老吾老以及人之老

lǎo wú lǎo yǐ jí rén zhī lǎo

quotation

Meanings

1 to honor one's own elders, and extend that honor to the elders of others
2 to care for the aged as one cares for one's own parents

Characters

to treat as elder / elder

I / my (classical)

extend to / reach

others / people

's (classical possessive)

Examples

HSK 5

社区提倡老吾老以及人之老，互相帮助。

Shèqū tíchàng lǎo wú lǎo yǐ jí rén zhī lǎo, hùxiāng bāngzhù.

The community promotes treating all elders like one's own and helping one another.

HSK 6

养老政策应该体现老吾老以及人之老的精神。

Yǎnglǎo zhèngcè yīnggāi tǐxiàn lǎo wú lǎo yǐ jí rén zhī lǎo de jīngshén.

Elderly-care policy should embody the spirit of honoring others' elders as our own.

Tips

history

From Mencius (《孟子·梁惠王上》): 老吾老，以及人之老；幼吾幼，以及人之幼 - 'Treat my elders as elders should be treated, and extend that to the elders of others; treat my young as the young should be treated, and extend that to the young of others.' A cornerstone Confucian statement on universal family-style benevolence (仁).

usage

Frequently invoked in policy discussion around elder care (养老), community services, and social welfare. Almost always paired with its twin 幼吾幼以及人之幼.

Stroke Order

老 lǎo

吾 wú

以 yǐ

及 jí

人 rén

之 zhī