filial

/ˈfɪliəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈfɪliəl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfi-lē-əl ˈfil-yəl/ (ame, mw)

filial — adjective

  • filialpositive
  • more filialcomparative
  • most filialsuperlative

1. linked to the love, care, and respect that grown children are expected to give t

1.形容詞C2
釋義

linked to the love, care, and respect that grown children are expected to give their parents or older relatives — most often used in phrases like filial duty, filial devotion, and filial piety.

例句

Out of filial duty, Meera flew home to Mumbai to care for her aging mother.

collocation: filial duty + reason for action

Confucian teaching places filial piety at the centre of family life.

fixed phrase: filial piety in a cultural context

同義詞
  • dutiful

    broader; covers any duty, not only the child-to-parent kind

  • devoted

    stresses strong emotional loyalty, not just family role

  • respectful

    everyday word; lacks the formal, family-centred feel of 'filial'

反義詞
  • undutiful

    formal; describes a child who neglects parental obligations

  • ungrateful

    broader; not limited to the parent-child relationship

文法句型

filial + noun (duty, devotion, respect, piety)

用法筆記

Almost always attributive, sitting before an abstract noun (duty, love, devotion, piety, respect, responsibility). Rarely used after 'be' on its own — say 'a filial son' rather than 'he is filial'.

常見錯誤

❌He is very filial to his parents.
✅He is a very filial son.
💡'filial' normally modifies a noun, not the subject directly.
❌She showed filial to her grandmother.
✅She showed filial devotion to her grandmother.
💡'filial' is an adjective and needs a noun like 'devotion', 'duty', or 'respect'.

2. describing the role, position, or generation of a son or daughter — for example,

2.形容詞C2
釋義

describing the role, position, or generation of a son or daughter — for example, in biology a filial generation is the offspring produced by a set of parents.

例句

The bond between Hamza and his father grew stronger as the boy entered his filial role.

collocation: filial role within a family relationship

In genetics class, Alessia learned that the first filial generation is written as F1.

scientific use: filial generation (F1) in genetics

同義詞
  • offspring's

    plainer; everyday possessive instead of formal adjective

  • descendant

    broader; covers grandchildren and beyond, not only direct children

反義詞
  • parental

    the opposite role — relating to the parent rather than the child

文法句型

filial + relationship noun (bond, role, generation)

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by reference: this sense names the structural role of being a child (bond, generation, position), while sense 1 names the moral behaviour expected within that role (duty, respect, piety). The biology meaning is the clearest example of this structural sense.

常見錯誤

❌My filial daughter is five years old.
✅My young daughter is five years old.
💡native speakers do not call children themselves 'filial'; the word describes the role or bond, not the person's age.