The Hard Sayings: The Confucian Case of Xiao 孝 in Kongzi and Mengzi

摘要

Every great religio-philosophical tradition has a set of “hard sayings.” These are the sayingsrnor teachings we wish the masters and saints had not said or written. First, they are the “hardrnsayings” that expose contradictions in the overall structure of the text of a school’s teachings.rnWhile religious or philosophical emic devotees have always and everywhere evinced arncommendable ability to live with blatant contractions, etic scholars are often less willing to letrnthings slide by without comment. The current debate about the nature of xiao 孝 as arnfundamental Confucian virtue in light of some perplexing statements we find in both thernLunyu and the Mengzi questioned by LIU Qingping and defended by GUO Qiyong are perfectrnexamples of the common hermeneutical dispute and dilemma about “hard sayings.” Liurnargues that the cases of sheep stealing and the dubious actions of Shun based on familyrnaffections [nepotism?] that trump consideration of the larger common good are perfectrnexamples of discordant ethical teachings lurking at the very core of the Confucian project.