Chapter 20 Anecdotes about Confucius

Now it's time to talk about Kong Qiu. In the history of China, there is no one who has carried so many honors and praises from Confucius, and no one has been scolded like Kong Qiu for his heinous crimes.He is the best person, "the sky was not born with Zhongni, and the ages are like the eternal night", so is Jesus; he is the worst person, the greatest representative of feudalism that has been oppressing the Chinese people for a long time. For many years, he was pulled out to accept criticism.Love him or hate him, praise or belittle him, it is undeniable that he has become a symbol of Chinese civilization, and the Confucianism he founded has penetrated into the soul of every Chinese.

As mentioned earlier in this book, the ancestors of Confucius can be traced back to Sima Kong Fujia of the Song Dynasty in the early Spring and Autumn Period.At that time, Kong Fujia was killed by Hua Fudu, and his descendants fled to Lu State, so they established the Kong family with Kong as their family.During the reign of Duke Xiang of Lu, a descendant of the Kong family known as Shulianghe (named He, styled Shuliang) was not very disciplined, and had an affair with a woman of the Yan family in the wild.Afterwards, Shu Lianghe put on his trousers and left, unaware that he had just done a major event that changed China.

The Yan woman felt a strange change in her body.Ten months later, she gave birth to a remarkable looking baby boy.It is said that his appearance is extraordinary, but it is not necessarily so strange, but the shape of the head is raised on all sides and sunken in the middle, like a small hill, so he was called Kongqiu, whose name is Zhongni.From the word "Zhong", descendants can know that Kong Qiu was the second in his family, so he was also called the second child of Kong Qiu. Confucius' childhood may not have been happy.Shulianghe passed away when he was three years old.Shu Lianghe was a famous strongman in the state of Lu, who could lift a city gate weighing more than a thousand catties with both hands. If he didn't die, he might be able to train Kong Qiu to become a weightlifter.However, there is no if.The truth is, when the children around were playing war games on bamboo horses, Kong Qiu was keen on playing house, but his play house was also different—putting out a few broken bowls and pretending to bow and salute , I imagined that I was a prince and aristocrat, holding sacrifices in the temple, or receiving visiting distinguished guests in the court.Throughout his life, Confucius' love for "rituals" became obsessive.

The so-called etiquette, in a nutshell, is Zhouli, and the words "ritual" and "inappropriate etiquette" that appear many times in this book refer to this ritual.Do not equate Zhou Li with Jin Zhengkun's business etiquette, which refers to a whole set of theories about the feudal rule of the Zhou Dynasty.Etiquette and etiquette are but the most superficial part of it. At the age of nineteen, Kong Qiu had his first job as a petty official in charge of land and warehouses for the Ji family.In the same year, he married the daughter of Qi Guan's family from Song Dynasty as his wife.Confucius in this period did not leave too many historical records for later generations. People only know that: first, he was eager to learn; second, he was depressed and had a difficult life; He sent a carp as a gift, and he named his son Kong Li.

When he was twenty-seven years old, Tanzi, the king of the state of Tan, came to Qufu to pay homage to Lu Zhaogong.Although Tanzi is the monarch of a small country in a remote area, his knowledge is not trivial, especially his deep research on the official system in ancient times.Confucius went to ask Tanzi for advice, and when he came back, he said with emotion: "I heard that the ancient official system has been lost in the Son of Heaven, but the knowledge is still preserved in Siyi. Today I finally understand it." After that, Confucius devoted himself more to his studies.He also accepted some disciples one after another, and began to spread his knowledge.With more and more disciples, his fame has also grown, but he has always maintained a humble attitude.

Confucius said to his disciples: "I speak but not write." It means that he only repeats the theories of ancient sages and sages, and he has nothing to achieve.Of course not.In this way, Confucius added a religious flavor to his teachings (although he claimed not to talk about strange powers and gods).All his theories are unquestionable, and there is no way to question them, because they are things stipulated by the ancients.In this theoretical system, he himself played the role of a prophet, responsible for spreading these so-called ancient knowledge to the world. Many people believed what Kong Qiu said, but there were also experts who dismissed Kong Qiu's tricks.It is said that Confucius once went to Luoyi to meet Lao Tzu.Lao Tzu is the head librarian of the royal family, knowledgeable and unpredictable.Confucius respectfully asked Lao Tzu about rites, expecting to get a satisfactory answer. Unexpectedly, Lao Tzu just breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Are you here to ask about rites? Those stories you told, those who fabricated them Even the bones of people have decayed, and only their words are still circulating in the world. Do you think it is credible? As a gentleman, when you are lucky, you will be an official in a car. The wind is blowing. I heard that a good businessman should hide his wealth as if he had nothing; a gentleman has good character and wisdom, but looks like a fool on the surface. You should Get rid of pride and greed, as well as good looks and unrealistic desires, these things are harmful to you. That's all I have to say."

By the way, Kong Qiu is 1.9 meters tall, with a jade tree facing the wind, he is indeed a handsome man.After being scolded by Lao Tzu like this, his face turned red and white, and he was at a loss.After returning home, he said to his disciples: "Birds, I know they can fly; fishes, I know they can swim; beasts, I know they can walk. Those that walk on the ground can be caught with a net, and those that swim in the water can be caught with a line." Go fishing, you can use arrows to shoot anything that flies in the sky. As for the dragon, I have nothing to do with it, it can ride the wind and ride the clouds straight to the sky. I saw Lao Tzu today, isn’t this man a dragon?”

Having said that, Confucius still insisted on going his own way, let Lao Tzu say it!He expanded the scope of enrollment, positioned himself as a vocational educator (although he still has a job in the government), and declared to the outside world: "As long as you take ten pieces of bacon as a gift, I will teach him!" The barriers to entry are really low enough of.Because of this, the number of his disciples is increasing day by day, known as three thousand disciples.Many government officials also worshiped him as a teacher, and foreigners came here admiringly. His influence far exceeded his position in the government.

When ordinary people reach this level, they will consider entering the sea and jumping outside the system to do a career.But Confucius was not like this. He insisted that "a person who excels in learning will become an official".After learning a lot of knowledge, if you don't become an official, it's like talking on paper, and it doesn't make any sense.What Engels said at the grave of Marx can be applied to Confucius: he was not satisfied with being a theorist, what he wanted to do was to change the world and transform it into what he thought was normal. When Confucius was 30 years old, he met Qi Jinggong and Yan Ying who were visiting in Qufu.It is said that there was a brief conversation between them, and Qi Jinggong fully agreed with his point of view.This dialogue became an opportunity for him to go to Qi State five years later.

When Kongqiu was thirty-four years old, the patriarch of the Meng family, Zhongsun Bi, passed away. Before his death, he entrusted his two sons, Zhongsun Heji and Nangong Jingshu, to Confucius to learn rituals from him.This is also the highest-ranking student Confucius has ever accepted. When Kong Qiu was thirty-five years old, civil strife broke out in Lu State, and Lu Zhaogong was driven to Qi State by Ji Sun Yiru.Zhongsun Heji was fourteen years old at the time, and the family affairs of the Meng family were controlled by retainers. They stood on Jisun Yiru's side and participated in the attack on Lu Zhaogong.For this approach, Kong Qiu definitely could not agree. He chose to vote with his feet, and he followed in the footsteps of Lu Zhaogong and came to Qi.At the beginning, he worked as a tutor in the Gao family, hoping to meet Qi Jinggong again through the Gao family.After a long wait, he finally got his wish.What must be explained here is that he is not the kind of person who wastes time. During the waiting process, he found a great musician in Qi State to learn ancient music, and he was so addicted to it that "I don't know the taste of meat in three months". good talk.

Duke Jing of Qi saw Confucius and asked a question: How to govern the country?This is a big question, but Confucius only used eight words to answer: "Jun Jun, ministers, father and son, son and son." Qi Jinggong slapped his thigh and said a big truth: "It's so good, if you Not like that, even if there is food in the warehouse, I'm afraid I won't be able to eat it!" These eight characters are often criticized in modern times, and they are considered to be the concentrated expression of feudal thought.In the author's personal opinion, feudalism is true, but the idea of ​​"rectification of names" revealed behind the eight characters is a universal principle.Just imagine, the principle that the ruler has the appearance of the ruler, and the minister has the minister, is not only a constraint on the minister, but also a constraint on the monarch. Is there anything wrong?In a society, if the "public servants" are pampered and domineering, while the "masters" are precarious and silent, shouldn't they also think about the eight characters of Confucius and correct their names? A few days later, Duke Jing of Qi received Kong Qiu again and asked him again on how to govern the state.Confucius' answer was still very simple: "Save money." That money is the hard-earned money of ordinary people. Don't hold a sports meeting today and a singing competition tomorrow, and repair an office building that is more impressive than that of Emperor Zhou.Think more when spending money, and use the money on ideas, then it’s OK!Qi Jinggong was very happy when he heard this, so he wanted to reward Kong Qiu with a fief, so that he could serve Qi with peace of mind.Unexpectedly, Yan Ying stood up and strongly objected: "These Confucian scholars are talking nonsense about nonsense, and their words are nice, but no one is willing to implement them. They behave arrogantly and self-righteously, and no one can command them. They are especially fond of funerals, and even bankruptcy This kind of atmosphere should not be encouraged! They lobbied everywhere, promoted outdated political views, and asked for officials and money. How could such a person be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility? It has been many years since the Zhou Dynasty's rituals have collapsed, but he is still talking nonsense there. How to dress properly and how to get on and off the car gracefully is a set of things that people can't learn in a lifetime, and they can't master it after many years. If you want to use his theory to govern Qi, I'm afraid it will backfire. " Yan Ying is undoubtedly a very wise person, but from the previous "two peaches kill three scholars" and his current attitude towards Confucius, it is not difficult to see that he actually has a narrow side.Qi Jinggong has always obeyed Yan Ying's words. When he saw Confucius again, although he still respected him, he stopped raising issues about governing the country.Confucius felt the change, and soon left Qi and returned to Lu. In 509 BC, Duke Ding of Lu came to the throne, and Confucius was forty-two years old.The political situation in Lu State is still unstable.Maybe it was inspired by Lao Tzu, or maybe it was the experience of time, Kong Qiu now has a much calmer attitude towards being an official.He said to his students: "If the country has the way, its words are enough to prosper; if the country has no way, its silence is enough to tolerate." If the country's politics is enlightened, I will just say a few words;This tactful attitude is completely different from the Kong Qiu who vowed to justify the world's name back then.He also said: "I can't do it, let's float on the sea." This is a further statement: If no one really wants to listen to my nagging, I will take a small boat and drift to the sea to live in seclusion! Confucius during this period was indeed keeping a low profile and shifting his attention to matters that had nothing to do with politics.In 505 BC, Ji Sun Yiru passed away, and Ji Sun Si inherited the family business.One day, Ji's family was digging a well in the yard and dug out a jar, which contained a small animal similar to a sheep.A few good people deliberately went to Kong Qiu to deceive him: "We have dug up a dog." Kong Qiu asked about the situation and said with certainty: "As far as I know, it should be a sheep." People were surprised: " How did you know?" Kong Qiu said: "It is said in the book that the monsters in the mountains are called Kui, the monsters in the water are called dragons, and the monsters in the soil are called tomb sheep. If the monsters are found by digging a well, they must be sheep. .” Those people got bored and walked away resentfully. There is another story.Helu, the king of Wu, sent troops to conquer Yue, and got a bone in Kuaiji City. The joints alone could fill a cart, and no one could recognize it.He heard that Confucius was very knowledgeable, so he sent someone to Qufu to ask Confucius.Confucius said: "Xia Yu summoned the gods and ghosts from all over the world to Kuaiji Mountain for a meeting. Fangfeng was late, so Yu killed him and exhibited his body. A bone of him was as long as a car. I guess what you got It is the bones of the Fangfeng family." The people of Wu were surprised, and asked again: "What about the gods and ghosts?" Confucius said: "The god of mountains and rivers can govern the world, and the person who is in charge of offering sacrifices to mountains and rivers is called a god. Those who belong to the country are the feudal lords, and they are all under the jurisdiction of the emperor of Zhou." The people of Wu were dizzy and asked, "What does the Fangfeng clan care about?" Confucius said, "Sacrifice to Fengshan and Yushan." The people of Wu Asked the last question: "How tall is Fangfeng?" Kong Qiu smiled: "Zanji is three feet tall, this is the shortest person. The tallest person can't exceed ten times, at most it is three feet. "Wu Guoren was so impressed, he returned with satisfaction. It's a pity that Confucius didn't write The Lord of the Rings with so much strange knowledge.It was the time when Yang Hu was in trouble for the Ji family. As mentioned in the previous section of this book, it seems that Kong Qiu also came out to help Yang Hu.But soon he realized that this was a political vortex, and it was very risky to stand on any side, so he returned home and specialized in organizing "Poems", "Rituals" and "Music".According to legend, he also started to revise the history book "Spring and Autumn Annals" of the Lu State during this period, which is the historical fact on which most of the content of this book is based. If Confucius did do those things, then he did make an indelible contribution to the inheritance of Chinese culture.As we all know, during the Spring and Autumn Period, there was chaos, ceremonies collapsed and music was broken, and the ancient classics were incomplete. In addition, the Zhou Dynasty encountered the chaos of the Prince Dynasty, and a large number of ancient books were lost and damaged.Confucius almost turned the tide. On the one hand, he examined the ritual and music systems of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, and on the other hand, he sorted out the incomplete texts.It is said that he compiled all the royal archives from Yao and Shun to Qin Mugong to form a complete set of materials.The "Book of History" and "Book of Rites" read by later generations were compiled by him.In addition, he also deleted and selected the poems that were handed down in ancient times, forming what people see now, and he added music scores to these more than 300 ancient poems, so that people can sing them easily. It was during this time that the number and quality of his students developed by leaps and bounds.According to Kong Qiu’s later self-report, among his students, “seven out of seven out of 70 were well-versed in their karma.” Among them, the most famous ones are: Yan Hui, courtesy name Ziyuan, was born in the state of Lu and was the chief disciple of Confucianism.Yan Hui doesn't seem to have any outstanding features, but his mentality is very good.Confucius once praised him: "One sack of food, one ladle of drink, in the alleys, people are unbearable, and they will not change their joy when they return." Simply put, poor and happy. Ran Yong, courtesy name Zhonggong, is the son of a bitch.Confucius didn't think he came from a poor and humble background, and thought that he was good at political affairs, could sit north and south, and listen to the government at the court-this evaluation is terrible! Ran Qiu, courtesy name Ziyou, was once the chief steward of the Ji family.Confucius thought that he could manage a city with thousands of households, which is the qualification of a county magistrate. Zhong Yuan, Zi Zilu, is also Ji's retainer, simple in nature and strong in martial arts.It is said that he once bullied Confucius, and later he was impressed by his knowledge, so he changed into Confucian clothes and became a student of Confucius.Confucius thought that he could manage the country of a thousand chariots, which is the material for a prince. Zaiyu, the word is me.This person has sharp teeth and is good at debating, so Confucius doesn't like him very much.Once Confucius saw Zai Yu sleeping in the daytime and commented: "Dead wood cannot be carved!" Duanmuci, courtesy name Zigong, a native of Wei, is also good at eloquence. Confucius often said that he is cunning, but he is more talented-he once served as the prime minister of Lu and Wei, and his wealth can rival the enemy. Zeng Shen, courtesy name Ziyu, is famous for his filial piety, and he is the author of "Book of Filial Piety".Don't underestimate this book. Since the Han Dynasty, the emperors of all dynasties in China have ruled the world with filial piety. It is actually the theoretical basis of Chinese politics for two thousand years. Gongye Chang, courtesy name Zi Chang, was born in Qi State, the son-in-law of Confucius. There were no newspapers and TVs in that era, and the more students there were, the more power they had to speak.In the eyes of the world, the image of Confucius is getting bigger and bigger.Yan Hui once blatantly praised his teacher in this way—Yan Yuan sighed (please note, the sigh is so expressive), saying: “Mr. Catching up, sometimes it feels right in front of us, and sometimes it seems to be behind us. He is so persuasive, expands our knowledge, and restrains us with etiquette, making us unable to stop. Even if we try our best, that tall figure Still towering in front. We kept getting close to him, but we couldn't reach his height." Confucius was so famous that people in the streets and alleys commented: "How great Confucius is! His knowledge is so profound, but it is impossible to say which family he belongs to." It's just using the classics of the predecessors to confirm my own thoughts.When Confucius heard this discussion, he smiled slyly, and said mockingly: "Yes, what kind of job am I doing? Driving a cart? Or archery? Probably a cart driver!" A sentence I said told the truth: "I learned these stupid things because I was not reused by the country!" In 501 BC, Confucius was fifty years old.Later, he summed up his life, and once said: "When I was five, I was determined to learn; at thirty, I stood up; at forty, I was not confused; at fifty, I knew the destiny; "As for what the destiny is, it is always vague.Later generations can only speculate literally that the so-called destiny is the mission given to a person by God. In this year, Yang Hu's attempt to destroy Sanhuan failed, and he fled to the state of Qi.Yang Hu's accomplice, Gongshan Buxuan, still occupies Feiyi and resists stubbornly.He sent someone to ask Kong Qiu to help him.No one with a little brain would agree to this request, but at the age of knowing his destiny, Confucius was actually moved!why? First of all, you have to understand him, staying at home for too long, wanting to be an official is crazy.Of course, Sima Qian said it very implicitly: Confucius has been enlightened for a long time, and he has never had the opportunity to display it, because no one can reuse him, so he does not want to give up when he gets the opportunity. Secondly, Confucius hated San Huan Zhuan Lu for a long time, as evidenced by: "It's tolerable to dance in court, which one can't be tolerated?" As I said before, this is scolding Ji Sun Yiru. "The three families use "Yong" thoroughly. The master said, Xiangwei Pigong, the emperor Mu Mu, took it from the hall of the three families?" Sanhuan sang the poem "Yong" when offering sacrifices to the ancestors and removing the sacrifices.Confucius was very opinionated. It was a poem written by the Son of Heaven. Is it appropriate to use it in Sanhuan's ancestral hall? "Ji's family traveled on Mount Tai. The son said that Ran You said, can Nvfu save him? Confrontation, no. Master said, woohoo! Did you ever say that Mount Tai is not as good as Lin Fang?" Ji Sunsi is going to worship at Mount Tai, treating himself as Became the Son of Heaven.Confucius asked Ran You to dissuade him, but Ran You thought it was impossible.Confucius lamented: "Could it be that the God of Mount Tai is not as understanding of etiquette as my student Lin Fang, and would accept Ji Sunsi's sacrifice?" Thirdly, Kong Qiu served as an official in the Ji family in his early years, but he was not reused. He was depressed and frustrated, and he had a long-standing grudge against the Ji family. With these three reasons, when Yang Hu asked him to be an official, he at least verbally agreed; when Gongshan Buxuan asked him to come out of the mountain in times of crisis, he was willing to go through fire and water.He said to his students: "Wen Wang and Wu Wang started in small places and achieved great things. Although Feiyi is small today, it may be able to achieve great things!" Packed up and was ready to go. The students disagreed, and Zhong You firmly opposed it.Confucius turned to persuade them: "Don't take people's hearts so badly. Those who invite me, don't they have a good thing? Besides, it depends on human effort. As long as they reuse me, I will establish an Eastern Zhou Dynasty for them!" Having said that, he thought about it all night, finally calmed down, and finally did not go.If he goes, he probably won't be able to live with his ear, and it's even more impossible to do what he wants without breaking the rules. Facts have also proved that he was right not to go.Soon after, Feiyi fell, and Gongshan Buxuan and Gongsun Zhe fled to the state of Qi, and later fled to the state of Wu.Because of his firm political stance, Kong Qiu was appointed by Lu Dinggong as a local official in Zhongdu.Due to his outstanding work in Zhongdu, he was later promoted to Sikong of Lu State, and then changed from Sikong to Da Sikou, that is, the chief justice.