Nü xiaojing 女孝經

Nü xiaojing 女孝經 "Book of a girl's filial piety" is a Confucian treatise written by the Tang-period 唐 (618-907) writer Miss Zheng 鄭氏. The dates of her life are not known.

She was the wife of a high official of Xianbei 鮮卑 origin called Houmochen Miao 侯莫陳邈. Her niece became the consort of Prince Yong 永王, and Miss Zheng wrote a book for her instruction. This procedure was similar to Ban Zhao 班昭 (c. 45-c. 117 CE), who had written the book Nüjie 女誡 for her daughters during the Han period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE).

The Nü xiaojing is first mentioned during the Song period 宋 (960-1279). Still, it is known that a painter from the early 10th century, Shi Ke 石恪, had created a series of 8 paintings depicting female comportment, according to the book Nü xiaojing.

The book imitates the structure of the Confucian Classic Xiaojing 孝經 "Classic of Filial Piety". At the same time, the content is so similar to Ban Zhao's Nüjie that some scholars attributed authorship to the Han-period writer. The words are, through a stylistic device, put into the mouth of Ban Zhao. Miss Zheng thus transfers responsibility – and honour – to a venerated teacher of the past. The book is divided into 18 chapters.

In her preface, Miss Zheng says that filial piety alone was insufficient. A woman must also possess kindness, a feeling for appropriate conduct, etiquette, wisdom, and trust (the five Confucian moralities, wuchang 五常).

The text is included in the encyclopaedia Gujin tushu jicheng 古今圖書集成 (section Jiafan dian 家範典). It is also included in the series Xu baichuan xuehai 續百川學海, Xiao shisan jing 小十三經, Gezhi congshu 格致叢書, Jindai mishu 津逮秘書, and Nian'er zi quanshu 廿二子全書. There is furthermore a print of the Dongting Liangtang Studio 東聼兩堂, and the collection Nü'er shuji bazhong 女兒書輯八種.