子路家境贫困时，自己吃的是粗陋的饭菜，而从百里之外把米背给父母。后遂用“负米、负米百里”等表示奉养父母或为奉养父母在外谋求禄米。

《子路为亲负米》

周仲由，字子路。家贫，常食藜藿之食，为亲负米百里之外。亲殁，南游于楚，从车百乘，积粟万钟，累茵而坐，列鼎而食，乃叹曰：“虽欲食藜藿，为亲负米，不可得也。”

诗曰：

负米供旨甘，宁辞百里遥。

身荣亲已殁，犹念旧劬劳。

Zilu Carried Rice Home from Afar for His Parents

Zhongyou, alias Zilu, of the Zhou Dynasty in the Spring-Autumn period, lived a poor life. As his family was poverty-stricken, they often had coarse food. However, in order to let his parents have rice, he trekked over 100 li (1 li= 500 metres) to carry rice home on his back. After his parents passed away, he went to the State of Chu in the south to take a very important post, with more than a hundred chariots and thousands and thousands of bags of rice. Before he wanted to sit on the chariot, layers of cushion had to be placed, and cutlery had to be arranged before he had his meals. So he sighed and said, "I wanted to have coarse food, and carry rice for my parents, but that would never happen again."