Analects of Confucius

“The real gentleman goes for the root, when the root is solid the (beneficent) process starts growing, filiality and brotherliness are the root of manhood, increasing with it.”

In this passage Confucius provides the two foundational principles for the cultivation of moral virtue or what he calls “manhood”—filiality and brotherliness. Filiality, or what is sometimes called filial piety, refers to treating one’s elders and authority figures in society in a way that expresses respect, gratitude, and genuine care. Brotherliness, on the other hand, is the treatment of one’s peers in a respectful manner such that the equal standing each holds within society is recognized and honored in the relationship.

“Young men should be filial in the home, and brotherly outside it; careful of what they say, but once said, stick to it; be agreeable to everyone, but develop friendship (further) with the real men; if they have any further energy left over, let them devote it to culture.”

In this passage Confucius provides the general architecture of what defines a person who exhibits the moral behavior of filial piety and brotherliness. These two virtues, however, correspond to a set of behaviors relative to two different classes of persons within Confucius’s vision of society. Behaviors enacted when one is in the presence of elders and authority figures express filiality. To be filial is to be deferent, respectful, and courteous and caring. Behaviors enacted when one is in the presence of one’s peers or of persons of one’s generation express brotherliness. To be brotherly is to treat one’s peers as one’s equal. Lastly, as Confucius notes, if one still retains further aspiration in life other than simply living in a moral way, one should aim to make contributions to culture and thereby improve the quality of life of society as a whole.