This is a

family tree A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms. Representations of ...

of the main line of descent of

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

().

Family tree

List of prominent descendants of Confucius not in the main line

The title of Duke of Song and ''"Duke Who Continues and Honours the

Yin Yin may refer to: *the dark force in the yin and yang from traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine *Yīn (surname) (), a Chinese surname *Yǐn (surname) (), a Chinese surname *Shang dynasty, also known as the Yin dynasty **Yinxu or Yin, the S ...

"'' ( 殷紹嘉公) were bestowed upon Kong An ( 孔安 (東漢) by the Eastern Han dynasty because he was part of the Shang dynasty's legacy. This branch of the Confucius family is a separate branch from the line that held the title of Marquis of Fengsheng village and later Duke Yansheng. *

Kong Anguo Kong Anguo (; ca. 156 – ca. 74 BC), courtesy name Ziguo (), was a Confucian scholar and government official of the Western Han dynasty of ancient China. A descendant of Confucius, he wrote the ''Shangshu Kongshi Zhuan'', a compilation and comme ...

12th generation descendant, son of Kong Zhong () * Kong Jie 孔捷, Kong Xi 孔喜, Kong Guang 孔光, sons of Kong Ba 孔霸, younger brothers of Kong Fu 孔福. 14th generation descendants. *

Kong Zhou (Eastern Han) Kong Zhou (103–163, Mandarin Chinese: 孔宙, "''Pinyin'' Kǒng Zhòu") was the 20th lineal descendant of Confucius. He was also the father of Kong Rong. Kong Zhou had served as captain ( 都尉) of Mount Tai Commandery In the Middle Ages, a c ...

20th generation descendant *

Kong Rong Kong Rong () (153 – 26 September 208), courtesy name Wenju, was a Chinese poet, politician, and minor warlord. who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He was a 20th generation descendant of Confucius. As he was once the Chance ...

20th generation descendant * The Southern Branch of the Confucius family at Quzhou. During the

Southern Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

the descendant of

Qufu Qufu ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Shandong province, East China. It is located about south of the provincial capital Jinan and northeast of the prefectural seat at Jining. Qufu has an area of 815 square kilometers, and a total population of ...

, the

Duke Yansheng The Duke Yansheng, literally "Honorable Overflowing with Wisdom", sometimes translated as Holy Duke of Yen, was a Chinese title of nobility. It was originally created as a marquis title in the Western Han dynasty for a direct descendant o ...

Kong Duanyou fled south with the Song Emperor to

Quzhou Quzhou is a prefecture-level city in western Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the upper course of the Qiantang River, it borders Hangzhou to the north, Jinhua to the east, Lishui to the southeast, and the provinces o ...

, while the newly established

Jin dynasty (1115–1234) The Jin dynasty (, ; ) or Jin State (; Jurchen: Anchun Gurun), officially known as the Great Jin (), was an imperial dynasty of China that existed between 1115 and 1234. Its name is sometimes written as Kin, Jurchen Jin, Jinn, or Chin in ...

in the north appointed Kong Duanyou's brother Kong Duancao who remained in Qufu as Duke Yansheng. From that time up until the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

, there were two Duke Yanshengs, one in the north in Qufu and the other in the south at Quzhou. An invitation to come back to Qufu was extended to the southern Duke Yansheng Kong Zhu by the Yuan dynasty Emperor Kublai Khan. The title was taken away from the southern branch after Kong Zhu rejected the invitation,
so the northern branch of the family kept the title of Duke Yansheng. The southern branch still remained in Quzhou where they lived to this day. Confucius's descendants in Quzhou alone number 30,000. The

Hanlin Academy The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution of higher learning founded in the 8th century Tang China by Emperor Xuanzong in Chang'an. Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed sec ...

rank of Wujing boshi 五經博士 was awarded to the southern branch at Quzhou by a Ming Emperor while the northern branch at Qufu held the title Duke Yansheng. ** Kong Ruogu 孔若古 Kong Chuan () 47th generation Claimed to be the ancestor of the Southern branch after Kong Zhu died by Northern branch member Kong Guanghuang. The leader of the southern branch is 孔祥楷 Kong Xiangkai. * Kong Daofu 孔道輔 45th generation, Grand Master of Remonstrance of the Right under

Emperor Renzong of Song Emperor Renzong of Song (30 May 1010 – 30 April 1063), personal name Zhao Zhen, was the fourth emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned for about 41 years from 1022 to his death in 1063, and was the longest reigning Song dynasty empe ...

*Kong Zonghan 孔宗翰 46th generation,

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

official * Kong Zongyuan 孔宗願 46th generation * Kong Ruozhuo 孔若拙 47th generation * Kong Yu 孔瑀, 49th generation * Kong Zongshou 孔宗壽 46th generation * Kong Jian 孔僉 * Kong Shuxuan 孔淑玄 *

Kong Yingda Kong Yingda (; 574 – 648), courtesy names Chongyuan () and Zhongda (), was a Chinese philosopher during the Sui and Tang dynasty. An amorous Confucianist, who is considered one of the most influential Confucian scholars in Chinese history. H ...

32nd generation descendant, son of Kong An ( 孔安) 31st generation, son of Kong Shuo ( 孔碩) 30st generation, son of Kong Linggui ( 孔靈龜 29th generation, descendant of Kong Yang 孔扬 22nd generation, son of Kong Yu 孔郁 21st generation, 7th generation descendant of Kong Fu 孔福) (The Kong An here was a 31st generation descendant who lived during the

Northern Qi Qi, known as the Northern Qi (), Later Qi (後齊) or Gao Qi (高齊) in historiography, was a Chinese imperial dynasty and one of the Northern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It ruled the eastern part of northern China ...

and was not the same as the Kong An ( 孔安) shown on the tree who was a 17th generation descendant who lived during the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

) * Kong Xiuyuan 孔休源 32nd generation * Kong Zongfan 孔宗笵 33rd generation * Kong Yuntong 孔雲童 33rd generation * Kong Keren 孔克仁 55th generation descendant. * Kong Gongxun 孔公恂 58th generation * Kong Wenji 孔聞籍 62nd generation * Kong Zhenkan 孔貞堪, 63rd generation, Magistrate of Qufu, surrendered to

Li Zicheng Li Zicheng (22 September 1606 – 1645), born Li Hongji, also known by the nickname, Dashing King, was a Chinese peasant rebel leader who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644 and ruled over northern China briefly as the emperor of the short-li ...

. *Kong Shangze 孔尚則 64th generation. *

Kong Shangren Kong Shangren (; 1648 – 1718) was a Qing dynasty dramatist and poet best known for his ''chuanqi (theatre), chuanqi'' play ''The Peach Blossom Fan''"Frommer's China", Simon Foster et al., 2010, p. 383, about the last days of the Ming dynasty. ...

64th generation descendant *Kong Xianglin (K'ung Hsiang-lin) 孔祥霖 75th generation descendant *

H. H. Kung Kung Hsiang-hsi (; 11 September 1881 – 16 August 1967), often known as Dr. H. H. Kung, was a Chinese banker and politician in the early 20th century. He married Soong Ai-ling, the eldest of the three Soong sisters; the other two married Pres ...

(Kong Xiangxi) 75th generation descendant, son of Kong Fanci () **His children were Kong Lingyi (Kung Ling-i) 孔令儀, Kong Lingkan (Kung Ling-k'an) 孔令侃, Kong Lingjun (Kung Ling-chun) 孔令俊, and Kong Lingjie (Kung Ling-chie) 孔令傑. One of H. H. Kung's sons, Kong Lingjie 孔令傑 married

Debra Paget Debra Paget (born Debralee Griffin; August 19, 1933) is an American actress and entertainer. She is perhaps best known for her performances in Cecil B. DeMille's epic ''The Ten Commandments'' (1956) and in Elvis Presley's film debut, '' Love Me ...

who gave birth to Gregory Kung (). *Kong Xianglin 孔祥林, philosopher, Deputy Dean of the Research Institute of Confucianism, Director of the Qufu Committee for the Preservation of Cultural Relics.

*Kong Fanqi () 74th generation descendant, mother of Li Fengshan ( 李鳳山) and grandmother of

Ann Li Ann Louie Li (born January 17, 1995 in Bangkok, Thailand), popularly known as Ann Li, is a Filipino–Taiwanese businesswoman, fashion influencer, former actress, model, photographer, and television personality. She splits her time between Ma ...

( 李怜宜) *

Kong Zhaoshou Kong Zhaoshou (; 1876–1929), a direct male-line 71st generation descendant of Confucius, was a Chinese educator who twice served as President of Hunan First Normal University from April 1913 to January 1914, and September 1916 to September ...

71st generation descendant *Kong Zhaowei 孔昭巍 71st generation descendant *Kong Deyong, 77th generation descendant *Kong Xiangxian, Chinese Muslim, 75th generation descendant * Kong Dejun () Chinese Muslim Islamic scholar, 77th generation descendant *Kong Lingjun 孔令儁, 76th generation descendant * 曲阜孔氏 ( 곡부 공씨 in Korean;

Gokbu Gong clan The Gokbu Gong clan () is one of the Korean clans originally from China. Their Bon-gwan () are in Qufu, Shandong in China, which was also Confucius's birthplace. Qufu is known as Gokbu () in Korean. According to the South Korean 2000 census, the n ...

in English): During the

, Gong So (孔紹/공소, 1304-1381), who claimed to be one of the Duke Yansheng Kong Huan's 孔浣 sons, moved from China to

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

era Korea, wedding a Korean woman (Jo Jin-gyeong's ��晉慶daughter) during

Toghon Temür Toghon Temür ( mn, Тогоонтөмөр; Mongolian script: ; ; 25 May 1320 – 23 May 1370), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Huizong of Yuan () bestowed by the Northern Yuan dynasty and by his posthumous ...

's rule. Gong So's descendants have established numerous cadet branches to the modern era.

Generation name

Along with the descendants of the other

Four Sages The Four Sages, Assessors, Legge, James. The Confucian Analects, the Great Learning, & the Doctrine of the Mean'. 1893. or Correlates () are four eminent Chinese philosophers in the Confucian tradition. They are traditionally accorded a kind of sai ...

(Confucius,

Mencius Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucianism, Confucian Chinese philosophy, philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confuc ...

Zengzi Zeng Shen (505–435 BC), better known as Zengzi (Master Zeng), courtesy name Ziyu (), was a Chinese philosopher and disciple of Confucius. He later taught Zisi (Kong Ji), the grandson of Confucius, who was in turn the teacher of Mencius, thus be ...

, and

Yan Hui Yan Hui (–481 BC) was a Chinese philosopher. He was the favorite disciple of Confucius and one of the most revered figures of Confucianism. He is venerated in Confucian temples as one of the Four Sages. Names Yan Hui is also known by his cou ...

), the descendants of Confucius still determine part of their children's given names using this

generation poem Generation name (variously zibei or banci in Chinese; tự bối, ban thứ or tên thế hệ in Vietnamese; hangnyeolja in Korea) is one of the characters in a traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean given name, and is so called because ea ...

given to them by the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

Jianwen Emperor The Jianwen Emperor (5 December 1377 – ?), personal name Zhu Yunwen (), was the second Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1398 to 1402. The era name of his reign, Jianwen, means "establishing civility" and represented a sharp chan ...

and extended by later emperors:孔姓 (The Kong family, descendants of Confucius)
:希言公彥承，宏聞貞尚衍； :興毓傳繼廣，昭憲慶繁祥； :令德維垂佑，欽紹念顯揚； :建道敦安定，懋修肇彝常； :裕文煥景瑞，永錫世緒昌。

Bibliography

*''

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...

'': Annals of the Shang Dynasty 《史记·殷本纪》 *

Wang Guowei Wang Guowei (; 2 December 18772 June 1927) or Wang Kuo-wei, courtesy name Jing'an () or Boyu (), was a Chinese historian and poet. A versatile and original scholar, he made important contributions to the studies of ancient history, epigraphy, ph ...

, '' Guantang Jilin'' 王国维《观堂集林》 *''

'': House of Song Weizi《史记·宋微子世家》 *''

'': House of Kongzi《史记·孔子世家》 *''Chunqiu Zuozhuan zhengyi'' 《春秋左传正义·昭公七年》 *''

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. I ...

'': Annals of Emperor Cheng 《汉书·成帝纪》 *''

'': Table of nobles from families of the imperial consorts《汉书·外戚恩泽表》 *''

'': Biographies of Kuang, Zhang, Kong and Ma《汉书·匡张孔马传》 *''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Later ...

'': Biographies of Confucians 《后汉书·儒林传上·孔僖传》 *''

Annotation of Book of the Later Han An annotation is extra information associated with a particular point in a document or other piece of information. It can be a note that includes a comment or explanation. Annotations are sometimes presented in the margin of book pages. For anno ...

'': Biographies of Confucians 《后汉书注·儒林传上·孔僖传》 *''

New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...

'': Table of genealogy of Chancellors V 《新唐书·宰相世系表五》 *'' History of Song'': Biographies of Confucians I 《宋史·儒林一·孔宜传》 *'' History of Song'': Rites 22《宋史•志第七十二》 *''

History of Jin The ''History of Jin'' (''Jin Shi'') is a Chinese historical text, one of the ''Twenty Four Histories'', which details the history of the Jin dynasty founded by the Jurchens in northern China. It was compiled by the Yuan dynasty historian and mi ...

'': Biography of Kong Fan 《金史·孔璠传》 *''

History of Yuan The ''History of Yuan'' (''Yuán Shǐ''), also known as the ''Yuanshi'', is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' of China. Commissioned by the court of the Ming dynasty, in accordance to political ...

'': Biography of Kong Sihui 《元史·孔思晦传》 *''

History of Ming The ''History of Ming'' or the ''Ming History'' (''Míng Shǐ'') is one of the official Chinese historical works known as the ''Twenty-Four Histories''. It consists of 332 volumes and covers the history of the Ming dynasty from 1368 to 1644. It ...

'': Biographies of Confucians III 《明史·儒林三·孔希学传》 *''

Draft History of Qing The ''Draft History of Qing'' () is a draft of the official history of the Qing dynasty compiled and written by a team of over 100 historians led by Zhao Erxun who were hired by the Beiyang government of the Republic of China. The draft was publis ...

'': Biographies of Confucians IV《清史稿·儒林四》 *''Liancongzi''《连从子·叙书》 *''Genealogy book of House of Kongzi''《孔子世家谱》山东友谊出版社 *'' Family Sayings of Confucius'' 《孔子家語》

Family tree

List of prominent descendants of Confucius not in the main line

Generation name

See also

Bibliography

References

Further reading