Laolai Zi was a hermit of the Warring States period in the state of Chu, renowned for his extraordinary filial piety. Even at seventy years old, he devoted himself to delighting his still-living parents with endless creativity. He would dress in colorful clothes and act like a child, tumbling and playing to make them laugh, once even pretending to fall and cry like a baby to ease their worries. His devotion was so complete that his parents remained healthy and happy into their old age. This story illustrates the depth of filial love, reminding us that true care knows no age.
Lao Laizi specially raised several beautiful, melodious birds for his parents to play with. He often teased the birds to make them sing sweetly. When his parents heard the pleasant sounds and smiled with joy, they would say, "How lovely the birdsong is!" Seeing the smiles on his parents' faces, Lao Laizi was overjoyed himself.
Once, Laolaizi's father looked at his son's graying hair and couldn't help sighing, "Even my son is this old; our days in this world are numbered."
To ease his parents' worries about aging, the filial son Lao Laizi crafted a suit of brightly colored, five-hued garments. He would often wear these playful clothes, even mimicking the dances of a small child as he walked, all to bring smiles to his parents' faces and lighten their hearts.
One day, while bringing soup to his parents, he accidentally tripped and fell. Fearing they would worry, he decided to stay on the ground, rolling around and pretending to cry like a baby.
His parents thought Laolaizi had deliberately fallen down, and seeing him rolling on the ground refusing to get up, they couldn't help but laugh and said:
"Old Laizi really knows how to have fun!" Later, the idiom "Laizi Entertains His Parents" came to describe children who go to great lengths to honor and care for their parents.
Source: *Biographies of Exemplary Women*
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "老莱娱亲" came to describe children who go to great lengths to honor and care for their parents.