Extend the love for one's own children to the children of others.
📜 Origin
《孟子》
💡 Detailed Explanation
"Care for your own children and extend that care to the children of others" comes from Mencius, "King Hui of Liang, Part I." It is an idea Mencius put forward when advising King Xuan of Qi to implement benevolent governance, and it stands alongside "respect your own elders and extend that respect to the elders of others." Its literal meaning is: love your own children, and then extend that love to the children of others. Its deeper meaning is to advocate a spirit of benevolence that proceeds from the near to the distant and extends from oneself to others, requiring people not to limit themselves to blood ties but to extend care to society as a whole. It is mostly used in discussions of moral cultivation, social ethics, educational equity, or charity and public welfare, emphasizing universal love and responsibility. In cultural background, it embodies the Confucian core idea that "the benevolent person loves others" and is an important cornerstone of the ideal of a "Great Harmony society." In emotional coloring, this idiom is full of warmth, nobility, and encouragement, and is often used to praise noble conduct of selfless dedication in caring for one's own children and extending that care to the children of others, or to call on society to pay attention to children's welfare.
📝 Example
1. Community volunteer Aunt Zhang not only takes care of her own grandson but also actively helps the left-behind children of her neighbors, truly embodying the spirit of "treating others' children as one's own." (Meaning: to care for others' children as if they were one's own.)
2. The government's implementation of the inclusive kindergarten policy is precisely a manifestation of "treating others' children as one's own," enabling every child to enjoy quality education. (Meaning: to extend the love for one's own children to all children.)