Memetic evolution of the Chinese character孝 FILIAL PIETY: from history to modernity

Abstract

This article is written within the framework of an interdisciplinary methodology, which allows the use of the theory of memetics as a key component to emphasize the dynamics of the functioning of a sign. The aim of the work is to identify memetic transformations in the structure of the concept of the Chinese character 孝 XIAO with the meaning of "filial piety" as a cultural meme, consistently passing through stages of modification in the process of transmission between generations. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that it is the first to consider the process of evolution of the Chinese character in the status of a meme. The evolution of the concept is considered through the prism of identifying both formal-structural – phenotypic – characteristics, and genotypic – conceptual-semantic – mutations. As a result of the research, it was established that in classical texts XIAO expressed subordination, ritual, and hierarchy, but in modern texts, along with a phenotypic mutation, expressed in the simplification of the form, genotypic transformations were revealed in the aspect of shifting the emphasis from abstract Confucian virtues to practical care for parents, including an emotional component.

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About this article

Publication history

• Received: December 8, 2024.
• Published: April 14, 2025.

Keywords

• теория меметики
• концепт СЫНОВНЯЯ ПОЧТИТЕЛЬНОСТЬ
• культурный мем
• конфуцианская добродетель
• китайский иероглиф
• theory of memetics
• concept FILIAL PIETY
• cultural meme
• Confucian virtue
• Chinese character

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