The descendants of the Meng family
I hope that Gongyan will inherit Hongwen, Zhenshangyan
Xingyu Chuan will succeed Guangzhao, Xianqing and Fanxiang
Let Dewei protect Qin Shaoxian and make his thoughts famous
Build roads, make peace, build peace and repair Zhao Yi often
Yu Wen Huan Jing Rui Yong Xi Shi Xuchang
《 "The Meng Family Genealogy" says: Seniors "are distinguished by seniority and inferiority, and their names are determined by their seniority." Meng's naming of seniority began in the Ming Dynasty. During the Jingtai period of the Ming Dynasty, Meng Xiwen, the fifty-sixth generation grandson of Mencius, was awarded the hereditary Imperial Academy. Counting from those who received Ph.D. in the Five Classics from the Academy, descendants of Mencius began to confer worldly positions. At that time, ten descendants were established: "Xi, Yan, Gong, Yan, Cheng, Hong, Wen, Zhen, Shang, and Yin". Later, in order to avoid the taboo of Aixinjueluo Hongli, Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty (Qianlong), the name "Hong" was changed. ", as "Hong", in order to avoid the taboo of Aixinjueluo Yinzhen, Emperor Shizong of the Qing Dynasty (Yongzheng), "Yin" was changed to "Yan". At the end of the Ming Dynasty, ten more character generations were established: "Xing, Yu, Chuan, Ji, Guang, Zhao, Xian, Qing, Fan, and Xiang". In the fourth year of the Qing Dynasty (1865), when the Meng family revised the genealogy, they established ten more character generations: "Ling, De, Wei, Chui, You, Qin, Shao, Nian, Xian, and Yang". In the early years of the Republic of China, "Jian, Dao, Dun, An, Ding, Mao, Xiu, Zhao, Yi, Chang, Yu, Wen, Huan, Jing, Rui, Yong, Xi, Shi" were established. ", Xu, Chang" were written in twenty characters, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the then Beiyang Warlord Government was consulted for approval and published in the newspaper. In this way, from Meng Ke to Meng Fanji, seventy-four generations have passed, and to the generation of "Chang", there have been ten and five generations.
The Meng family genealogy requires clan members to strictly abide by the naming of generations. Otherwise, it will not be included in the genealogy and will only be treated as "Outer Meng". Since the Ming Dynasty, the Meng clan has followed clan rules and attached great importance to the relationship between superiors and subordinates. Usually when people of the Meng clan meet, they always ask "Which sect does the other party belong to?" Others asked, "How old is he?" "How many generations" refers to how many generations of Meng Ke's descendants he is. If the other party cannot answer, not only will you feel ashamed, but you will also be ridiculed by the other party and forget your ancestors. Therefore, the Meng clan people attach great importance to this.
According to the "Meng Family Genealogy" compiled during the Republic of China: Kong, Yan, Zeng, Min, etc. of the Meng family and the Confucian school "although have different surnames and different ancestors, it can be shown that they are both descendants of Confucianism" ", so these surnames all have the same generation. The "Meng Family Genealogy" of the Republic of China also stipulated sixteen clan mottos for the descendants of the Meng family, namely, filial piety, loyalty, reading, farming, tolerance, diligence, thrift, good deeds, duty, abstaining from luxury, gambling, lewdness, and alcohol. Abstain from raising cattle and sheep in the spaces between tombs, abstaining from engaging in lawsuits, and abstaining from joking. Some of these family mottos may seem outdated now, but most of them still have positive significance today.
The hall name is a proxy for each surname. The hall name is often determined based on the glorious achievements of the ancestors, the deeds of characters or stories that can inspire future generations, such as "Wuyue Hall" with the surname Qian, "Wuyue Hall" with the surname Zhou, etc. ", Xiliu Hall", "Sanhuai Hall" for those surnamed Wang, etc. Some have only one hall number, while others have multiple hall names, such as "Pingzhi Hall", "Le'an Hall" for those surnamed Sun. , "Fuchundang", "Yingxuetang" and other four hall names
The name of the hall named Meng is "Sanqiantang". Its origin is that Meng Ke's mother taught her children well, in order to cultivate them. Meng Ke became a talented person and moved three times, and finally moved next to the school, so that Mencius could be trained into a saint. This is the story of "Meng Meng's mother chose a neighbor" in the "Three Character Classic". The story of "Meng Ke's three moves" first appeared in this book. The "Biography of Women" written by Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty states: Meng's mother "she lived close to the tomb. Mencius was a young man, so he played in the tomb and actively buried her. Mencius's mother said: This is not the way to live as a son. Go. She is in the market, and her play is Jia Xuan. Mencius' mother said: This is not the way to live as a son. Next to Tushe's school palace, they were playing with a set of beans, bowing to give way to advance and retreat. Meng's mother said: This is really a good place to live as a son. So he lived there."
The translation is as follows:
According to the "Biography of Women" written by Liu Xiang of the Western Han Dynasty: Meng's mother and Mencius originally lived next to a cemetery. Because the funeral crowds often came from his home Therefore, the nine-year-old Meng Ke often saw the mourners and imitated the mourners, or learned how to cry like a dutiful son, or learned to play the trumpet, or played the game of carrying the coffin and burying the dead with his friends. Seeing all this, Mencius' mother thought that living here would not only affect Meng Ke's studies, but also corrupt his moral character, so she moved to Miaohuying in the northwest of Zouxian County. At that time, Miaohuying was a prosperous market town. Traveling merchants and merchants are here to welcome you, and quacks and sorcerers are hiding things and deceiving others. Being in such a bustling city all day long, Meng Ke and his neighbor's children imitated merchants doing business, bargaining, hawking and shouting. His east neighbor was a butcher, and Meng Ke often went to learn how to butcher pigs and sheep. Meng's mother thought that this place was not conducive to Mencius' study and growth, so she moved to the school outside the south gate of Zouxian County. At that time, this was the academy set up by Confucius' third-generation grandson Kongji (also known as Zisi), and it was called "Zisi Academy". After Mencius moved here, he heard the sound of reading every day. He often went to the academy to study and practice Zhou Dynasty etiquette with Zisi's disciples. Meng's mother sent him to the Academy to study with Zisi's students. Because Mencius studied seriously, he eventually became a great Confucian. It can be seen that Meng’s mother had very good intentions in educating her son. Therefore, later generations of the Meng family took this as the name of the hall and called it "Sanqian Hall".