This story embodies old-school Asian views on filial piety (孝顺), or the virtue of honoring one’s parents. The story focuses on the protagonist Boyu (伯俞), who maintains deep love and respect for his mother, though she physically abuses him on the regular.
Western readers will likely find it off-putting that this story seems to glorify suffering in silence, but the idea that children owe their parents respect and love, regardless of how their parents treat them, is baked into cultural fabric of many East Asian societies (though these attitudes are, of course, evolving). Stories like this demonstrate what perfect filial piety is supposed to look like: Children should maintain an almost Christ-like, turn-the-other-cheek attitude towards the faults of their elders and betters.
Key vocab
棍子 – gùnzi – stick, rod
奇怪 – qíguài – strange, puzzled
力气 – lìqi – strength, physical power
担心 – dānxīn – to worry, to be concerned
感动 – gǎndòng – to be moved, touched emotionally
泪水 – lèishuǐ – tears
幸福 – xìngfú – happiness, well-being
伯俞泣杖
从前，有一个人叫伯俞，他非常孝顺父母。
伯俞小时候，每次做错事，妈妈就会用棍子打他。他觉得很疼，但是他从来不哭，也不生气，因为他知道妈妈是为了他好。
有一天，伯俞又做错了一件事。妈妈像以前一样，拿起棍子打他。可是这一次，伯俞突然哭了起来。
妈妈感到很奇怪，问他：”你以前被打的时候从来不哭。今天为什么哭了？是不是太疼了？”
伯俞摇摇头，说：”妈妈，以前您打我的时候，我觉得很疼。那说明您的身体很健康，很有力气。可是今天，我感觉您打我没有以前那么有力气了。这说明您老了，身体没有以前好了。我不是因为疼才哭，我是因为担心您才哭的。”
妈妈听了，心里非常感动，眼睛里也流出了泪水。
这个故事告诉我们，真正孝顺的人，不只是听父母的话，更要关心父母的健康，在意父母是否幸福。
Boyu Weeps at the Rod
Long ago, there was a man named Boyu who was extremely filial to his parents.
When Boyu was young, every time he did something wrong, his mother would hit him with a stick. He felt it was very painful, but he never cried or got angry, because he knew his mother was doing it for his own good.
One day, Boyu made another mistake. His mother, as before, picked up the stick and hit him. But this time, Boyu suddenly started crying.
His mother felt very puzzled and asked him, “You never cried when you were hit before. Why are you crying today? Is it too painful?”
Boyu shook his head and said, “Mother, when you hit me before, I felt a lot of pain. That showed your body was healthy and you had a lot of strength. But today, I feel that your hits aren’t as strong as before. This shows that you have gotten old, and your body isn’t as strong as it used to be. I’m not crying because of the pain – I’m crying because I’m worried about you.”
When his mother heard this, she was deeply moved, and tears flowed from her eyes as well.
This story teaches us that the truly filial don’t just obey their parents’ words – they also care about their parents’ health and whether their parents are happy.
