Zai Yu (522–458 BC), also known by his

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 Theobald ...

Ziwo and as Zai Wo, was a prominent

disciple of Confucius According to Sima Qian, Confucius said: "The disciples who received my instructions, and could themselves comprehend them, were seventy-seven individuals. They were all scholars of extraordinary ability." It was traditionally believed that Confuciu ...

, known for his gift in speech. However, Confucius severely criticized him for proposing to shorten the three-year mourning period after the death of a parent.

Life

Zai Yu was a native of

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 dyn ...

. He was considered as the most eloquent speaker among Confucius' disciples. However, the only references of him in 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 ...

'' were Confucius' criticism of him. In an important discussion of mourning, Zai Yu questioned the necessity for the three-year mourning period after the death of a parent, and suggested a maximum of one year of mourning. Confucius severely criticized Zai Yu, describing him as inhuman. Confucius argued that children seldom leave their parents' arms in their first three years of life and asked rhetorically, did Zai Yu not receive these three years of tender care from his parents? Confucius also criticized him for sleeping during the day, comparing him to rotten wood that cannot be carved (朽木不可雕也). Despite the criticism, he remained one of the Master's close disciples. According to

Sima Qian Sima Qian (; ; ) was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty (206AD220). He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for his ''Records of the Grand Historian'', a general history of China covering more than two thousand years b ...

's ''

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 ...

'', Zai Yu served as a minister in Linzi, the capital of Qi, and was killed when he was involved in the rebellion of Chen Heng (陳恆) and his clan was exterminated. Sima Qian further says that Confucius was ashamed of Zai Yu's death. However, this account has been questioned by scholars since ancient times, as the '' Zuozhuan'' only mentions that Kan Zhi (阚止) was killed in Chen Heng's rebellion. As Kan Zhi was also known by his courtesy name Ziwo, which was identical to that of Zai Yu, Sima Qian may have conflated the two people's stories.

Legacy

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 of t ...

s, Zai Yu'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 the second among the

Twelve Wise Ones The Twelve Philosophers or Wise Ones (Chinese: , ''Shí'èr Zhé'') are 12 eminent philosophers in the Chinese Confucian tradition. They are traditionally accounted a kind of sainthood and their spirit tablets are prominently placed in Confucian tem ...

, on the west. 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 Zai Yu the nobility title of Marquess of Qi (齊侯).

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 ...

emperors further awarded him the titles of Duke of Linzi (臨菑公) and Duke of Qi (齊公).

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zai, Yu 522 BC births 458 BC deaths Disciples of Confucius 6th-century BC Chinese philosophers 5th-century BC Chinese philosophers Philosophers from Lu (state) 6th-century BC Chinese people 5th-century BC Chinese people