Ran Qiu (born 522BC), also known by his
courtesy name
A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...
Ziyou and as Ran You, was a leading
disciple of Confucius. Among
Confucius
Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...
's disciples, he was the foremost in terms of ability and accomplishment in statesmanship. As a military commander of the
State of Lu, he repelled an invasion from the neighbouring
State of Qi
Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a ancient Chinese state, regional state of the Zhou dynasty in History of China#Ancient China, ancient China, whose rulers held Zhou dynasty nobility, titles of ''Hou'' (), then ''Gong (title), Go ...
. His influence in Lu facilitated the return of Confucius to his native state after fourteen years of exile.
Life
Like Confucius, Ran Qiu was a native of the
State of Lu, and was 29 years younger than the Master. He came from the same clan as
Ran Geng and
Ran Yong, two other prominent disciples of Confucius, and was of the same age as Ran Yong.
Ran Qiu is noted in the ''
Analects'' (11.3) for his achievement in government affairs. He was employed in Confucius' household, before becoming the chief officer of the
Jisun (or Ji) household, which dominated the politics of Lu. He served under
Ji Kangzi (季康子), head of the Jisun family, who was the chief minister of Lu from 492 to 468 BC.
Ran Qiu professed little interest in Confucian
ritual
A ritual is a repeated, structured sequence of actions or behaviors that alters the internal or external state of an individual, group, or environment, regardless of conscious understanding, emotional context, or symbolic meaning. Traditionally ...
s, and his ambition was in the administration of a state. Confucius thought he lacked the virtue of ''
ren'' or humaneness, and severely criticized him for failing to prevent Ji Kangzi from attacking Zhuanyu (顓臾), a vassal state of Lu, and for helping the Jisun household accumulate massive amounts of wealth. So severe was Ran Qiu's violation of core Confucian values, that Confucius suggested that he no longer considered Ran his disciple.
In 484 BC, Lu was invaded by the neighbouring
state of Qi
Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a ancient Chinese state, regional state of the Zhou dynasty in History of China#Ancient China, ancient China, whose rulers held Zhou dynasty nobility, titles of ''Hou'' (), then ''Gong (title), Go ...
. Ran Qiu was appointed commander of the Lu army, and defeated the Qi invaders. Owing to Ran Qiu's influence, Ji Kangzi invited Confucius to return to his native state of Lu, after fourteen years of exile.
Legacy
Despite Confucius' severe criticism of Ran Qiu's conduct, the latter is still considered one of the Master's top ten disciples. In
Confucian temples, his
spirit tablet is placed third among the
Twelve Wise Ones, on the west.
During the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
,
Emperor Xuanzong posthumously awarded Ran Qiu the nobility title of Marquess of Xu (徐侯). During the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...
, he was further awarded the titles of Duke of Pengcheng (彭城公) and Duke of Xu (徐公).
Ran Qiu's offspring held the title of Wujing Boshi (
五經博士; Wǔjīng Bóshì).
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ran, Qiu
522 BC births
Year of death unknown
Disciples of Confucius
5th-century BC Chinese philosophers
Philosophers from Lu (state)
6th-century BC Chinese people
5th-century BC Chinese people