How to Write 孝 (xiào) — Meaning “filial piety”

Picture a child (子) carrying an old person (耂) on their shoulders. The old person's bent back is shown by the curved stroke on top, and the child supports them—this image represents the act of filial care.

Write the top part 耂 first: a horizontal, a vertical, two shorter horizontals, then a curved stroke from left to right. The bottom 子 should be centered and not too large; a common mistake is making the top too wide or the bottom hook too long.

孝 has 耂 (old) above 子 (child), while 孕 has 乃 (a twisting shape) above 子, meaning 'pregnant', and 字 has 宀 (roof) above 子, meaning 'character' or 'letter'. The top component is the key visual and meaning difference.

孝 appears in common words like 孝顺 (filial obedience) and 孝心 (filial devotion). It represents a core Confucian value of respect for parents, still important in family life and often emphasized during festivals like Qingming or Chinese New Year.

Common words containing 孝 include: 孝顺 (xiào shùn) — filial; showing filial obedience; 孝心 (xiào xīn) — filial devotion; respect for parents; 尽孝 (jìn xiào) — to fulfill one's filial duty.