haau3孝
Jyutpinghaau3
Yalehaau
Definition
Filial piety; to show respect, care, and devotion to one's parents and elders.
neutralfamilypeople
How it's used
Filial piety is deeply embedded in local social expectations, often manifesting as a moral obligation to care for aging parents. While the character itself represents the abstract concept, it is almost exclusively used in the compound 孝順 in spoken Cantonese. It implies a reciprocal relationship where children provide both material support and emotional comfort to repay the effort of their upbringing.
Examples
He is very filial to his parents and often buys things to bring home.
The most important thing for children is to know how to show filial piety to their elders.
Related words
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple verb like 'to love' or 'to respect'. It specifically denotes the duty of a descendant toward an ancestor or elder, making it inappropriate to use when describing respect for teachers or bosses.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
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Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
