1. Early Education
Confucius lived an extremely difficult life in his early years. He said: "I am a young man who is humble, so I can do many despicable things." When Confucius was three years old, his uncle Liang He died. He was buried in Fangshan in the east of Lu State. Confucius' mother did not tell Confucius the location of the tomb. Yan moved to Qufu Queli and raised him. As a child, Confucius often arranged sacrificial ritual vessels (zudou) and practiced performing rituals as a kind of game.
Confucius’s mother died when he was 17 years old, and Confucius wanted to bury his parents together. In order to find out where his father was buried, he stopped his mother's coffin at the intersection (the Five Fathers' Road) and asked passers-by. Later, Confucius's neighbor Manfu's mother told Confucius where his uncle Liang He was tomb, so Confucius buried his parents together in Fangshan. The next year, when Confucius was in mourning for his mother, Ji Sun gave a banquet to a first-level scholar (fushishi). Confucius went there, but was scolded and rejected by Ji Sun's retainer Yang Hu. However, later scholars suspected that this matter was false.
When he was 19 years old, Confucius worked as a clerk, commissioned official and Chengtian and other minor officials for the Lu noble family Ji Sun, managing warehousing and animal husbandry. He married Qi Guan, a native of the Song Dynasty, and gave birth to a son in the second year. Duke Zhao of Lu sent someone to send a carp to express his congratulations, and the son was named Kong Li, also known as Boyu. Kong Li died before Confucius, leaving behind his son Kong Ji, also named Zisi.
At the age of 23, Confucius began to recruit apprentices and give lectures in the countryside. His students included Yan You (father of Yan Hui), Zeng Dian (father of Zeng Shen), Ran Geng, etc. In the seventeenth year of Duke Zhao of Lu, Tanzi, the king of Tan, visited Lu [15]. Tanzi was erudite and talented, and the 27-year-old Confucius came to see him. There is a saying in Han Yu's "Shi Shuo": "Confucius learned from Tanzi." Confucius successively "asked for courtesy from Lao Dan, learned drums and qin from his teacher Xiangzi, and visited Chang Hong for his music."
About thirty years old. , some of the first disciples came to Confucius. Since then, Confucius has been engaged in education. He recruited many disciples. According to legend, he had three thousand disciples and seventy-two sages. He pioneered the idea of ??teaching without distinction and teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. He became the pioneer and representative of academic downward movement and private teaching at that time. Therefore, later generations respected him as "the eternal teacher" and "the most holy teacher".
2. Shiqi
At the age of thirty-five, Duke Zhao of Lu was defeated by the Jisun, Shusun, and Mengsun clans in power in the Lu State, and fled to Qi State. , Confucius left the state of Lu and went to the state of Qi. Confucius once talked about music with Grand Master Qi, heard the beauty of Shao music, and did not know the taste of meat in March. Duke Jinggong of Qi asked Confucius about the government, and Confucius said: "The king is the king, the ministers are the ministers, the father is the father, the sons are the sons."
Qi Jinggong said: "How good! Believe that the king is not the king, the minister is not the minister, the father is not the father, I don’t have children. Although I have grain, how can I eat it?” The next day, he asked Confucius about government. Confucius said, “Government is about saving money.” Duke Jing wanted to make Confucius the official of Nixitian, but Yan Ying, the prime minister of Qi State, advised him. To dissuade him, Yan Ying believed that Confucius would interfere with Qi's culture. Later, when he learned that Doctor Qi wanted to harm Confucius, Jinggong had no choice but to dismiss Confucius. Confucius returned to the state of Lu and gathered his disciples to teach.
3. Beginning to Serve in the State of Lu
In the ninth year of Duke Dinggong of Lu, the 51-year-old Confucius served in Lu. Later, he became Sikong and was promoted to Great Sikou. During this period, he also took photos and photographs.
In the tenth year of Lu Dinggong, Lu Dinggong and Qi Jingggong were in Jiagu. In this incident, Confucius made "literary and military preparations" and won a diplomatic victory, allowing Qi to return Wenyang and others who had invaded Lu. land.
In the thirteenth year of Duke Dinggong of Lu, Confucius, in order to re-establish the authority of the Duke of Lu, planned and implemented the political and military action of "Three Capitals", hoping to reduce the strength of the Three Huans, so he first fell into the surname of his uncle Sun. After that, he fell into the hands of the Jisun family again, but the offensive to siege Xiyi failed.
In the fourteenth year of Lu Dinggong's reign, Confucius executed Shaozhengmao, a Lu doctor who was rebellious. However, some people believe that the Shaozhengmao incident was fabricated by later scholars who were influenced by Legalist thought.
Because the state of Lu was improving under the rule of Confucius, the people of Qi were alarmed. Li Ji, the official of Qi, designed to send Lu a female musician and a horse to make Lu Dinggong ignore the government affairs, and let Confucius and Lu Ding The moral and policy differences between Gong Gong, Ji Huanzi and others were difficult to bridge, and Confucius eventually went to Lu Shiwei.
4. Traveling around the countries
After leaving Lu, Confucius led his disciples to travel around the countries, including Wei, Cao, Song, Zheng, Chen, Cai, Ye, Chu and other places. However, none of them were reused. During this period, Confucius and his party were trapped and in danger many times in Kuang, Song, Pu and other places.
5. During the period of staying in Weiguo
Confucius arrived in Weiguo. When he was going to Chendi, he passed by Kuangcheng. Yan Kejuce pointed to the gap outside Guoguo and said: "I entered here before. "Because of his tall stature, the Kuang people mistakenly thought that Confucius was the Yanghu of Lu, and he was rounded up. Zilu was angry, grabbed his halberd and prepared to fight, but was stopped by Confucius.
During the process, Confucius was separated from Yan Hui, and for a time he thought Yan Hui was dead.
Wei Linggong provided Confucius with the same salary as Shi Lu. After living there for a while, he was falsely accused and left.
Confucius returned to Weiguo after staying in Pucheng for several months. When paying homage to Nanzi, the wife of Duke Ling of Wei, Confucius faced north, lowered his head to the ground, and did not look directly at her. His wife Nanzi also paid homage to Confucius again behind the curtain. After Zilu learned about it, he was very dissatisfied about it. He didn't say anything on the surface, but Confucius knew it in his heart. Confucius swore to Zilu and said to heaven: "If I do something wrong, let God despise me!" A few months later , Wei Linggong and his wife Nanzi were in the same carriage, Confucius was second, and the other officials followed, passing through the market in a ostentatious manner. Confucius was ashamed of this matter. Yan Ke asked what the shame was. Confucius sighed: "I have never seen anyone who loves morality as much as he loves beauty!" and left Weiguo.
6. Overcoming the Crisis of the Song Dynasty
After Confucius arrived in the Song Dynasty, he practiced etiquette with his disciples under a big tree. Sima Huan of the Song Dynasty wanted to kill Confucius and uprooted the tree. The disciple planned to leave as soon as possible, but Confucius said: "I am born with virtue, how can Huan Yu do it?"
7. Losing each other in Zheng
When Confucius was in the state of Zheng, he and his disciples After being separated, Confucius stood alone at Guodong Gate. Someone told Zigong that there was someone at the east gate who looked like a bereaved dog. The disciples finally found Confucius and told him this. Confucius smiled happily and said: "The shape is the last. But it looks like a bereaved dog. Yes! Yes!"
8. Trapped Chen Cai
When Wu was conquering Chen and Chu was conquering Cai, King Zhao of Chu sent someone to hire Confucius, and Confucius set out immediately. Officials Chen and Cai were afraid that Confucius would be used by the Chu State, so they besieged Confucius in the wilderness of Chen and Cai. Confucius and others were not allowed to travel. They were without food for seven days, and many of his disciples fell ill. Many of his disciples were unhappy, but Confucius continued to lecture and recite it. Later, Zigong was sent to Chu, and King Zhao of Chu raised an army to meet Confucius.
9. Later years
After fourteen years of wandering around the world, in 484 BC, Confucius, who was nearly 70 years old, was welcomed back to the state of Lu by Ji Kangzi and was honored as an elder. However, Before being appointed by Duke Ai of Lu, Confucius focused on education and compilation of ancient books during this period. In 483 BC, his only son Kong Li died before Confucius. In 481 BC, Yan Hui died before him. Confucius sighed with emotion: "In the past, those who followed me in Chen and Cai were not as good as my disciples." In the summer of the fourteenth year of Duke Ai, Chen Heng of Qi State killed his king. Confucius fasted and bathed for three days, and begged Duke Ai to attack Qi. Duke Ai asked him to " "Sue Ji Sun", Confucius later asked Ji Kangzi to send troops, but was rejected.
On March 9, 479 BC (Jichou Day in April of the 16th year of Duke Ai of Lu, March 9 in the Julian calendar, March 4 in the Gregorian calendar, February 11 in the Lunar calendar), Confucius He died at the age of seventy-three and was buried on the shore of Surabaya in the north of Qufu City. His disciples mourned him for three years, and Zigong guarded Confucius' grave for six years. Looking back on his life, Confucius said: "When I was fifteen, I was determined to learn; when I was thirty, I was established; when I was forty, I was not confused; when I was fifty, I knew the destiny of heaven; when I was sixty, my ears were obedient; when I was seventy, I followed my heart's desires without exceeding the rules."
Extended information:
Confucius (551 BC to 479 BC), whose surname was Qiu and whose courtesy name was Zhongni, was a native of Zou Yi (now southeast of Qufu City, Shandong Province) of the State of Lu in the late Spring and Autumn Period. A famous thinker, educator and founder of Confucianism in ancient my country. According to legend, Confucius had three thousand disciples and seventy-two virtuous disciples. Confucius led his disciples to travel around the world for fourteen years. In his later years, he devoted himself to the compilation of ancient documents, revised "Poems" and "Books", settled "Li" and "Music", prefaced "Book of Changes", and wrote "Spring and Autumn".
His thoughts take "benevolence" as the core, which means "loving others". He advocates the implementation of "benevolent government" and should use "propriety" as the norm. "Restraining oneself and restoring propriety is benevolence"; " advocates that "juniors, ministers, fathers, sons and sons" should all live up to their "names"; they should pay attention to the combination of "learning" and "thinking". The so-called "learning without thinking is useless, thinking without thinking" "Learning leads to peril"; pioneered the private teaching style, advocating teaching in accordance with aptitude, "teaching without distinction", "never tired of learning, never tired of teaching", emphasizing that "a gentleman will love others when he learns the Tao, and a villain will learn the Tao easily".
Since the Western Han Dynasty, Confucianism has become the cultural orthodoxy of feudal society for more than two thousand years, and its influence has been extremely far-reaching. The existing book "The Analects of Confucius" records the questions and answers between Confucius and his disciples, which is the main material for studying Confucius' theory.