Confucius' influence made him the "Holy Saint" respected by later generations. The main theme of the artistic performance at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was the essence of Confucianism: "Be happy with etiquette, be good at learning, and uphold harmony." Once again, the founder of Confucianism has been pushed to the pinnacle of history. The establishment of Confucius Institutes in various countries is a reflection of his influence.
However, the origin of this great thinker and educator has never been determined. Although heroes do not ask where they came from, as a world cultural celebrity, his origin is also a topic of greater concern to everyone.
The first theory is that Confucius is an "illegitimate son".
"Historical Records: The Family of Confucius" records: "Confucius was born in Zouyi, Pingxiang Township, Changchang, Lu. He was born in the Song Dynasty before him, and he was called Kong Fangshu. Uncle Fang was the father of Boxia, and Boxia was the father of his uncle Liang He. He was born to the daughter of the Yan family. Confucius prayed to Ni Qiu to obtain Confucius. Confucius was born in the 22nd year of Lu Xianggong. When he was born, his head was on the top of the polder, so he was named Qiuyun." His courtesy name was Zhongni, and his surname was Kong. The book "Confucius' Ideological System" edited by Cai Shangsi mentioned that Confucius's mother, Yan, had always concealed information about her father from Confucius. Confucius also once said to his disciples, "I am a humble young man." From the above, we can conclude that it is not groundless that Confucius was an illegitimate child.
The second way of saying it is, "unruly union: it's called wild union."
Confucius's father was Shu Liang He (Shu Liang was the courtesy name and He was the given name), and his mother was Yan Zhengzai. Shu Lianghe was a famous warrior in the Lu State at that time. He had outstanding character and achieved two military exploits. He was famous for holding a hanging gate with one arm to allow the troops who rushed into the city to withdraw. He once served as a doctor in Zouyi. Uncle Liang He first married Shi's wife and had nine daughters but no children. He also married a concubine and gave birth to a son, named Bernie, also known as Mengpi. Meng Pi had a foot problem and was not suitable to have an heir according to the etiquette of the time, so he had Confucius with the young woman Yan Zheng.
According to this statement, Shu Lianghe married twice and gave birth to nine girls and one boy. So he should be very old, but in order to continue the family line, he must give birth to a healthy son. He must marry again, so that he He found the Yan family and gave birth to Confucius. Sima Zhen's "Historical Records Index" records: "Today's marriage in the clouds and fields means that Liang He is old and young. It is not the first ceremony of a strong family, so the marriage in the fields is not in line with etiquette."
The third way of saying this is, "Pray for a child" or "Be born in a dream".
According to "Analects of Confucius and Prophecies", after Confucius was the Black Emperor, "his uncle Liang He and Zheng were at Puni Hill, where they felt the essence of the black dragon and gave birth to Zhongni." In addition, this book also mentioned about the Yan family in The saying about being pregnant and giving birth to Confucius in a dream. Although these statements should not be accepted, they also add a lot of mystery to Confucius' legendary life experience.
Regardless of whether Confucius was an illegitimate child or a "wild child", his childhood life was full of ups and downs that normal children could not imagine. When Confucius was only three years old, his father, Uncle Liang He, passed away. Confucius' mother married his father when she was a teenager and became a widow within a few years. Her husband's family disliked her and did not allow her to go. Funeral. When Confucius grew up, he wanted to go to his father's cemetery to worship, but his mother could not point out the exact location of Shu Lianghe's cemetery. It was not until Confucius's mother died that someone told him the location of his father's cemetery, allowing him to bury his parents together.
However, after all, Confucius was the son of an official in Lu, a country of etiquette, and he received a certain degree of influence. When he was a child, he played games. He did not play children's games like other children, but imitated the sacrificial rituals of adults and placed some sacrificial vessels. , and then bowed politely.
Confucius was studious and intelligent since he was a child, and he soon became famous. When Meng Lizi, a senior official in the state of Lu, was dying, he told his successor Meng Yizi: "Confucius is a descendant of the sage Shang Tang. There are many famous ministers and wise men in his ancestors. I heard people say that even if the descendants of saints cannot be kings, they must be distinguished people. Now that Confucius is proficient in etiquette at a young age, isn't he a distinguished person? After I die, you must take him as your teacher." After the death of Meng Lizi, Yizi took his younger brother Nangong Jingshu to worship Confucius as his teacher and learned etiquette from him. Later, Nangong Jingshu even accompanied Confucius on a study tour to Luoyi, the capital of the Zhou Dynasty.
Although Confucius came from a poor family and a lowly status when he was young, he never relaxed his studies in all aspects. It is recorded in historical books that "Confucius was nine feet long and six inches long, and everyone regarded him as a 'long man'." One foot in the pre-Qin period was equivalent to 0.66 feet today. It is estimated that Confucius was at least about 2 meters tall. With such superior physical conditions, Confucius extensively dabbled in the six arts of "ritual, music, archery, imperialism, calligraphy, and mathematics" in the aristocratic education of the Zhou Dynasty. Among them, "shooting" means archery, and "royal" means driving a chariot. Both of these are skills that are only used in fierce battlefields. Confucius is famous for his mastery of the six arts. It is certain that he was very good at archery. He is very proficient in driving chariots.
In addition, Confucius was also proficient in the art of war. He said, "To not teach the people to fight is to abandon them." This means that if people are not given military training in ordinary times, and if something happens, they will be hastily recruited to the battlefield, this is tantamount to asking them to die in vain. . Therefore, although Confucius advocated "benevolence", advocated peace and opposed war, he knew that strong military power in troubled times was the foundation of a country, so he attached great importance to "enough food and sufficient soldiers". Ji was a senior official in the state of Lu, and Ran You, a disciple of Confucius, once fought for him. After returning from victory, Ji asked Ran You: "Who did you learn the art of war from?" Ran You said: "Of course you learned it from the teacher." From this point of view, Confucius was probably a great expert in the art of war. .
In order to pass on what he had learned to more people who were willing to learn, Confucius broke the aristocracy's monopoly on school education, founded private schools, and recruited people from all walks of life to enroll. Among his disciples, there were aristocratic ministers like Meng Yizi and Nangong Jingshu brothers, as well as ordinary civilians, and even big thieves who had reformed their evil ways. Among them, Zi Lu was originally a "savage" who was ungrateful, and Zhong Gong's father was a "bitch". "Zizhang was born in the "despicable family of Lu", and Yan Zhuoju was originally "the great thief of Liang's father".
After Confucius' careful teaching in accordance with their aptitude, most of these disciples with different experiences and qualifications became talents, and achieved such spectacular results as "three thousand disciples and seventy-two sages." In order to commemorate Confucius's outstanding contributions to education, later generations respected him as "the most holy teacher of Dacheng" and "a model for all generations". After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "deposed hundreds of schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone", almost all scholars The students all became disciples of Confucius. Confucianism has even spread overseas and has had a profound impact on East Asia and even the world.
Confucius lived in the late Spring and Autumn Period. At that time, the political power of various countries in the Central Plains was occupied by senior officials, and then fell into the hands of the officials' retainers. Civil strife broke out one after another due to the struggle for power in various countries. Under the control of Dr. Qing, the State of Jin often provoked wars to the east. In the south, the cruel and murderous King Ling of Chu invaded the north repeatedly. Lu is a small and weak country, and it is also close to the big country Qi. Its position is very embarrassing. If it relies on Chu, it will offend Jin. If it relies on Jin, Chu will come to attack. If it relaxes Qi's control a little, it will offend Jin. Be on guard, Qi will invade Lu's territory again.
It was under this circumstance that Confucius entered the official career. His first position was as a commission official, that is, a small official in charge of warehouses. Later, he worked as a small official in charge of animal husbandry. It can be said that the starting point of Confucius' official career was not high. However, the opportunity came quietly when he was thirty years old.
In the 20th year of Lu Zhaogong (522 BC), Qi Jinggong and Yan Ying visited the State of Lu. At this time, Confucius was already quite famous in the State of Lu and had many disciples. When Duke Jin of Qi heard about the name of Confucius, he specifically asked Confucius about the way to govern the country. He cited the example of Qin and asked: "In the past, Duke Mu of Qin had a small country. How could he dominate?" Confucius said: "Although Qin is a small country, But the monarch has great ambitions. Although he is in a remote location, he acts upright and makes good use of talents. Duke Mu of Qin talked with Baili Xi for three days and listened to the principles of government. With such a monarch, it is not impossible to conquer the world, but hegemony is just too much. It's a small achievement." After hearing this, Qi Jinggong felt that it made sense, and he left a good impression on this insightful and far-reaching young man from the state of Lu.
A few years later, the three powerful ministers and officials of Lu State united to attack Lu Zhaogong. Lu Zhaogong was defeated and fled to Qi State. Qi Jinggong placed Lu Zhaogong in Qianhou. At this time, the political situation in Lu State was in chaos, and Confucius also fled to Qi State for refuge, and became a retainer under Gao Zhaozi, a senior official in Qi State, hoping to meet Qi Jinggong who once admired him through him.
Not long after, Qi Jinggong summoned Confucius and asked him how to govern. Confucius answered readily: "Jun, minister, father, son, son." At that time, the power of Qi State was controlled by the doctor Tian Chang. Jingzheng was troubled by this situation of the king not being the king and the ministers not being his ministers. After hearing what Confucius said, he agreed very much: "You are right, if the king is not the king, the ministers are not ministers, the father is not the father, and the son is not the son, even if there is food, I I can’t even eat it!”
A few days later, Qi Jinggong asked Confucius about politics again. Confucius said: "The key to government is to save money." Qi Jinggong wanted to use Nixi Tian to seal Confucius, but Yan Ying dissuaded him. Yan Ying believed that Confucianism was flashy and unrealistic. It could not teach others the principles of being a subject, nor was it suitable for educating customs, nor should it be used to govern the country. So when Qi Jinggong met Confucius in the future, he no longer asked about the etiquette knowledge that Confucius was good at.
A few days later, Qi Jinggong said to Confucius: "I can't give you the status as respected as Ji's in Lu, but I can give you the status of Meng in Lu." There were three ministers in Lu, among whom Ji was The Meng family is the top minister and has the most noble status, while the Meng family is the lower minister and has no real power. Even so, Confucius, as a new foreigner, was able to obtain the status of a minister in Qi State, which aroused the jealousy of the officials of Qi State. They planned to join forces to frame Confucius. Confucius heard about this and asked Qi Jinggong for help. Qi Jinggong sighed and said, "I am old and can no longer use your talents." After hearing this, Confucius had to leave Qi and return to Lu.
Although Qi State and his party failed to allow Confucius to stay in a big country like Qi State and gain a prominent position, because he was highly regarded by Qi Jinggong in Qi State, his reputation among various countries became more and more famous. The power of Lu State Readers gradually noticed him. A few years later, Lu Dinggong appointed Confucius as the Prime Minister of the Central Capital. Confucius' work was very effective. A year later, all countries followed his example. Therefore, soon after, Confucius was promoted to Sikong, and later to Great Sikou. At this time, Confucius was past the age of knowing his destiny.
At that time, the Wu State in the south was powerful and wanted to conquer the Central Plains in the north and dominate the princes. In order to resist the threat of Wu, the Qi State contacted the princes and invited Lu Dinggong to the Jiagu Valley at the junction of Qi and Lu for an alliance. Li Kuan, an official of the Qi State, said to Qi Jinggong: "The State of Lu will develop greatly if it reuses Confucius, and it will definitely threaten the State of Qi." So Qi Jinggong planned to test the attitude of the State of Lu at this alliance meeting.
The time for the alliance meeting was approaching, and Lu Dinggong planned to go by car and take Confucius with him. Confucius said: "I have heard that those who have civil affairs must be armed, and those who have military affairs must be armed. In ancient times, when princes left their own lands, they would always bring officials with them. Please bring your commanders and horses to protect your safety." Lu Dinggong thought it was reasonable, so he took the left and right commanders and asked them to lead 500 chariots to follow the guards from a distance. At the same time, he also asked the doctor Zi Wuhuan to lead 300 chariots to ambush near Jiagu and wait for orders.
After Lu Dinggong and his entourage arrived in Qi, the two sides met according to the courtesy and climbed to the alliance platform together. The master of ceremonies from Qi State came forward and announced: "Please play music from all directions." Then there were Lai dancers from Qi State wearing feather ornaments, holding swords in their hands, beating drums and shouting loudly. At this time, Qi State official Li Mi said to Qi Jinggong: "Confucius knew etiquette but had no courage. If we order the Lai people to take advantage of the music and dance to kidnap Lu Dinggong, we can make the Lu State respond to our requests." Qi Jinggong quietly ordered the dancers Taking advantage of the chaos, he kidnapped Lu Dinggong.
Seeing that something was wrong, Confucius hurriedly protected Lu Dinggong to retreat, and summoned soldiers from Lu to protect him. Then he questioned Qi and said, "Now is not the time when Qi dominated the princes. The kings of Qi and Lu are here to have a friendly meeting." Alliance, why do you play such barbarian music and send captured barbarians to dance wildly with weapons? Doing so is unlucky to gods, unjust to virtue, and disrespectful to people. Your country cannot agree with this, right?"
When Qi Jinggong saw that Confucius was well protected and the dancers could not succeed, he ordered them to retreat. After a while, the master of ceremonies from Qi State came forward to ask for instructions: "Please play the music of the palace." So he ordered a group of dwarfs and champions to come out to perform. Confucius angrily accused the people of Qi: "These people come to confuse people and insult the princes. They should be punished for their crimes!" So he ordered the performers to be executed. Qi Jinggong was very afraid, knowing that he was not as upright as Lu State in doing things. After returning home, he blamed the officials: "The officials of Lu State assist the king with the way of a gentleman, but you taught me the way of barbarians and Di, which caused me to offend the state of Lu." King, what should we do now?" Some ministers suggested that the three lands of Yun, Wenyang, and Guiyin that Qi had invaded from Lu should be returned to Qi as an apology. After the State of Lu recovered these lost lands, they built a city here to commend Confucius's contributions.
After middle age, Confucius served as the Prime Minister of the Central Capital of the State of Lu, and was later promoted to Sikong, Sikou and other positions. At that time, there were three powerful families in the Lu State. In order to curb their power, Confucius proposed to Lu Dinggong that he should "drop the three capitals", but to no avail. This failure brought a heavy blow to Confucius. At this time, in the State of Lu, the Lord of Lu was negligent and the Ji family was interfering in the government. Confucius realized that his political ideals could no longer be realized in the State of Lu. In desperation, he had to leave the State of Lu and began a fourteen-year career of traveling around the world. .
The first stop Confucius and his disciples arrived at was Weiguo. At this time, it was during the reign of Duke Linggong of Wei. Due to proper governance, the country of Wei was quite peaceful. Seeing this, Confucius immediately published his political theory, which is recorded in the Analects of Confucius: Zi Shi Wei, Ran Youpu (drive a car). Confucius said: "Common people (densely populated) are enough!" Ran You said: "Since we are common people, how can we add more?" He said: "We are rich." He said: "Since we are rich, how can we add more?" He said: "Teach him." ("Zi Lu")
In Weiguo, Confucius received high courtesy. Duke Linggong of Wei asked Confucius: "How much money did Ju Lu receive?" He replied: "I am offering you 60,000 millets." The people of Wei also offered 60,000 millets. However, the good times did not last long. Duke Linggong of Wei listened to others' instigation and sent Gongsun Yujie to monitor Confucius. Confucius was "fearful of being punished", so he left Weiguo sadly after living in Weiguo for ten months. This was also the first time that he left Weiguo. .
After coming out of Weiguo, Confucius led his disciples to Kuangdi, but unexpectedly they encountered trouble here. The Kuang people were once invaded by Yang Hu. Because Confucius looked similar to Yang Hu, the Kuang people surrounded him as Yang Hu. After being besieged for five full days, Confucius and his party were able to leave Kuangdi. Afterwards, Confucius and others arrived at Pudi, and more than a month later, they returned to Weiguo again.
At this time, Mrs. Nanzi, whom Duke Ling of Wei loved, sent someone to tell Confucius that he must go and see Mrs. Nanzi. Although Confucius was very reluctant, he still went to see her. This meeting was not pleasant, and Confucius's impression of Mrs. Nanzi was even worse. Moreover, Duke Ling of Wei at this time was greedy for pleasure and doted on Mrs. Nanzi too much, which made Confucius feel disgusted. Therefore, after staying in Wei for more than a month, Confucius left again and set off for Cao. When Lu Dinggong passed away.
Confucius and others did not stay too long in Cao State, and then they came to Song State, where Confucius encountered another big trouble. They had just practiced etiquette under a big tree when Sima Huanxi of the Song Dynasty cut down the tree because of old grudges. In order to avoid persecution, Confucius had to flee to Zheng. On the way, his disciples urged him to go quickly, and Confucius calmly replied: "I am born with virtue, and I will give it to you as long as I give it to you!"
After arriving in Zheng, Confucius accidentally got separated from his disciples. He had to stand in a daze at the east gate of the city. At the same time, Zigong and others were looking for Confucius anxiously. The people of Zheng told Zigong: "There is a man at the east gate. His forehead is like Yao, his neck is like Gaotao, and his shoulders are like Zichan, but from the waist down he is less than three inches like Yu. He looks haggard and decadent. A lost dog." Zigong went to the east gate and saw that he was indeed his teacher. Zigong told Confucius truthfully what the people of Zheng said. Confucius smiled happily and said: "The description of the appearance may not be correct, but when you say that I look like a bereaved dog, it is like this! It is like this!"
After leaving the state of Zheng, Confucius and others came to the state of Chen and stayed there for three years. King Chen admired the learned Confucius very much and asked him for many allusions. However, the Chen State's military strength was weak at this time, and it was harassed and attacked by big powers such as Wu and Chu from time to time. The "benevolence" and "propriety" preached by Confucius could not reverse the situation. Therefore, Confucius had no choice but to take his disciples to leave the precarious state of Chen and go to the state of Cai.
The King of Chu heard that Confucius was a wise and virtuous man. After hearing that he had arrived at the junction of Chen and Cai, he decided to send someone to hire Confucius. Chu was a big country at that time, and Confucius felt that it would be a good thing if he could use the influence of Chu to carry forward his teachings, so he readily agreed to the King of Chu's invitation.
Just when Confucius was packing up and preparing to embark on the road to Chu with his disciples, the officials of Chen and Cai got together and started thinking. They said: "Confucius is a virtuous man. He has lived here for three years. Everything we do is not in line with the ideas he preached. Now a big country like Chu has come to hire him. If he is reused in Chu, what will happen to us?" The doctor is in danger."
So these people sent troops to besiege Confucius and his disciples in the mountains and fields with no villages in front and no shops in the back. A few days later, all the food carried by Confucius and his party was eaten, and some weak disciples fell down one after another. Faced with the somewhat desolate scene, Confucius did not change his ambition and continued to sing. Everyone advised Confucius not to go to Chu again, and to return home early so that he would not starve or freeze. Zilu said sarcastically to Confucius: "Does a gentleman also have times of trouble?"
Confucius said: "It is normal for a gentleman to be in trouble. Should we give up our ideals and not pursue our way because of poverty? A gentleman can cultivate his way, but it may not be tolerated by the world. It seems that a gentleman can cultivate his way. Your ambitions are not lofty!"
Confucius asked Yan Hui again: "The poem goes like this: 'The bandits and the tigers are leading the wilderness'. Isn't my way wrong? Why have I reached this point?" Yan Hui said: "Master, just carry out your way, and the world will be the same." If I don't tolerate it, what does it matter? If I don't practice the Tao and give up when I get stuck, that would be my shame."
In order to promote his moral ideals, Confucius was trapped between Chen and Cai for many days, but he still did not change his ambition and did not give up his plan to go to Chu. Later, King Zhao of Chu raised an army to meet Confucius and ended the trouble between Chen and Cai.
After arriving in Chu State, Confucius thought that this time he could finally promote his political ideas, and the King of Chu also "wanted to use the place of the Book Club to seal Confucius", but unexpectedly, it was stranded due to the opposition of Ling Yin Zixi. After being frustrated, Confucius had no choice but to return to the Kingdom of Wei. A few years later, with the efforts of his disciple Ran Qiu, Confucius was welcomed back to the Kingdom of Lu, thus ending his fourteen-year stay in exile.
Confucius traveled around the world, traveled thousands of miles, experienced hardships, and encountered obstacles everywhere, but he could always maintain confidence and never waver in his political opinions.
After returning to the state of Lu, Confucius was still respected and ignored by the rulers. Confucius also realized that he was old and could no longer make great achievements in politics. Therefore, in addition to educating students, he also organized and deleted ancient documents. According to legend, "Poems", "Books", "Li", "Yi", "Spring and Autumn", etc. were all compiled by Confucius.
