Min Sun, with the alias of Ziqian, was a man in the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He was a disciple of Confucius. Among all disciples of Confucius, he stood comparison with Yan Yuan in terms of moral conduct.

Confucius ever praised him as follows:“How filial Min Ziqian is!” (Xian Jin, the tenth chapter of Analects of Confucius)

Min Sun's mother died very early. Later his father took another wife, who gave birth to two sons.

The stepmother mistreated Min Sun - in winter, while two younger brothers wore winter clothes made of cotton, Min Sun only wore “reed catkins-padded cotton clothes.”

One day, he followed his father to go out. When towing the chariot, Min Sun shivered because he felt very cold and the rope dropped onto the ground. Then his father scolded and lashed him.

The reed catkins flew out from the broken seam of the flimsy clothes, and then father knew that Min Sun had been mistreated.

After the father returned home, he wanted to divorce his wife.

Min Sun fell on his knees and begged his father to forgive stepmother.

He said: “If mother stays at home, only I myself have to endure cold. But if you divorce from mother, all three children have to suffer from cold.”

His father was deeply moved and took Min Sun's advice. The stepmother heard of this, felt remorseful and owned up to her mistakes. Subsequently, she treated Min Sun as her own son.

【参考译文】

闵损，字子骞，春秋时期鲁国人，孔子的弟子，在孔门中以德行与颜渊并称。

孔子曾赞扬他说：“孝哉，闵子骞!”(《论语·先进》)。

他生母早死，父亲娶了后妻，又生了两个儿子。

继母经常虐待他，冬天，两个弟弟穿着用棉花做的冬衣，却给他穿用芦花做的“棉衣”.

一天，父亲出门，闵损牵车时因寒冷打颤，将绳子掉落地上，遭到父亲的斥责和鞭打

芦花随着打破的衣缝飞了出来，父亲方知闵损受到虐待。

父亲返回家，要休逐后妻。

闵损跪求父亲饶恕继母

说：“留下母亲只是我一个人受冷，休了母亲三个孩子都要挨冻。”

父亲十分感动，就依了他。继母听说，悔恨知错，从此对待他如亲子。