During the Spring and Autumn period of the Chou Dynasty (c. 740-426 B.C.) Min Tzu-chien, a student of Confucius, was known for his filial piety. Although his stepmother ill-treated him, he would not allow her to be expelled from the house.
When Min Tzu-chien was young his mother died and his father remarried. His stepmother had two sons by his father. His brothers wore fine clothes, ate well, and were given anything they wanted. But the stepmother didn't think much of Tzu-chien. He did housework, wore clothes of poor quality, and ate only leftovers.
As winter approached, the stepmother had new silk jackets sewn for the children. The two younger brothers got jackets that were warm and windproof, while Min Tzu-chien was given a jacket filled with dandelion down.
The neighbors all knew that he was being ill-treated, and urged him to tell his father, but still Min Tzu-chien remained silent.
Then one day, his father asked Min Tzu-chien to carry some things for him on a journey. Halfway to the destination Tzu-chien fainted.
On finding out the reason, his father rushed home and proceeded to banish his stepmother from the house.
Min Tzu-chien intervened, and kneeling before his father pleaded with him: "My stepmother has not taken care of me at home. But if you make her leave, then both my younger brothers will suffer, because there will be no one to care for them." Faced with this pleading, his father allowed the stepmother to stay. Realizing from this that Min Tzu-chien loved and respected her, the stepmother regretted her actions, and vowed never to ill-treat him again.
Confucius praised this example of filial piety when he said "Min Tzu-chien sets an example in filial piety toward his parents and love for his brothers. He doesn't listen to the gossip of others, he always follows his heart. He knows the real meaning of filial piety."
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