Kong He (), (622 BC–548 BC) also known as Shuliang He (), was a scholar and military officer of the State of Lu. He was the son of the Lu political figure Bo Xia and the father of

Kong Pi Kong may refer to: Places * Kong Empire (1710–1895), a former African state covering north-eastern Côte d'Ivoire and much of Burkina Faso * Kong, Iran, a city on the Persian Gulf * Kong, Shandong (), a town in Laoling, Shandong, China * Kong, I ...

and

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 ...

History

On the 69th day of the fourth lunar month of the year 563 BCE, Shuliang He was supposedly responsible for holding open the gates of Bi Yang (偪阳), so that soldiers from his side who had already entered Bi Yang could escape. Meng Xianzi, then leader of the Mengsun clan of Lu (one of the

Three Huan The Three Huan ({{zh, c=三桓, p=Sān Huán) refers to three aristocratic clans, all descendants of Duke Huan of Lu, in the State of Lu, which dominated the government affairs, displacing the power of the dukes, for nearly three centuries durin ...

), praised him by saying, "This is what the ''

Classic of Poetry The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, c ...

'' meant by 'having the strength of a tiger'." In the autumn of 556 BC,

Duke Ling of Qi Duke Ling of Qi (; died 554 BC) was from 581 to 554 BC ruler of the State of Qi, a major power during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His personal name was Lü Huan (呂環), ancestral name Jiang ( 姜), and Duke Ling was his pos ...

's army attacked the border of Lu State, with Gao Hou besieged

Zang Wuzhong Zang may refer to: * Official abbreviation for Tibet Autonomous Region (藏) * Tibetan people * Zang (bell) Perisan musical instrument * Zang (surname) (臧), a Chinese surname * Zang, Iran, a village in Kerman Province, Iran * Persian form of Zanj ...

's defense line and captured him. Shuliang He, Zang Chou and Zang Jia led 300 soldiers to attack the Qi army at night and helped escort Zang Wuzhong back to safety. They then return back to battle Qi army. Qi retreated soon after. Shuliang He's first wife Lady Shi had given birth to nine children, all were daughters. Kong also had a son, named

(孔皮). However, as Kong Pi's mother was a concubine and Pi himself was said to have deformities in his feet, he could not become his father's successor. Thus, the aged He was heirless until he approached and managed to persuade Yan Xiang (顏襄), the father of Yan family for a marriage to one of his daughters; he married

Yan Zhengzai Yan Zhengzai (568 BC – 535 BC) was the third daughter of Yan Xiang and the mother of Confucius. Life Kong He's family Kong He, known as Shuliang He, married his first wife Lady Shi. She gave birth to nine daughters but no sons. Later, he m ...

(顏徵在), the third and youngest daughter. When Shuliang He married Yan Zhengzai, he was 72 years old while Yan was 18 years old. It is generally thought that

Kong Qiu 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 ...

(Confucius) was born on September 28, 551 BC.. His birthplace was in Zou,

Lu state 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 d ...

(near present-day

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 ...

, Shandong Province)..

Death

Shuliang He died when Kong Qiu was three years old, his sons Kong Pi and Kong Qiu was raised by his widow in poverty. After his widow's death, his son Kong Qiu managed to locate his grave near Fangshan and buried her with him.

References

{{reflist 548 BC deaths Lu (state) Confucius