Gongye Chang (),
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...
Zichang (), was a major
disciple
A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to:
Religion
* Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ
* Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples
* Seventy disciples in t ...
and the son-in-law 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 ...
. Little is known about his life, but Chinese legends attribute to him the ability to understand birds' language.
Life
Gongye Chang's years of birth and death are unknown. The ''
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 his ...
'' says he was a native of the
State of Qi
Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong.
Qi was founded sh ...
, but according to
Kong Anguo and others, he was from the
State of Lu
Lu (, c. 1042–249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong province. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji (姬) that ruled the Zhou dy ...
.
According to the ''
Analects
The ''Analects'' (; ; Old Chinese: '' ŋ(r)aʔ''; meaning "Selected Sayings"), also known as the ''Analects of Confucius'', the ''Sayings of Confucius'', or the ''Lun Yu'', is an ancient Chinese book composed of a large collection of sayings a ...
'', Gongye Chang was once imprisoned for an unidentified crime. However, Confucius believed he was innocent, and married his daughter to him. Although the exact nature of his offence is not known, Confucius' marriage of his daughter to him despite the strong stigma attached to criminals in the
Zhou dynasty
The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...
demonstrates Confucius' adherence to moral reason and his independence from arbitrary social conventions.
Legend
Little is known about Gongye Chang's life, but he became the subject of a variety of later
Chinese legends and folklore, and was said to be able to understand the language of animals and birds. In one story, which explains why he was imprisoned, he overheard a number of birds discussing the location of a murder victim. His knowledge of the body led him to be arrested for the person's murder, but he was released after demonstrating his supernatural powers. The story appeared in the book ''Lunshi'' (論釋), and became widely known.
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
poets
Shen Quanqi and
Bai Juyi
Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; ; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as g ...
both made references to Gongye Chang's story in their poems.
[
]
Honours
In Confucian temple
A temple of Confucius or Confucian temple is a temple for the veneration of Confucius and the sages and philosophers of Confucianism in Chinese folk religion and other East Asian religions. They were formerly the site of the administration ...
s, Gongye Chang's spirit tablet
A spirit tablet, memorial tablet, or ancestral tablet, is a placard used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor as well as to enclose it. The name of the deity or past ancestor is usually inscribed onto the tablet. With origins in tr ...
is placed in the outer court, beyond those of the Four Assessors and Twelve Wise Ones, and next to that of Fu Buqi.
During the Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
, Emperor Xuanzong posthumously awarded Gongye Chang the nobility title of Count of Ju (莒伯). During the 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 res ...
, he was further awarded the title of Marquis of Gaomi (高密侯).
Notes
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gongye, Chang
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
Disciples of Confucius
5th-century BC Chinese philosophers
Chinese legends
5th-century BC Chinese people