also: ふきょう
na-adjective, noun
undutifulness to parents; lack of filial piety
Refers to failing in one's duty to respect and care for one's parents; a traditional Confucian concept still used in modern Japanese.
親を大切にしないのは不孝だ。
Not taking good care of one's parents is unfilial.
彼は不孝者だと親戚から言われている。
He is called an unfilial person by his relatives.
na-adjective, noun
(archaic crime of) cursing one's parents
Only with reading ふきょう
Archaic legal term from the 八虐 (eight unpardonable crimes) system; specifically cursing or verbally abusing one's parents. Restricted to the reading ふきょう.
See also: 八虐
八虐の一つに「不孝」があり、親をののしる罪とされた。
Among the eight unpardonable crimes was 'fukyō,' the crime of cursing one's parents.
na-adjective, noun
(archaic) disowning one's child
Only with reading ふきょう
Archaic legal term for a parent formally disowning a child. Restricted to the reading ふきょう.
古い法律では、親が子を不孝として勘当することがあった。
Under old laws, a parent could disown a child as 'fukyō.'
From Chinese 不孝 (bùxiào), meaning unfilial. The reading ふきょう is the older go-on reading preserved in archaic legal contexts.