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During the Spring and Autumn period, Zengzi's wife was going to the market, and her son cried and insisted on going with her.
His wife told him to go back home, promising to kill a pig for him to eat when she returned.
When his wife came back from the market, Zengzi grabbed a pig, ready to slaughter it.
His wife said that it was just a way to pacify a child.
Zengzi replied, "A parent's words and actions directly influence a child's entire life. What you say, you must do."

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Open the tool →杀彘教子 (shā zhì jiào zǐ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Parents must keep their promises to children and set an example of trustworthiness and integrity, demonstrating that their words are reliable”.
杀彘教子 is pronounced shā zhì jiào zǐ in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 杀彘教子 means “Kill a pig to teach one's son”. It is used to mean “Parents must keep their promises to children and set an example of trustworthiness and integrity, demonstrating that their words are reliable”.
杀彘教子 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
彘:猪。父母说话算数,教子诚实无欺。