Fu Buqi (; born 521 BC), also pronounced Mi Buqi, was a major disciple of Confucius. He was 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 China, officially the People's R ...

Zijian (). He was known as a capable governor and was also a writer.

Life

According to 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 ...

'', Fu Buqi (Zijian) was born in 521 BC, 30 years younger than Confucius, 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 d ...

, Confucius' native state. Fu Buqi served as magistrate of Shanfu County (present-day

Shan County, Shandong Shan County or Shanxian () is a county in the southwest of Shandong province, China, bordering the provinces of Anhui to the southeast and Henan to the southwest. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Heze Heze, for ...

) in Lu, and governed the county well without putting in much effort. Wuma Shi, another disciple of Confucius, had served in the same position and succeeded only with very hard work. Wuma asked Fu Buqi how he managed it so easily, Fu replied: "I employ men; you employ men's strength." Several ancient texts, including the ''

'', the ''

Lüshi Chunqiu The ''Lüshi Chunqiu'', also known in English as ''Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals'', is an encyclopedic Chinese classic text compiled around 239 BC under the patronage of the Qin Dynasty Chancellor Lü Buwei. In the evaluation of Mic ...

'', and the '' Han Shi Waizhuan'', record anecdotes demonstrating Fu Buqi's good governance. Confucius praised Fu Buqi's governing ability, and thought he was fit for higher positions such as a king's or lord's adviser. In the '' Analects'', Confucius called Fu Buqi a ''

junzi A junzi ( or "Son of the Monarch") is a Chinese philosophical term often translated as "gentleman," "superior person",Sometimes "exemplary person". Paul R. Goldin translates it "noble man" in an attempt to capture both its early political and la ...

'' (gentleman), and cited him as evidence of the high moral standard of the people of Lu. Throughout the ''Analects'', Confucius praised only two of his disciples as ''junzi'', the other being Nangong Kuo. Fu Buqi was also a writer. His works were still extant during the late

Western Han The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

dynasty, and were included in Liu Xin's (50 BC – 23 AD) catalogue ''Qilüe'' ( 七略). According to the ''Yanshi Jiaxun'', Fu Sheng, the prominent Qin and Han dynasty scholar, was a descendant of Fu Buqi.

Honours

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 ...

s, Fu Buqi'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 t ...

is placed in the outer court, beyond those of the

Four Assessors The Four Sages, Assessors, Legge, James. The Confucian Analects, the Great Learning, & the Doctrine of the Mean'. 1893. or Correlates () are four eminent Chinese philosophers in the Confucian tradition. They are traditionally accorded a kind of sai ...

and Twelve Wise Ones. During the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdo ...

, Emperor Xuanzong posthumously awarded Fu Buqi the nobility title of Count of Shan (單伯). 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 Shanfu (單父侯).

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fu, Buqi 521 BC births Year of death unknown Disciples of Confucius 5th-century BC Chinese philosophers Philosophers from Lu (state) 5th-century BC writers 5th-century BC Chinese people