Definition

Noun: - The moral or legal obligation of a child toward their parents: This refers to the responsibilities, respect, care, and support that a child is expected to provide to their parents, often stemming from cultural, ethical, or familial norms.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • In many cultures, performing filial duty includes caring for one's parents in their old age.
  • He felt a strong sense of filial duty to succeed in his career and bring honor to his family.
  • The concept of filial duty is a central theme in the story, as the protagonist struggles between his personal desires and his obligations to his father.

Advanced Usage

• "To fulfill one's filial duty": To completely meet or carry out the obligations expected of a child.
  • She returned to her hometown to fulfill her filial duty and look after her ailing mother.
• "A matter of filial duty": Something considered an essential obligation to one's parents.
  • Attending the family ceremony was not a choice but a matter of filial duty.

Variants and Related Words

• Filial (adj): Of, relating to, or befitting a son or daughter.
  • His filial devotion was evident in his actions.
• Filial piety (n): A specific term, often used in East Asian contexts, denoting a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors.
  • Confucian philosophy emphasizes the importance of filial piety.

Synonyms

• Family obligation: A duty arising from family relationships.
• Filial responsibility: The state of being accountable for the well-being of one's parents.

Related Phrases

• Sense of duty: An awareness of one's obligations.
  • He was motivated by a deep sense of duty to his parents.
• To owe a duty to: To have a moral or legal obligation toward someone.
  • Children owe a duty to their parents.

Noun

1. duty of a child to its parents