Interpretation of the Analects

Author: Wen Xuande / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: His character. Appropriate for Lu, observed Zhongni's temple halls, chariots, robes, and ritual vessels, and the scholars practiced rites in his home at set times. I lingered and could not leave. There have been many kings and wise men in the world, glorious in their time but forgotten after death. Confucius, a commoner, his teachings have been passed down for over ten generations, and scholars revere him. From emperors and nobles to all who discuss the Six Arts in China, they take Confucius as the standard. He can be called the greatest sage!
This passage from Records of the Grand Historian says: "Marquis Sima Qian said: The Book of Songs says, 'Like a high mountain, awe-inspiring; like a great road, guiding.' Although I cannot reach such heights, my heart yearns for it. Reading Confucius's works, I can imagine his character and conduct. Upon arriving in Lu, his homeland, I visited his temple halls, chariots, robes, and ritual vessels, and saw many Confucian scholars practicing rites at set times. I was filled with admiration and reluctant to leave. There are many kings, nobles, and wise men in the world. They are glorious in life but forgotten after death. Confucius was a commoner, but his fame and teachings have been passed down for over ten generations, and scholars revere him as a master. From emperors and nobles to all who discuss the Six Arts in China, they take Confucius as the standard. Confucius is truly the greatest sage. Thus, our ancestors long ago regarded Confucius as the 'master' and 'sage.'
Confucius was born in the twenty-second year of Duke Xiang of Song, on the twenty-seventh day of the eighth lunar month in 551 BC. The ancestors of Confucius were originally from the noble family of Song. Legend has it that the eldest son of Duke Min, named Fu Fu He, was the tenth-generation ancestor of Confucius. After Duke Min's death, his younger brother, Duke Yang, ascended the throne. Fu Fu He's younger brother, Fu Si, killed Duke Yang and offered the throne to his older brother, Fu Fu He, but Fu Fu He refused. Fu Si then took the throne himself, becoming Duke Li of Song. Fu Fu He's grandson, Zheng Kao Fu, was a highly respected minister and counselor in Song, continuously assisting Dai, Wu, and Xuan dukes, achieving great merits for the state.
Zheng Kao Fu's son, Kong Fu Jia, was Confucius's sixth-generation ancestor, and from then on, his descendants began using Kong as their surname. Kong Fu Jia served as the Grand of Song but had conflicts with the world minister, the Hua family. He was later killed by the Hua family. Kong Fu Jia's son, Mu Jin Fu, fled to Lu due to the Hua family's oppression and settled there. Later, Mu Jin Fu's grandson, Ren, was appointed as the governor of Fang Yi, a fief of the Zangsun family, and was known as Kong Fang Shu, also called Kong Fang Fu, who was Confucius's great-grandfather.
Kong Fang Shu's grandson was Shu Liang He, Confucius's biological father. Shu Liang He was a warrior and served as the governor of Zou Yi in Lu, also known as Zou Shu He or Zou Liang He. He was strong and brave, twice achieving military honors in the tenth year of Duke Xiang of Lu (563 BC) and the seventeenth year of Duke Xiang of Lu (556 BC), making his name known among the feudal lords.
Shu Liang He first married a woman from the Shi family and had nine daughters but no sons. His concubine gave birth to a son named Meng Pi, who had a foot disease and was unsuitable for lineage continuation. Therefore, Shu Liang He remarried a young woman named Yan Zhen Zai in his later years and had Confucius.
It is said that when Confucius was born, the center of his head was concave, "low in the middle and high around." Also, because the Yan family had prayed to the gods at Ni Mountain (located southeast of Qufu) before becoming pregnant, Confucius's parents named him Qiu and styled him Zhongni, with "Zhong" meaning the second in order. Because of this, later generations called Confucius "Old Kong."
Around the age of three, Shu Liang He passed away, and Confucius's mother, Yan, took him to leave Zou Yi and settled in Qili, the capital of Lu at the time. At this time, Confucius's family...