Under this system of authority by seniority, one of the things most frowned upon was for someone to offend their seniors, and thus the ideal of "I love my teacher but I love truth more" as seen in the West was not extolled in China.
長者權威最不喜歡下犯上，因而像西方「吾愛吾師，吾更愛真理」的精神在中國就不彰顯。