The Evolution Trend and Reasons of Ancient Filial Piety and Modern Filial Piety

Filial piety is a fine tradition and characteristic of the Chinese nation. In ancient times, "filial piety" was regarded as the foundation of virtue and the source of teaching. "Filial piety" is one of the core contents of China traditional culture, which has been regarded as the basis of ethics and the first code of conduct for thousands of years. About the meaning of "filial piety", from Confucian classics to contemporary dictionaries, the explanations are similar. For example, the Han Dynasty dictionary Erya said: "The kindness of parents is filial piety" (exegesis), and Ci Hai was defined as "the kindness of parents". The Chinese dictionary explained that "filial piety in the old society was to care for parents wholeheartedly and obey them absolutely". A humorous joke said: A residential building caught fire, and the French in the building bravely saved their lover from the fire, while the China people desperately carried their mother out of the fire. This is what foreigners call "filial piety". Obviously, "good parents" represent people's understanding of "filial piety" at all times and at all times.

Filial piety culture is the characteristic of China culture and the core and foundation of Confucianism. The study of filial piety culture is of great academic value for comprehensively and deeply grasping the essence of Chinese culture and Confucian culture and correctly inheriting the traditional cultural heritage of the motherland. At present, China has entered an aging society, and the aging population will reach its peak in the middle of this century. Filial piety culture plays an important role in solving family pension and social security for the elderly, dealing with modern parent-child relationship and establishing modern family ethics. Strengthening ideological and moral construction and socialist spiritual civilization construction is of great practical significance for maintaining social stability, enhancing national cohesion and building a harmonious socialist society. The lack of contemporary filial piety culture is mainly manifested in the weakening of the concept of respecting the elderly, respecting the elderly and supporting the elderly, the weakening of traditional family ethics, and the failure to effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of the elderly. The main reasons are the changes in economic base, social and political system, family model, study and lifestyle, and the influence of the May 4th Movement and the Cultural Revolution. The construction and cultivation of contemporary filial piety culture should focus on gratitude, nurturing and respect for relatives, take the excavation, arrangement and innovation of traditional filial piety culture as the premise, take citizens with high ideological and moral quality as the carrier, take teenagers as the breakthrough, take family moral construction as the basic way and take a good social atmosphere as the background.