Di Zi Gui or Standards for Being a Good Student and Child1 is a book that was taught by Chinese saints and sages of the ancient past. The book first teaches us how to be dutiful to our parents, and how to be respectful and loving to our siblings.2 It then teaches us how to be cautious with all people, matters, and objects in our daily lives; how to be a trustworthy person; and to believe in the teachings of the ancient saints and sages.3 Furthermore, it teaches us to love all equally, and to be close to and learn from people of virtue and compassion. Only when we have accomplished all the above can we then study further and learn literature and art to improve the quality of our cultural and spiritual lives.
1 Sourced from Analects of Confucius, Book I, Chapter 6. It was taught by Confucius, Mencius, and other Chinese saints and sages of the ancient past.
2 “Xiao” and “Ti” have been the very foundation of Chinese culture for five thousand years. Xiao (孝) means to be dutiful to one’s parents with affection, and to understand the basic relationship of grandparents, parents and self. In ideogram form, xiao has two components – the top part of xiao is the top portion of the word elder (老) and the bottom part is the word son (子). Combined into one, it implies that the older generation and the younger generation are one: there should be no gap between them. In Buddhism, the meaning is further extended. Outside the family, the child should treat every male and female of the parents’ generation as if they were the child’s own father or mother. Ti (弟) means sincere fraternal love. Here the term refers to the principle and standard of conduct between brothers not only when they are at home but when they are away from home. In Buddhism, its meaning also extends to include conduct towards all older persons of any generation.
3 “To believe in the teachings of the ancient saints and sages ” means to truly practice and put the teachings of the ancient saints and sages into effect.