Abstract
The notion of xiao (filial piety) in Chinese has a long history, and its original meanings include ‘respecting ancestors’ and ‘worshiping gods’. Its denotative meanings have been broadened since Xizhou Dynasty, approximately 1046-771 BC, to include taking care of and being obedient to parents. Hence xiao (filial piety) in Chinese has been inherited, schematised and re-schematised throughout generations until now. In this chapter, we explore the Chinese culturally constructed concept of xiao through the lenses of Cultural Linguistics and World Englishes. In particular, we trace how cultural conceptualisations of Chinese xiao and its closest Chinese English translation ‘filial piety’ travel across cultural boundaries from ancient China to Chinese diasporas overseas and across generations. We collect data from classical Chinese texts on xiao, contemporary fiction works by second-generation migrant writers with Chinese heritage, and Internet chatrooms and forums with themes surrounding Chinese xiao (filial piety) to deconstruct how the concept has been schematised and re-schematised across time and space.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Benczes, R., Burridge, K., Sharifian, F., & Allan, K. (2017). Cultural Linguistics and ageing: What naming practices in australian English can reveal about underlying cultural conceptualisations. In F. Sharifian (Ed.), Advances in Cultural Linguistics (pp. 607–624). Singapore: Springer.
Boltz, W. G. (1993). Hsiao Ching 孝经. In M. Loewe (Ed.), Early Chinese texts: A bibliographic guide (pp. 141–153). Berkeley: Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California.
Chong, A. M. L., & Liu, S. (2016). Receive or give? Contemporary views among middle-aged and older Chinese adults on filial piety and well-being in Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 26(1), 2–14.
Gaby, A. (2017). Kinship semantics: Culture in the lexicon. In F. Sharifian (Ed.), Advances in Cultural Linguistics (pp. 173–188). Singapore: Springer.
Ho, David Y. F., Xie, W., Liang, X., & Zeng, L. (2012). Filial piety and traditional Chinese values: A study of high and mass cultures. PsyCh Jounral, 1, 40–55.
Law, B. (2011). The family law. Collingwood, VIC: Griffin Press.
Lum, T. Y. S., Yan, Elsie C. W., Ho, A. H. Y., Shum, M. H. Y., Wong, G. H. Y., Lau, M. M. Y., et al. (2016). Measuring filial piety in the 21st century: Development, factor structure, and reliability of the 10-item contemporary filial piety scale. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 35(11), 1235–1247.
Mao, W., & Chi, I. (2011). Filial piety of children as perceived by aging parents in China. International Journal of Social Welfare, 20, S99–S108.
Pung, A. (2006). Unpolished gem. Melbourne, VIC: Griffin Press.
Sharifian, F. (2011). Cultural conceptualisations and language. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Sharifian, F. (2017a). Cultural Linguistics. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Sharifian, F. (2017b). Cultural Linguistics: The state of the art. In F. Sharifian (Ed.), Advances in Cultural Linguistics (pp. 1–28). Singapore: Springer.
Tsai, H.-H., Chen, M.-H., & Tsai, Y.-F. (2008). Perceptions of filial piety among Taiwanese university students. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 63(3), 284–290.
Wang, D., Laidlaw, K., Power, M. J., & Shen, J. (2010). Older people’s belief of filial piety in China: Expectation and non-expectation. Clinical Gerontologist, 33, 21–38.
Xu, J. (2012). Filial piety and intergenerational communication in China: A nationwide study. The Journal of International Communication, 18(1), 33–48.
Xu, Z. (2014). A cultural Linguistics approach to Asian Englishes. Asian Englishes, 16(2), 173–179.
Xu, Z., & Dinh, T. N. (2013). How do “WE” (World Englishes) make sense in ELF communication? Words and their meanings across cultures. Journal of English as a Lingua Franca, 2(2), 365–388.
Xu, Z., & Sharifian, F. (2017). Unpacking cultural conceptualisations in Chinese English. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 27(1), 65–84.
Yeh, K.-H., Yi, C.-C., Tsao, W.-C., & Wan, P.-S. (2013). Filial piety in contemporary Chinese societies: A comparative study of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. International Sociology, 28(3), 277–296.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Xu, Z., Fang, N. (2021). Re-schematisation of Chinese Xiao (Filial Piety) Across Cultures and Generations. In: Sadeghpour, M., Sharifian, F. (eds) Cultural Linguistics and World Englishes. Cultural Linguistics. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4696-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4696-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-4695-2
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-4696-9
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)