Chapter 20 Chapter 20 The Two Rings Between Confucius and Mencius

For thousands of years, there has been a common saying among the common people: Seventy-three, eighty-four, the king of Hades won't tell me to go.Why do you say this way?Because the most holy Confucius died at the age of seventy-three, and the sub-sage Mencius died at the age of eighty-four. Confucius and Mencius have a pivotal and unshakable position in the history of our country. They are naturally inextricably linked. However, unlike most people’s imagination, Mencius was not a student of Confucius. The fact is this: Mencius was A student of a disciple of Zisi (grandson of Confucius), Zisi was taught by Zeng Shen (respected by his disciples as Zeng Zi), one of Confucius' main disciples.

As the two links between Confucius and Mencius, it is necessary for us to have an in-depth understanding of Zengzi and Zisi. Zeng Shen, Ziyu, was born in Nanwucheng (now Pingyi, Shandong) in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He was a disciple of Confucius and one of the seventy-two sages. He was famous for his self-cultivation and filial piety, and he wrote a lot. .He was revered as "Zongsheng" after his death. According to legend, Zeng Shen is a descendant of Qu Lie, son of Shaokang in the Xia Dynasty, and the son of Zeng Dian, an early student of Confucius, that is to say, both father and son are disciples of Confucius.When Zeng Shen was young, his family had already declined. In order to make ends meet, he and his mother engaged in agriculture and handicraft labor, living a poor life of "no fire for three days and no clothes for ten years".Zeng Shen was cast under the teacher's school when Confucius was traveling around the world. He was calm, loyal and honest, humble and diligent, and had the courage of a man, so he was deeply loved by Confucius.Thanks to the careful teaching of Confucius, and Zeng Shen's diligent study and strict self-cultivation, he soon became a man of erudition and success in learning.

At that time, Zeng Shen's parents were still alive. In order to support his family, he went to Ju State to become an official who "gets three grains of millet".During this period, he participated in lectures by apprentices, and there were more than 70 disciples. Wu Qi, who later became a great military strategist, was one of them.After the death of his parents, he traveled south to Chu State and also served as a "respected official".However, he later left politics.Qi State, Chu State, and Jin State wanted to welcome him as "President", "Ling Yin" and "Shangqing" respectively, but he refused to take any office, but devoted himself to studying and teaching disciples, and eventually became a generation of Confucian masters.What's even more rare is that he also wrote many works such as "Book of Filial Piety", "Zeng Zi" and "Great Learning" in his life, and he is the most prolific among the disciples of Confucianism.

Filial piety has always occupied the most prominent position in Zeng Shen's thoughts and behaviors. He himself is also one of the "Twenty-Four Filial Pieties". .Once, Zeng Shen was chopping firewood in the mountains, and a guest came to his house. His mother didn't know what to do, and hoped that his son would come back soon, but Zeng Shen still didn't come back.So she bit her own finger, and Zeng Shen suddenly felt heartbroken, so he immediately carried firewood home, knelt down in front of his mother, and asked why.Mother said: "A guest came suddenly, I will bite my finger to make you understand."

There is also a story of Zeng Shen's honesty about killing pigs among the people: Zeng Shen's wife originally agreed to kill pigs for her son to eat, but later she couldn't bear it. If you don't believe in your mother, you won't be able to teach yourself." Then, he slaughtered pigs to fulfill his promise. The very familiar "I examine myself three times a day" is also related to Zeng Shen. It is his recorded words, which means that a person should conduct self-examination many times a day and reflect on various problems in a timely manner. Zeng Shen's ideology is relatively rich, and his influence is also very wide. The rulers of the past dynasties bestowed upon him posthumous titles such as "Prince Shaobao", "Uncle Yi", "Hou Hou", "Marquis of Wucheng", and "Duke of the Kingdom of Yi".In the first year of Zhishun (1330) in the Yuan Dynasty, he was even conferred the title of "Shenggong of Yi Guozong" and became one of the only "two sages" among Confucius' disciples (the other sage was "Fusheng" Yan Hui).

Zisi, surnamed Kong and given name Ji, is the grandson of Confucius and one of the representatives of Confucianism. It is a pity that it is difficult to examine Zisi's life and deeds in detail. "Historical Records The Family of Confucius" contains: "Confucius gave birth to carp, named Boyu. Boyu gave birth to Ji, named Zisi"; "Tasting trapped in the Song Dynasty, Zisi wrote "The Mean".It is said that he was once a teacher and Zeng Shen, and according to "Mencius" records: Zisi was once respected as a sage by Duke Lu Miao and Duke Fei Hui, and treated each other with respect as a teacher, but he was never used.

"Hanshu Yiwenzhi" once recorded 23 pieces of "Zisi", but unfortunately it has been lost.Zisi inherits from Zeng Shen and enlightens Mencius, and plays an important role in the inheritance of Confucian and Mencius "orthodoxy", and "The Doctrine of the Mean" is also one of the main works of Confucian mind and nature theory. Xunzi discussed Zisi and Meng Ke's studies in "The Twelve Sons of Fei", saying: "Studying the law of the ancestors without knowing their traditions is still a matter of great ambition, and miscellaneous knowledge. Secluded and unclassified, secluded and unspoken, closed and unresolved. The case is decorated with words but only respected: this is the words of a true gentleman. Zi Si sings it, Meng Ke and it..." Han Feizi in his " "Xian Xue" discusses that "Confucianism is divided into eight" after the death of Confucius, and "Zisi Confucianism" is also one of them.

During the reign of Huizong in the Northern Song Dynasty, Zisi was posthumously named "Marquis of Yishui".