Confucianism advocates filial piety, especially in the Han Dynasty, where filial piety ruled the world. After the death of every emperor, posthumous title added a word of filial piety, such as Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu. Confucianism also advocates loyalty. Confucius said: The monarch makes his ministers courteous, and his ministers loyal. ("The Analects of Confucius, Eight Shu") A pair of slogans spread around the world in later generations are: the monarch tells the minister to die, the minister does not die, and the minister is disloyal; The father told his son to die, but his son didn't die, and his son was unfilial. Today people call this slogan foolish loyalty and filial piety. It is believed that Confucius and Mencius advocated this kind of stupidity, loyalty and filial piety. Actually, it is not. Mencius said: the monarch regards the minister as a brother and sister, and the minister takes the minister as his confidant; If you treat me like a dog or a horse, then I will treat you like a Chinese; If you treat me like dirt, then I treat you like an enemy. (Mencius Li Lou) The relationship between monarch and minister is reciprocal. Although the monarch is a minister, he is not absolutely obedient. Some Confucianists say that the monarch is not a loyal minister who voted for other countries, while others say that the monarch who has no choice should be punished or replaced. On the issue of filial piety, Confucius did not advocate foolish filial piety. There is a story in Han Shi Zhuan: Zeng Shen, a student of Confucius, is a famous dutiful son. One day, Zeng Shen made a mistake-he accidentally injured Miao when weeding, and his father hit him with a stick. Zeng Shen did not escape, but stood and was beaten. As a result, he was startled and gradually woke up after a while. When Zeng Shen woke up, he asked his father, are you hurt? Lu people praised Zeng Shen as a dutiful son. When Confucius learned of this, he told the gatekeeper's disciples: Zeng Shen is here, don't let him in! Zeng Shen thought he had done nothing wrong, so he asked others what the reason was. Confucius said: haven't you heard of Shun? When Shun was a child, his father hit him with a stick and he stood still. He ran away when his father hit him with a big stick. When he wants to work for his father, he always stands on his side; When his father tried to kill him, he had disappeared. Now Zeng Shen, in a rage, his father didn't run away and asked him to hit him with a big stick. This is not the king's people. Isn't it a sin to kill the king's people?

My father lost his mind and hit him with a big stick. If he is killed, injured or disabled, he will feel very sorry after he calms down. This will leave a heavy shadow on my father's heart, and I will never get rid of it. This is the mental trauma caused to my father by not running away. A true dutiful son should escape his father's anger and avoid causing mental harm to his father. No matter how the people of Lu praised Zeng Shen at that time, Confucius took this matter seriously in order to leave a correct opinion for future generations. Obviously, Confucius disagreed with the above statement that the father told his son to die. You can't die easily if you don't die, even if you have the order of your father.

At the end of the Warring States period, Xunzi, a great scholar, believed that people are great if they follow the Tao, the monarch, the righteousness and the father. (Xunzi Zidao) When Lu Aigong asked Confucius: Is it filial for a son to obey his father's orders? I obey your orders. Is it true?/You don't say. Confucius didn't answer, so he came out and told his student Zi Gong, saying: Son follows father, Xi is filial? I obey you, Xi Marco? Judgment is called filial piety. How can a son be said to be a dutiful son when he follows his father? I am obedient to you, how can I say I am a loyal minister? It depends on the circumstances under which you do it, so you can say that it is filial piety and loyalty. It can be seen that obedient blind followers are not regarded as loyal and filial ministers by Confucius.