原文

揭阳有周孝者，幼时问其母曰：“我当何名。”其母曰：“吾欲名汝以孝。”孝喜曰：“甚善，吾能孝，即无读书亦可矣。”家贫，躬耕以养，每晨具衣冠拜母乃出，暮归复然。岁大旱，乡人念惟孝可以动天，请于县令，礼致之。孝至，祷焉，天大雨，民以有年，因称为孝子粟。觉浪丈人云：自古忠臣孝子，莫不以愚鲁而成，当王祥卧水时，彼惟知有母，不知有身与夫天地造化也。而天地造化卒为之逆施，以答其诚，所谓其愚不可及。吾于周孝亦云。

白话

中文

揭阳县有个叫周孝的人，小时候问他的母亲：“我应该叫什么名字？”他母亲说：“我想给你取名为‘孝’。”周孝高兴地说：“太好了，我能够做到孝顺，即使不读书也可以了。”他家里贫穷，依靠亲自耕种来奉养母亲。每天早上，他都穿戴整齐，向母亲行礼拜别后才出门，晚上回来也是如此。有一年发生大旱，乡里的人们认为只有周孝的孝行可以感动上天，于是向县令请求，以礼节请来了周孝。周孝来到后，便进行祈祷，天立刻下起了大雨，百姓因此获得了丰收，于是就把那年收获的谷物称为“孝子粟”。觉浪丈人评论说：自古以来的忠臣孝子，无不是凭借看似愚钝的执着而成就（非凡之事）的。当（晋代孝子）王祥卧在冰上（想为继母捕鱼）时，他心中只有母亲，没有顾及自身安危，也不考虑天地自然的规律。然而天地自然最终却为他而反常运行，以此回应他的真诚，这就是所谓的“其愚不可及”（那种纯粹的、不计利害的“愚”是常人无法达到的）。我对周孝的看法也是如此。

英文

In Jieyang County, there was a man named Zhou Xiao. When he was young, he asked his mother, "What should my name be?" His mother replied, "I want to name you 'Xiao' (Filial Piety)." Zhou Xiao happily said, "Excellent! If I can be filial, it's acceptable even if I don't study books." His family was poor, and he supported his mother by farming himself. Every morning, he would dress properly, bow to his mother before going out, and do the same upon returning in the evening. One year, there was a severe drought. The villagers believed that only Zhou Xiao's filial piety could move Heaven, so they requested the county magistrate to respectfully invite him. When Zhou Xiao arrived, he prayed, and immediately it rained heavily. The people had a good harvest because of this, and thus they called the grain harvested that year "Filial Son's Grain." Master Jue Lang commented: Since ancient times, loyal ministers and filial sons have invariably achieved extraordinary things through what appears to be simple-minded devotion. When Wang Xiang (a filial exemplar of the Jin Dynasty) lay on the ice (intending to catch fish for his stepmother), he only thought of his mother, disregarding his own safety and the laws of nature. Yet, nature ultimately acted contrary to its usual course for him, responding to his sincerity. This is what is meant by "his foolishness is unattainable" (that kind of pure, selfless 'foolishness' is beyond the reach of ordinary people). I hold the same view regarding Zhou Xiao.

文化解读/分析

“孝子粟”的故事是儒家“孝”文化与“天人感应”思想结合的典型体现。首先，它极力彰显了“孝”在中国传统社会中的至高地位。周孝以“孝”为名，并认为践行孝道比读书更为根本，其每日晨昏定省的仪式化行为，都突出了孝的实践性。其次，故事核心在于“孝感动天”。在遭遇大旱这一自然灾害时，乡民和官府并非诉诸技术或纯粹的宗教仪式，而是相信个人的道德力量——周孝的极致孝行——能够影响自然界，改变天气。这深刻反映了“天人感应”的观念，即人的德行（尤其是孝行）能与上天产生共鸣，带来祥瑞或消解灾难。周孝祈雨成功，不仅解决了旱情，使百姓丰收，更将这种道德力量物化为“孝子粟”，成为地方集体记忆和道德象征。觉浪丈人的评论进一步深化了主题，他将周孝与古代孝子王祥并论，指出这种感天动地的力量源于一种近乎“愚鲁”的纯粹真诚（诚）和忘我精神，这种“愚”并非智力低下，而是超越世俗算计的最高德行境界。此故事不仅是对周孝个人的颂扬，更是对孝道价值的强化和普及，具有重要的社会教化功能和民俗学意义。

关键词

周孝, 孝子粟, 揭阳, 孝, 孝道, 孝感动天, 祈雨, 干旱, 天人感应, 晨昏定省, 觉浪丈人, 王祥, 广东新语, 事语, 屈大均, 民俗, 传说, 德行, 儒家文化