bat1 haau3不孝
Jyutpingbat1 haau3
Yalebāt haau
Definition
Unfilial; ungrateful or bad to one's parents.
neutralfamilypeople
How it's used
Carries a heavy moral weight in traditional Chinese culture, where filial piety is considered the foundation of all virtues. It is rarely used in casual conversation unless someone is being scolded for severe neglect or abusive behavior toward their parents. While it is a formal term, it is frequently employed in heated arguments or dramatic contexts to emphasize the gravity of someone's actions.
Examples
Treating your mother like that is truly unfilial.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a general term for being rude or disobedient. It specifically refers to the relationship between children and their parents, so using it to describe general bad manners or disrespect toward teachers or strangers is incorrect.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
