Shaozheng Mao, was a

Lu state Lu (; 249 BC) was a vassal state during the Zhou dynasty of ancient China located around modern Shandong. Founded in the 11th century BC, its rulers were from a cadet branch of the House of Ji () that ruled the Zhou dynasty. The fi ...

Taifu in the 6th century BC.

Biography

'Shaozheng' is his official title while Mao is his name. Some historical records document that Shaozheng Mao is an erudite scholar. Except

Yan Hui Yan Hui (–481 BC) was a Chinese philosopher. He was the favorite disciple of Confucius and one of the most revered figures of Confucianism. He is venerated in Confucian temples as one of the Four Sages. Names Yan Hui is also known by his c ...

, all the three thousand disciples of

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 ...

were attracted to attend his lectures several times. In about 500 BC when Confucius became a minister of Lu state, he immediately ordered the execution of Shaozheng Mao, citing his 'five crimes', each worth execution, including concealed evilness, stubborn abnormality, eloquent duplicity, erudition in bizarre facts and generosity to evildoers. The incident was first mentioned in '' Xunzi: Youzuo'', which was about three centuries later from the time of Confucius, causing doubt about its authenticity among Confucianists. The incident was also documented in ''

Records of the Grand Historian The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st ce ...

'' but not in earlier sources like ''

Zuo Zhuan The ''Zuo Zhuan'' ( zh, t=左傳, w=Tso Chuan; ), often translated as ''The Zuo Tradition'' or as ''The Commentary of Zuo'', is an ancient Chinese narrative history traditionally regarded as a commentary on the ancient Chinese chronicle the '' ...

'' and '' Guoyu''.《朱子語類‧卷九十三》：「某嘗疑誅少正卯無此事，出於齊魯陋儒欲尊夫子之道，而造為之說。若果有之，則左氏記載當時人物甚詳，何故有一人如許勞攘，而略不及之？史傳間不足信事如此者甚多。」

References

{{reflist Philosophers from Lu (state) Zhou dynasty government officials 500s BC deaths Executed philosophers Executed Zhou dynasty people Historical controversies in China