The ancients said: Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety cannot have both, which means: when a person lives in the world, he must be loyal to the country or be filial to his parents. He can only choose one of the two and cannot take care of both.

Loyalty, center. Zhong: dynamically matching the needs of the objective current situation; heart: subjective will; therefore, loyalty: striving to dynamically match the needs of the objective current situation, that is, being loyal to God's will and laws, which are the universal needs of the objective current situation.

In the past, it was generally believed that the emperor was the agent of destiny and providence, so "loyalty to heaven" was simplified to "loyalty to the emperor and loyalty to the leadership." Obviously, Chinese culture believes that the greatest good thing in the world is to achieve dynamic matching in everything and produce just the right results.

Therefore, "loyalty" and striving to achieve dynamic matching in everything are the most important knowledge and natural mission in life. Be filial and have children. Sheng: to produce; son: the future development will get better and better; therefore, filial piety: everything should be striven for long-term good and good for generations to come.

By extension, the more filial you are to your parents, the more filial your descendants will be to you in the future. In this way, it is easiest to form a virtuous cycle for generations to come. Therefore, loyalty emphasizes on matching everything in the present and doing the best; filial piety emphasizes on taking into account the virtuous cycle of future generations in everything, so as to ensure good things in the future.

We see that the words loyalty and filial piety not only talk about how to realize the principle of universal good in the present, but also talk about how to realize the principle of good for future generations. Therefore, loyalty and filial piety are the highest pursuit of Chinese culture.

Extended information:

Interpretation of "Loyalty and filial piety cannot have both":

1. "Loyalty" and "filial piety" are both good qualities for human conduct, but Having to choose one and discard the other is a headache-inducing dilemma. There is a mountain road in Qionglai Mountain in Sichuan called "Nine-Zhehan". It has nine twists and turns, is rugged and steep, and tragedies involving car crashes and fatalities often occur. During the Western Han Dynasty, an official named Wang Yang was extremely frightened when he passed by "Jiuzhiban".

I couldn’t help but sigh: "How can I walk in such a dangerous place because my body is damaged by my parents?" I immediately resigned from my post because of my illness. At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, an official named Wang Zun also passed through "Jiuzhihan". Seeing the steep terrain, he asked his subordinates who were accompanying him: "Is this the road that Wang Yang is afraid of?" The subordinate said: "Exactly. ."

Wang Zun told the driver: "Wang Yang is a filial son, but I, Wang Zun, must be a loyal minister!" Therefore, later generations called the story of Wang Yang and Wang Zun " "Yang Xiao Zun Zhong". Here, "loyalty" and "filial piety" (or "loyal minister" and "filial son") seem to have become two opposite and irreconcilable extremes. In fact, "loyalty" and "filial piety" are both opposite and unified.

2. The ancients said, "If you want loyal ministers, you must come from the gate of a filial son." This is the truth. Choosing "loyalty" or "filial piety" cannot be considered a mistake. Loyal ministers are respectable, and so are filial sons. The key to what to choose and what to give up lies in which one puts "loyalty" or "filial piety" first in one's mind.

3. The Confucian classic "The Classic of Filial Piety" says: "Filial piety is the foundation of virtue and the source of teaching. ... The hair and skin of the body are received by parents and do not dare to damage them. This is the beginning of filial piety. "So Wang Yang chose "filial piety". "The Classic of Filial Piety" also says: "Filial piety to a husband begins with serving relatives, ends with serving the emperor, and finally establishes one's character." That is to say, "filial piety" is the foundation of morality, and "filial piety" for parents should be transformed into "loyalty" for serving the emperor. ".

This is to advocate "replacing filial piety with loyalty", and "loyalty" has become a politicized morality. Being filial at home and being loyal to the emperor are the moral principles for a scholar-bureaucrat. So Wang Zun chose "loyalty". In order to consolidate their dominance, emperors of all dynasties would ask their subordinates to choose "loyalty". They often boast of "ruling the world with filial piety", which is for others to listen to. What they hope most is the "loyalty" of their ministers.

Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty personally wrote annotations for "The Classic of Filial Piety". He said: "The sage knows that filial piety can be taught to others, so he teaches respect because of strictness, and teaches love because of relatives, so the way of loyalty is revealed. , The righteousness of establishing oneself and making a name for oneself is obvious. "Scholar-officials should not only be filial at home, but should also be loyal to the emperor. "Loyalty" has become a measure of political morality. In times of crisis, when "loyalty" and "filial piety" cannot be balanced.

We should choose "loyalty" instead of "filial piety" without hesitation, and "filial piety to the family" should give way to "loyalty to the country." Yan Zhenqing also emphasized "loyalty". In the first year of Emperor Yongtai of the Tang Dynasty (765), the posthumous title of Wei Zhi was left in Dongdu, and Dr. Cheng Hao of Taichang was given the posthumous title of "Zhongxiao". Yan Zhenqing, who was the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice at the time, immediately retorted: "Because of the special circumstances, it is difficult to combine loyalty and filial piety.

If you are already a filial son, you cannot be a loyal minister; if you are already a loyal minister, you cannot be a filial son. Therefore, if you want to be loyal to filial piety, why not first If you are close, you will be the king; if you transfer filial piety to loyalty, you will serve the master by birth." ("Refutation of Wei Zhi's Posthumous Zhongxiao Discussion") In Yan Zhenqing's view, loyalty and filial piety cannot have both ends. Filial piety means raising relatives at home and asking for food and sleep; loyalty means serving the emperor as an official and devoting oneself to the country, and there will be no time to take care of raising relatives.

So it is said that loyalty and filial piety can coexist in the heart, but in fact it is difficult to have both. As a scholar-bureaucrat, since he is an official, he should take the world as his own responsibility and take loyalty as his consideration, but he has no time to be filial to his relatives. Therefore, loyal ministers cannot be filial sons. This is what Yan Zhenqing said and what he did. Regardless of his personal safety, he remained loyal and died a martyrdom, which can be regarded as an eternal model of loyalty to the king and the country.

4. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Xianbei people invaded the border, and Zhao Bao, the governor of western Liaoning, led his troops to meet the enemy. Unexpectedly, his mother was taken hostage by the other party and used this to force Zhao Bao to retreat. On the battlefield, Zhao Bao endured his grief and said to his mother: "My son is an official of the country and has the responsibility to defend the country. He dare not abandon righteousness for personal favors." While crying, he ordered the attack. Zhao Bao puts "loyalty" first.

But his mother was brutally murdered. Later generations called this story "Zhao Bao abandoned his mother". After the Xianbei army was defeated, Zhao Bao buried his mother in tears. He said to his fellow villagers: "Eating the salary from the court and escaping disaster is not a loyal minister; killing one's mother to preserve loyalty is not a filial son. In this case, what dignity do I have to live in the world?" He was depressed all day long.

He eventually vomited blood and died. He is a victim caught between the dilemma of "loyalty" and "filial piety". This is of course a special case at a special time. Under normal circumstances, the problem faced by most officials is that they go out to serve as officials (loyalty), but find it difficult to serve their parents at home (filial piety). There are attempts to reconcile the opposition between the two.

5. The playwright Gao Ming of the Yuan Dynasty said in "The Legend of Pipa: Longevity in the High Hall": "In life, you need both loyalty and filial piety to be a husband." This statement sounds beautiful, but is actually very difficult. Do it. However, someone actually did it. In the 32nd year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1604), Wang Yaliang, a native of Feixian County, Shandong Province, passed the Jinshi examination and became the magistrate of Yangcheng County, Shanxi Province. As the saying goes, "The husband is valued and the wife is honored."

His wife, Sun, can go out with him and enjoy happiness as an official wife. However, Wang Yaliang did not take his wife out with him. Instead, he kept her at home to serve his parents. In the following decades, Wang Yaliang went to many places to serve as an official. He would rather live a poor life than bring his family with him.

He himself was loyal to the country outside, and his wife and children performed filial piety for him at home. In this way, he achieved "loyalty and filial piety."