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百善孝為先

简百善孝为先 · 繁百善孝為先

Mandarin · pinyin bǎi shàn xiào wéi xiān

of all virtues filial piety is most important (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

百: bǎi · one hundred; numerous, many
善: shàn · good, virtuous, charitable, kind
孝: xiào · filial piety, obedience; mourning
為: Look up this written character
先: xiān · first, former, previous
为: wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be

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Mandarin tones

3–4–4–2–1 · bai3 shan4 xiao4 wei2 xian1

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

百善孝為先 · find source passages ↗ · 百善孝为先 · find source passages ↗

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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proverb

Of all virtues, filial piety comes first; Filial piety is the most important of all virtues

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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