In order to define filial piety origin, it important to note that it is one of the central concepts in Confucian ethics and philosophy, an important component of the traditional East Asian mentality. In a basic sense, it refers to the respect of parents and in a broader sense extended to all ancestors.
Explanation:
Chinese culture differs from other cultures in the spirit of filial piety towards both the dead and the living. Almost all peoples of developed cultures established filial piety as a requirement of morality and etiquette, but only in Chinese culture, thanks to the Confucians, did it acquire fundamental significance in society. According to the traditional view, the concept of filial piety includes a variety of levels. Its main purpose is to look after the parents and keep them with a special sense of reverence. Children should be respectful to their parents so that parents feel respect from their children. Children should take full care of their parents so that they have a good mood and when the parents get sick, the children should patiently care for him and share their grief and longing.
In addition, when the parents died, the children should bury them with sorrow and after the funeral of the parents, the children should solemnly and reverently offer them sacrifices, honor their memory and thank them for their upbringing. Thus, filial piety, on the one hand, was both the economic aspect of caring for parents, as well as spiritual care for parents and gratitude. Another approach in order to define filial piety law is that it was the cult of the ancestors and gratitude for the good deeds of the ancestors. The ancient Chinese thought that after death, the ancestors became deities who were able to exert a significant influence on the fate of living descendants in this world. Therefore, on holidays and the days of the death of their ancestors, people held certain rites in honor of the dead and thanked for their mercy.