Although his stepmother ill-treated him, he would not allow her to be expelled from the house. When Min Tzu-chien was young his mother died and his father remarried. His stepmother had two sons by his father. His brothers wore fine clothes, ate well, and were given anything they wanted.
後母偏愛自己生的兒子，給他們吃好的、穿好的、用好的，真是要什麼就有什麼；但是對於非己所出的閔子騫，卻不僅沒有一點關愛之心，而且相當苛待，不但家務事都叫他做，父親不在家時，更只給他吃剩菜、剩飯，並讓他穿粗衣舊裳。