Translation - Analects 2.7 Those who are filial today.

子游問孝。子曰：「今之孝者，是謂能養。至於犬馬，皆能有養；不敬，何以別乎？」

Zǐ Yóu wèn xiào. Zǐ yuē, "Jīn zhī xiào zhě, shì wèi néng yǎng. Zhì yú quǎn mǎ, jiē néng yǒu yǎng; bù jìng, hé yǐ bié hū?"

Zi You asked (about) being filial. The Master said, "Those who are filial today, are called so because (they) can nourish (the elderly). As for dogs and horses, anyone can be nourishing. (This is) not enough - what is the difference (between us and them)?

Zi You asked (about) being filial. The Master said, "Those who are filial today, they are called so because they can nourish the elderly. But if we extend this to dogs and horses, then anyone can be called nourishing. This is not enough! How can we distinguish ourselves?

至於 zhì yú = as far as (up to + in this location)

何以 hé yǐ = why/how (by what means)

The use of 養 is interesting. In modern Chinese the term is usually reserved for raising children or animals; the idea is one of providing care to living beings who require care. I tend to connect 養 to a sense of nourishing life. Confucius' answer cleverly does not actually answer what it means to be filial, but his answer implies that being filial both (1) involves caring for the vulnerable and weak; and (2) that those who are regarded as filial today simply provide food. But for Confucius, simply providing food is not enough. How do we distinguish caring for the elderly from caring for dogs and horses? The answer doesn't appear in this passage, but it does appear in the next passage (2.8): the issue is the countenance. This is previewed in 1.7, where the virtuous exert themselves for others (note: the commentaries appear to disagree on the meaning of 賢賢易色, but the putting forth of effort is clear).

We might discuss the relation of this to performance, but in English the term often performance implies a non-integral addition. For the Confucian project, however, one's emotional expression is an intimate component of moral behavior. This is particularly true for Mencius, who explicitly describes the relationship between internal feelings and external acdtions. For Mencius, the idea of expression is not simply a superficial external qualifier added to a fundamentally separate moral action. Rather, the mode of expression is viewed as the culmination of expressing the emotional impulse (or sprout) that occurs as a result of the filial relationship.