Zhuansun Shi (born 503BC), commonly 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 ...

Zizhang, 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 ...

, who accompanied

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 ...

in his travels abroad, and later started his own sect of Confucianism.

Life

Zhuansun Shi (Zizhang) was born in 503 BC, 48 years after Confucius. According to the ''

Shiben The ''Shiben'' or ''Book of Origins'' (Pinyin: ''shìběn''; Chinese; 世本; ) was an early Chinese encyclopedia which recorded imperial genealogies from the mythical Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors down to the late Spring and Autumn period ( ...

'' (Book of Lineages), his grandfather was a prince of the State of Chen, who served in the government of Lu, Confucius' native state. Although

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 ...

'' identifies Zizhang as belonging to the State of Chen, he was likely born and raised in Lu. Zizhang was well versed in ritual practices, but was said to be lacking in his pursuit of humanity.

Duanmu Ci Duanmu Ci (; 520–456 BC), also known by his courtesy name Zigong (), was a Chinese businessman, philosopher, and politician. He was one of the most important and loyal disciples of Confucius. Among Confucius' students, he was the second best at ...

(Zigong), another prominent disciple of Confucius, said of Zizhang: "Not to boast of his admirable merit; not to signify joy on account of noble station; neither insolent nor indolent; showing no pride to the dependent: these are the characteristics of Zhuansun Shi." Zhuansun Shi later started his own school, and his disciples formed a branch of Confucianism known as the "Zizhang Sect", which was mentioned by philosophers Xunzi and

Han Feizi The ''Han Feizi'' or ''Hanfeizi'' (" ritings ofMaster Han Fei") is an ancient Chinese text named for its attribution to the political philosopher Han Fei. It comprises a selection of essays in the Legalist tradition on theories of state power, ...

, centuries after Zizhang's lifetime. 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 ...

'' contains three chapters of Zhuansun Shi's sayings. When he was gravely ill, he said to his son Shenxiang (申祥): "We speak of his ''end'' in the case of a superior man, and of his ''death'' in the case of a mean man. May I think that it is going to be the former with me today?"

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, Zhuansun Shi'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 fifth on the west, 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 ...

. 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 Zhuansun Shi the nobility title of Count of Chen (陳伯). 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 rest ...

, he was further awarded the titles of Marquis of Wanqiu (宛丘侯), Marquis of Yingchuan (穎川侯), and Duke of Chen (陳公). Zhuansun Shi's offspring held the title of Wujing Boshi ( 五經博士; Wǔjīng Bóshì).

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhuansun, Shi 503 BC births Year of death unknown Disciples of Confucius 5th-century BC Chinese philosophers 5th-century BC Chinese people Chen (state)