杀彘教子

殺彘教子

shāzhìjiàozǐ

idiom

Meanings

1 to kill a pig to teach a child (idiom)
2 parents must keep their word and teach by example

Characters

Examples

曾子杀彘教子的故事告诉我们要言而有信。

Zēngzǐ shāzhìjiàozǐ de gùshì gàosù wǒmen yào yán'éryǒuxìn.

Zengzi's story of killing a pig to teach his child reminds us to keep our word.

做父母的应该有杀彘教子的精神。

Zuò fùmǔ de yīnggāi yǒu shāzhìjiàozǐ de jīngshén.

Parents should have the spirit of 'killing the pig to teach the child' — practicing what they preach.

Tips

history

From 《韩非子·外储说左上》: Zengzi's wife jokingly told their crying son she'd kill a pig for him if he stopped. When she came back, Zengzi was actually killing the pig — 'A child trusts his parents; if you deceive him, you teach him to deceive.' The phrase has stood for parental integrity ever since.

Stroke Order

杀 shā

彘 zhì

教 jiāo

子 zǐ