Culture > Scripture: Filial Piety in Chinese Bibles
I am addressing an important translation issue in which Chinese Bible translators have inserted filial piety, a Confucian ideology into Scripture. Not only is this an error in EVERY Chinese translation of Scripture, it has massive consequences in the practical lives of Chinese Christian families. Here me out:
Wait…what’s Filial Piety?
Some readers may be unfamiliar with filial piety. In short, filial piety is the worldview, lifestyle, expectation, and practice of “putting your parents first”. It is “[doing] what is expected of them [children] to please their parents.” (Huang, 58) Hmm, sounds like idolizing parents, doesn’t it?
More comprehensively, “filial Piety” is the term that explains the necessary relationship between a (Chinese) child (usually the son) and one’s parents, originating from Confucian ethics. So, filial piety is pagan at the core. While it evokes honor and respect, it is so much more. In many cases, it pertains to blind obedience and deep attachment, even after death—ancestor worship. A scholar writes, “filial piety is China’s true religion.”
The Issue: ”Honor your father and mother”
Scripture instructs believers to “honor your father and mother…” (Exo 20:12; Deut 5:16; Matt 19:19; Eph 6:2 etc.). The word for “honor” (verb) is timao (consistent in the LXX). Timao is a general word that means honor and respect. It may even indicate monetary provision (particularly when we consider the noun time). Here are some examples:
The people on Malta honored (timao) Paul and Luke (Acts 28:10)
“Honor (timao) widows who are truly widows.” (1 Tim 5:3)
“Honor (timao) everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor (timao) the emperor.” (1 Pet 2:17)
Jesus honors (timao) the Father (Jn 8:49)
Problem #1: Translation Inconsistency
Chinese bibles are inconsistent in their translations, to say the least. They translate “honor (timao)+ parents” as “show filial piety” (xiàojìng 孝敬) instead of zūnzhòng/zūnjìng 尊重/尊敬. In every other instance, timao is translated as zūnzhòng/zūnjìng 尊重/尊敬.
Consider how timao is translated in 1 Peter 2:17 and 1 Timothy 5:3:
1 Peter 2:17 (彼得前書2:17) 要尊重 (zūnzhòng) 所有的人，爱主内的弟兄姊妹，敬畏上帝，尊敬 (zūnjìng) 君王。”
1 Timothy 5:3 (提 摩 太 前 書 5:3) 要尊敬(zūnjìng)那真為寡婦的 。
Now, consider how Chinese bibles translate timao + parents:
Exodus 20:12 (出埃及记 20:12) 要孝敬 (xiàojìng)父母，以便在你的上帝耶和华要赐给你的土地上享长寿。
Ephesians 6:2 (以弗所书 6:2) 因为第一条带着应许的诫命就是：“要孝敬 (xiàojìng)父母，
The most suspicious fact is that every single bible passages (in Chinese) that has the word filial piety (xiao 孝) only relate with parents—not even God (Exo 20:12; Num 19:3; Deut 5:16; Mal 3:17; Matt 7:10; 15:4; 15:6; 19:19; Mk 10:19; Lk 18:20; 1 Tim 3:4; 1 Tim 5:4; Eph 6:2). There are literally no other passages in Chinese Bibles that contain filial piety (xiao 孝) aside from “honor your father and mother”. Um, hello? Isn’t God our heavenly father? If anything, shouldn’t filial piety address Him first?
The million dollar question is this: Did Moses, Jesus, the Gospel writers, Paul, and the bible authors’ intend to communicate “put your parents first” or “idolize your parents”? Of course not! We’ll continue this conversation in just a bit.
Problem #2: Cultural Infiltration
***If timao = “show filial piety” (xiàojìng 孝敬), then Chinese Bible translators should have translated “honor the widows” (1 Tim 5:3) or “honor everyone” (1 Pet 2:17) as “show filial piety to the widows” or “show filial piety to everyone.” Why didn’t they do that? Well, because it makes no sense! They are aware that timao means honor/respect zūnzhòng/zūnjìng 尊重/尊敬.
This shows that translators have inserted the Chinese and Confucian idea of filial piety into Scripture, particularly when the word “filial piety” (xiao孝) has no place in Scripture (as in, there are no other instances that contain this word).
Problem #3: Enmeshment and Unbiblical expectations in Chinese Christian Families
What would a Chinese Christian family think who they read “show filial piety to your parents” (要孝敬父母)? In many cases, they will translate cultural Chinese and Confucian values into their households. I’m not kidding! I’ve seen Chinese Christian families having mini shrines of their ancestors. Even if it doesn’t get that bad, parents will likely think, “my kids should put us first; they should do whatever we ask of them.” Children will think, “Wow, now I have the pressure of pleasing my parents in every way possible.”
Consider this:
Parents: “Son, you need to be a doctor because we are both doctors and that’s our will.”
Son: “I really believe God is calling me to serve Him in missions.”
Parents: “You need to ‘honor’ our will because the bible says, ‘show filial piety to your parents’
This is a practical and reductionist example to get the point across. Certainly, not all Chinese Christian families are like this and I am not advocating rebellion or dishonor.
However, Scripture tells us to put God first, to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness”. (Matt 6:33) Jesus also redefines family for the Christian: “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:21) The church is the family of God (e.g.: Eph 2:19) —and in many cases, the bond between true believers are stronger than their biological families through the Spirit of God (particularly when a Christian’s parents are unsaved). Many Chinese who are non-Christian are struggling with this at the moment: check this out.
Ultimately, God does not mandate believers to show filial piety to their parents. To “honor your father and mother” is different from the Chinese, Confucian, and pagan idea of “filial piety”. Historically, filial piety expects children to live with their parents, even after marriage. What’s the problem? For one, enmeshment. It comes into conflict with the likes of Matthew 19:5, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (this is not to say its always wrong to live with one’s parents after being married; these scenarios need to be examined case-by-case)
Filial piety also advocates blind submission and obedience to one’s parents; whereas the concept of blind submission to any sort of earthly human authority is antithetical to Scripture.
Certainly, there are overlaps between filial piety and biblical concepts of loyalty, honor, obedience, and submission. As an ethnic Chinese, it was easier for me to understand these biblical concepts because of the shared similarities. Filial piety may also advance conservative family values, which is similar with some Christian values. Last, I believe some cultural aspects (of every culture) can be redeemed by God for His Kingdom.
Conclusion
First, I want to raise awareness. The fact that Chinese bibles have translated timao (honor) as “filial piety” is wrong and dangerous. Why? Because pagan cultural presuppositions have been inserted into the Bible when we are called to examine culture through the lens of Scripture. At the end of the day, this is a matter of truth and the integrity of the biblical text.
Second, to my Chinese-speaking Christian friends, “honor your father and mother…” is “尊敬父母” and not “孝敬父母”. We are called to honor our parents, but that isn’t the Chinese, Confucian, and pagan idea of filial piety.
Sources:
Pei, Wang. “Filial Piety for Modern China.” China Review 23, no. 2 (2023): 107–22. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48726993.
Huang, Shuanfan, and 黄宣范. “TWO STUDIES ON PROTOTYPE SEMANTICS: XIAO ‘FILIAL PIETY’ AND MEI MIANZI ‘LOSS OF FACE’ / 基型意义之研究："孝"与"面子".” Journal of Chinese Linguistics 15, no. 1 (1987): 55–89. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23767750.
Sun, Yuezhu. “Among a Hundred Good Virtues, Filial Piety Is the First: Contemporary Moral Discourses on Filial Piety in Urban China.” Anthropological Quarterly 90, no. 3 (2017): 771–99. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26645762.
Holzman, Donald. “The Place of Filial Piety in Ancient China.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 118, no. 2 (1998): 185–99. https://doi.org/10.2307/605890.
Bellah, Robert N. “The Religious Situation in the Far East.” Contemporary Religions in Japan 4, no. 2 (1963): 95–117. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30233883.
