filial

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

filial — 形容詞

  • 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

孝順的

子女對父母敬愛盡責的

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.

出於孝順，Meera 飛回孟買照顧年邁的母親。

collocation: filial duty + reason for action

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

儒家思想將孝道置於家庭生活的核心。

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

子代的

指子女身份或子代的

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.

隨著男孩進入子女的角色，Hamza 與父親之間的羈絆愈發深厚。

collocation: filial role within a family relationship

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

在遺傳學課堂上，Alessia 學到第一子代寫作 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.