A young man’s duty is to behave well to his parents at home and to his elders abroad.

The quote frames moral duty as relational rather than individualistic: a young person’s character is measured by how he treats parents within the family and older people beyond it. “Behave well” implies more than politeness; it points to sustained, embodied respect—care, deference, and appropriate speech and action—governed by ritual norms. The pairing of home and “abroad” suggests that virtue is consistent across settings: filial piety is not confined to the household but becomes a template for social order. In Confucian thought, such habits cultivate ren (humaneness) and stabilize society by reinforcing trust, hierarchy, and mutual responsibility.