Kong He (), (622 BC – 548 BC) also known as Shuliang He (), was a scholar and military officer of the

State of Lu 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 f ...

. He was the son of the Lu political figure

Bo Xia Bo or BO may refer to Arts and entertainment *Box office, where tickets to an event are sold, and by extension, the amount of business a production receives *'' BA:BO'', 2008 South Korean film * ''Bo'' (film), a Belgian film starring Ella-June ...

and the father of

Kong Pi Kong may refer to: Places * Kong Empire (1710–1895), a former African state covering north-eastern Côte d'Ivoire and much of Burkina Faso * Kong, Iran, a city on the Persian Gulf * Kong, Shandong (), a town in Laoling, Shandong, China * Kong, I ...

and

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 ...

History

On the 69th day of the fourth lunar month of the year 563 BCE, Shuliang He was supposedly responsible for holding open the gates of Bi Yang (偪阳), so that soldiers from his side who had already entered Bi Yang could escape. Meng Xianzi, then leader of the Mengsun clan of Lu (one of the

Three Huan The Three Huan ({{zh, c=三桓, p=Sān Huán) refers to three Chinese aristocratic clans, all descendants of Duke Huan of Lu, in the State of Lu, which dominated the government affairs, displacing the power of the dukes, for nearly three centur ...

), praised him by saying, "This is what the ''

Classic of Poetry The ''Classic of Poetry'', also ''Shijing'' or ''Shih-ching'', translated variously as the ''Book of Songs'', ''Book of Odes'', or simply known as the ''Odes'' or ''Poetry'' (; ''Shī''), is the oldest existing collection of Chinese poetry, co ...

'' meant by 'having the strength of a tiger'." In the autumn of 556 BC,

Duke Ling of Qi Duke Ling of Qi (), personal name Lü Huan, was a duke of the Qi state, reigning from 581 BC to 554 BC. He succeeded his father, Duke Qing, and was in turn succeeded by one of his sons, Duke Zhuang II. Attack from Jin In 572 BC, Duke Dao of ...

's army attacked the border of Lu State, with Gao Hou besieged

Zang Wuzhong Zang may refer to: * Official abbreviation for Tibet Autonomous Region (藏) * Tibetan people * Zang (bell), Persian musical instrument * Zang (surname) (臧), a Chinese surname * Zang, Iran, a village in Kerman Province, Iran * Persian form of ...

's defense line and captured him. Shuliang He, Zang Chou, and Zang Jia led 300 soldiers to attack the Qi army at night and helped escort Zang Wuzhong back to safety. They then return to battle Qi army. Qi retreated soon after. Shuliang He's first wife Lady Shi had given birth to nine children, all daughters. Kong also had a son, named

(孔皮). However, as Kong Pi's mother was a concubine and Pi himself was said to have deformities in his feet, he could not become his father's successor. Thus, the aged He was heirless until he approached and managed to persuade Yan Xiang (顏襄), the father of Yan family for a marriage to one of his daughters; he married

Yan Zhengzai Yan Zhengzai (568 BC – 535 BC) was the third daughter of Yan Xiang and the mother of Confucius. Life Kong He's family Kong He, known as Shuliang He, married his first wife Lady Shi. She gave birth to nine daughters but no sons. Later, he m ...

(顏徵在), the third and youngest daughter. When Shuliang He married Yan Zhengzai, he was 72 years old while Yan was 18 years old. It is generally thought that

Kong Qiu 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 ...

(Confucius) was born on September 28, 551 BC. His birthplace was in Zou,

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 ...

(near present-day

Qufu Qufu ( ; zh, c=曲阜) is a county-level city in southwestern Shandong province, East China. It is located about south of the provincial capital Jinan and northeast of the prefectural seat at Jining. Qufu has an area of 815 square kilometers, ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

Province).

Death

Shuliang He died when Kong Qiu was three years old, his sons Kong Pi and

was raised by his widow in poverty. After his widow's death, his son Kong Qiu managed to locate his grave near Fangshan and buried her with him.

References

;Bibliography * * * {{cite book, last=Rainey , first=Lee Dian , title=Confucius & Confucianism: The essentials , year=2010 , publisher=Wiley-Blackwell , location=Oxford , isbn=978-1-4051-8841-8 540s BC deaths Lu state people Confucius