孝

In Confucian thought, filial piety (Chinese: 孝; Hanyu Pinyin: xiào) is one of the virtues to be cultivated: a love and respect for one's parents and ancestors.

In somewhat general terms, xiào means
- to take care of one's parents,
- not be rebellious,
- show love, respect and support,
- display courtesy,
- ensure male heirs,
- uphold fraternity among brothers,
- wisely advise one's parents,
- conceal their mistakes (though some advocate privately correcting their mistakes),
- display sorrow for their sickness and death,
- and to carry out sacrifices after their death.

The virtue of xiào is considered the first virtue in Chinese culture, and it is the main concern of a large number of cultural folklore and stories. While China has always had a diversity of religious beliefs, xiào has been common to almost all of them. These traditions were sometimes enforced by law; during parts of the Han Dynasty, for example, and those who neglected ancestor worship could even be subject to corporal punishment.

The concept of xiào was not merely blind loyalty to one's parents. More important than the norms of xiào were the norms of benevolence (Chinese: 仁; Hanyu Pinyin: rén) and righteousness (Chinese: 義; Hanyu Pinyin: yì). In fact, in Confucianism, xiào was a display of rén which was ideally applied in one's dealings with all elders, thus making it a general norm of inter-generational relations. For practicality, xiào was usually reserved for one's own parents and grandparents, and was often elevated above the notions of rén and yì.