibly, it's also affected our thinking. No matter how you slice it, being good to your parents is a cardinal virtue. But you don't need to force yourself to bear it. And you have to know what's the best way to treat old folks. Our own dignity and prestige aren't important.

Go to Lesson

娶了个中国太太以后，我才对中国人所说的“孝順”有了更多的感受，这和我们西方家庭的相处模式太不一样了。

qǔ le gè Zhōngguó tàitai yǐhòu ，wǒ cái duì Zhōngguórén suǒ shuō de “xiàoshùn ”yǒu le gèngduō de gǎnshòu ，zhè hé wǒmen xīfāng jiātíng de xiāngchǔ móshì tài bù yīyàng le 。

It was only after taking a Chinese wife that I really got a grip on what Chinese people call filial piety. It's really quite different from how our Western families interact.

Go to Lesson

并不是这样的，中国传统的道德观都有它很实际的一面，打个比方，如果父母因为喜欢赌博而不断向你要钱，你为了满足他们而想尽办法弄钱给他们，那不是孝顺，那叫“愚孝”。

bìngbùshì zhèyàng de ，Zhōngguó chuántǒng de dàodéguān dōu yǒu tā hěn shíjì de yīmiàn ，dǎge bǐfāng ，rúguǒ fùmǔ yīnwèi xǐhuan dǔbó ér bùduàn xiàng nǐ yàoqián ，nǐ wèile mǎnzú tāmen ér xiǎngjìn bànfǎ nòng qián gěi tāmen ，nà bù shì xiàoshùn ，nà jiào “yúxiào ”。

It's not like that at all, all the moral values in Chinese tradition have their practical side, for example, if your parents continuously ask you for money because they like to gamble, and you do everything you can to give money to them to satisfy them, that's not called filial piety, it's just blind filial obedience.

Go to Lesson

真是个孝顺的孩子，装修房子要处理的事情很多吧。我两年前只是把一间房间隔成两个小房间，就花了我整整半年的时间。

zhēn shì gè xiàoshùn de háizi ，zhuāngxiū fángzi yào chǔlǐ de shìqing hěn duō ba 。wǒ liǎngnián qián zhǐshì bǎ yī jiān fángjiān gé chéng liǎng gè xiǎo fángjiān ，jiù huā le wǒ zhěngzhěng bàn nián de shíjiān 。

You really are such a good daughter, there's a lot involved in renovating a house. Two years ago I just wanted to divide one room into two smaller rooms and I spent a whole six months on it.

Go to Lesson

久病床前无孝子，听过吧？我自认算是孝顺了，很多人可是把爸妈扔在医院就算了的。

jiǔbìng chuánqián wú xiàozǐ ，tīng guo ba ？wǒ zìrèn suàn shì xiàoshùn le ，hěn duō rén kě shì bǎ bàmā rēng zài yīyuàn jiù suànle de 。

Son: You've heard of the saying, there's no such thing as a filial son when it comes to chronic illnesses, yeah? I think I still count as a filial son, other people put their parents in a home and forget about them.

Go to Lesson

我也不是说你不孝顺，只是...唉！我也不知道该怎么说了。

wǒ yě búshì shuō nǐ bú xiàoshùn ，zhǐshì ...ài ！wǒ yě bù zhīdào gāi zěnme shuō le 。

Daughter in law: I'm not saying you're not a filial son, it's just... Ah! I don't even know what to say.

Go to Lesson

这孩子真孝顺。我还从没吃过西餐呢。想想要耍大刀耍耙子地吃饭，那真是吓人！还是我们中国人秀气，一手拿双筷子，一手端碗。

zhè háizi zhēn xiàoshùn 。wǒ hái cóngméi chīguò xīcān ne 。xiǎngxiang yào shuǎ dàdāo shuǎ pázi de chīfàn ，nà zhēn shì xiàrén ！háishì wǒmen Zhōngguórén xiùqi ，yīshǒu ná shuāng kuàizi ，yīshǒu duān wǎn 。

You are such a dutiful child. I have never eaten Western-style food before. It's frightening to think of wielding a big sword and a rake to eat dinner. It's us Chinese that are the refined ones. In one hand we take chopsticks and in the other we hold a bowl.

Go to Lesson

很孝顺。

hěn xiàoshùn 。

It's very respectful to your elders.

Go to Lesson

还是你好啊，生了个孝顺女儿。

háishì nǐ hǎo a ，shēng le ge xiàoshùn nǚ ér 。

You're better off. You have a daughter who treats her parents right.

Go to Lesson