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Zhong You (542–480BC), 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 Theo ...
s Zilu and Jilu, was one of the best known and most faithful
disciples 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 ...
. Among
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 ...
's disciples, he was the second in terms of ability and accomplishment in statesmanship, after Ran Qiu. He was noted for his valour and sense of justice, but Confucius often warned him against acting without forethought. He was killed in the State of Wey in defence of his lord Kong Kui.


Life

Zhong You was born in 542BC, only nine years younger than Confucius. He was from Bian (), a region in 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 ...
that was known for the bravery of its men. He was a ''
yeren The yeren (, "wild man") is a cryptid apeman reported to inhabit remote, mountainous regions of China, most famously in the Shennongjia Forestry District in the Hubei Province. Sightings of "hairy men" have remained constant since the Warring S ...
'', a native inhabitant distinct from the "people of the city", or the Zhou people who settled in fortified towns after their conquest of the land. When Zilu (Zhong You) first met Confucius, he was dressed aggressively and was rude to the Master. Nevertheless, Confucius accepted him as one of his earliest disciples. He became one of the Master's most loyal and closest students, frequently mentioned 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 ...
''. In the ''Analects'', he is depicted as brave and rash, intolerant of learning but ready for action. In one of Confucius's famous lectures to Zilu, the Master warned that pursuing virtues without learning will result in error. More specifically for Zilu, without learning, the love of courage will lead to failure to follow orders. Zilu served as an officer in the house of Jisun, the noble family that dominated the politics of Lu. He later served as chief magistrate of Pu (; modern-day Changyuan County), a strategic city in the neighbouring state of Wey. Because of Zilu's brashness, Confucius feared that he would not "die a natural death", and his death proved to be indeed violent. Some readings of his death believe it to be pointless and a failing of Confucius's teachings. Others view it as noble and strict adherence to the decorum of Li, as stressed by Confucius. In 480BC, Zilu was serving as a retainer of Kong Kui (), head of the powerful Kong family (no relation to Confucius) in the state of Wey. Prince Kuaikui (), the maternal uncle of Kong Kui, plotted a coup and forced Kong to assist him. Kuaikui successfully deposed
Duke Chu of Wey Duke Chu of Wey (, died 469 BC) was 29th ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Wey. He ruled the duchy twice: the first time between 493 BC and 481 BC, the second time between 477 BC and 470 BC. His given name was Zhé (輒). Zhé was the son ...
, who was his own son, and ascended the throne of Wey, to be known as Duke Zhuang. Zilu, then away from the capital, rushed back to rescue his lord. He ran into Gao Chai, another disciple of Confucius who was also serving in Wey, outside the city gate. Gao, who was fleeing from the turmoil, urged Zilu to turn back. Zilu refused and entered the city to confront Kuaikui, but was killed by Kuaikui's men. According to
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 ...
, during combat, the string attaching Zilu's hat was cut. Knowing his death was inevitable, Zilu fixed his hat in accordance to a
gentleman A gentleman (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man) is any man of good and courteous conduct. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire and above a yeoman; by definition, the r ...
's decorum. According to the ''
Book of Rites The ''Book of Rites'', also known as the ''Liji'', is a collection of texts describing the social forms, administration, and ceremonial rites of the Zhou dynasty as they were understood in the Warring States and the early Han periods. The ''Boo ...
'', after Zilu's death, his body was chopped into pieces and pickled. When Confucius learned of his fate, he ordered that all the pickled goods in his house be thrown away. Overcome with grief, Confucius could not eat for days. He soon fell ill and died in 479BC.


Legacy

Zhong You is one of the Twenty-four Confucian paragons of filial piety. According to legend, he was from a poor family and often foraged wild greens to feed himself, but he would carry rice from more than 100 '' li'' away for his parents. When he grew up and became an important official, his parents had already died. He lived a life of luxury, but pined for the days of his youth. He often sighed: "How I wish I could return to the old days, when I ate wild greens and carried rice for my parents!" 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, Zhong You'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 fourth 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 ...
, on the east. 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 Zhong You the nobility title of Marquis of Wey (). 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 titles of Duke of Henei () and Duke of Wey (). Zhong You's offspring held the title of Wujing Boshi (; Wǔjīng Bóshì).


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* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhong, You 542 BC births 480 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 Twenty-four Filial Exemplars