Within the Book of Rites, filial piety (xiao 孝) appears as the root from which the entire moral and ritual order unfolds. It is portrayed as the foundational virtue, the starting point for the cultivation of character and the proper structuring of human relationships. The reverent bond between child and parent becomes the primary model for other hierarchies—ruler and subject, elder and younger—so that the family serves as the seedbed of social and political order. In this way, filial devotion is not treated as a private sentiment alone, but as the basic pattern through which a harmonious society is shaped.

Filial piety in this classic is expressed through a detailed framework of ritual obligations. It governs everyday conduct toward parents—speech, demeanor, and service—while also prescribing elaborate funeral rites and the observance of mourning, including graded periods and degrees of austerity that reflect the depth of the relationship. Ancestral sacrifices and memorial ceremonies extend this devotion beyond the parents’ lifetime, turning remembrance and gratitude into ongoing ritual practice. These rites are presented as concrete embodiments of respect and care, ensuring that the bond of filial feeling is continuously renewed.

The text also treats filial piety as a discipline of moral cultivation and education. From early childhood, one is to be formed through ritual into a person capable of self-restraint, respect, and appropriate conduct, first within the family and then in wider society. When filial piety is firmly established, loyalty to rulers and harmony among social ranks are said to follow naturally, providing a stable foundation for governance. In this vision, a well-ordered state rests upon well-ordered families, and well-ordered families rest upon the sincere and carefully expressed practice of xiao.