忠zhōng孝xiào難nán兩liǎng全quán

What does 忠孝難兩全 (zhōng xiào nán liǎng quán) mean?

忠孝難兩全 (zhōng xiào nán liǎng quán) is a folk proverb (yànyǔ 諺語). Word for word it reads "loyalty and filial piety are hard to fulfill at the same time." In use it means: Some duties conflict, and fulfilling one requires shortchanging the other; the painful arithmetic of competing obligations. You reach for it when you want that idea in one breath, and the Fire note it carries is why we hand it to those born in the Year of the Dog.

Literally: "loyalty and filial piety are hard to fulfill at the same time."

The reading

The country needs you on the border. Your mother needs you at home. Both needs are real. Both claims on you are legitimate. And you have one body, one life, and one choice to make. Moral dilemmas do not have clean exits. They have chosen exits, and the choosing is the hardest part.

What kind of proverb it is

• Typeyànyǔ 諺語
• FocusPresent-minded
• Element火 Fire
• Zodiac tie狗 Year of the Dog

Source Common Confucian ethical dilemma; historical and literary tradition

Sits beside

Keep reading

Return to the Proverb Pond to draw another of the eighty-seven, or hear one read aloud. Read the rest of its chapter in Home, Family & Roots, or follow the years these lines belong to: Year of the Dog, Year of the Rat, and Year of the Ox.