xiao

xiao

 or hsiao
(Chinese; “filial piety”)

In Confucianism, the attitude of obedience, devotion, and care toward one's parents and other elders considered fundamental to moral conduct. Originally rooted in the hierarchical ideology of Chinese feudalism, it was raised to a moral precept by Confucius, who cited it as the basis of ren. It is seen as the basis not only of family harmony but of social and political stability.