不孝有三，无后为大 bù xiào yǒu sān ， wú hòu wéi dà

DEFINITIONS

  1. There are three ways to be unfilial; having no sons is the worst. (citation from Mencius 孟子[Meng4 zi3])

CHARACTERS

不 bù
HSK 1
no, not; un-; negative prefix
孝 xiào
HSK 5
filial piety, obedience; mourning
有 yǒu
HSK 1
have, own, possess; exist
三 sān
HSK 1
three
无 wú
HSK 4
negative, no, not; KangXi radical 71
后 hòu
HSK 1
queen, empress, sovereign; (simp. for 後) behind, rear, after
为 wéi
HSK 2
do, handle, govern, act; be
大 dà
HSK 1
big, great, vast, large, high