Mencius believed that when Shun took a wife without consulting his parents, he did so to fulfil his own duty in human relationships, to appease the spirits of his ancestors and to avoid making his parents unfilial towards them. Mencius was emphasizing the notion of filial piety current in society at the time.
孟子認為舜不告而娶，有全人倫、妥先靈，免去陷父母於不孝的考慮，強調的是當時社會的孝道精神。