Yuan Xian (born 515 BC),

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 ...

Zisi or Yuan Si, was a Chinese philosopher who was a major disciple of Confucius. Classic Chinese sources stated he was modest and incorruptible, and adhered strictly to the teachings 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 ...

despite living in abject poverty.

Life

Yuan Xian was born in 515 BC, 36 years younger than Confucius. His origin is uncertain. The ''

Kongzi Jiayu The ''Kongzi Jiayu'' (), translated as ''The School Sayings of Confucius'' or ''Family Sayings of Confucius'', is a collection of sayings of Confucius (Kongzi), written as a supplement to the ''Analects'' (''Lunyu''). A book by the title had exi ...

'' says he was a native of the

State of Song Song was an ancient Chinese state during the Zhou dynasty with its capital at Shangqiu. The state was founded soon after King Wu of Zhou conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046 BC. It was conquered by the state of ...

, but according to

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

Confucianist

Zheng Xuan Zheng Xuan (127– July 200), courtesy name Kangcheng (), was a Chinese philosopher, politician, and writer who lived towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty. He was born in Gaomi, Beihai Commandery (modern Weifang, Shandong), and was a ...

, he was from 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 ...

. Yuan Xian was Confucius' chief household officer when Confucius served as Minister of Justice of Lu. After the death of his master, Yuan Xian moved to the

State of Wey Wei (; ), commonly spelled Wey to distinguish from the contemporary larger Wei () state, was an ancient Chinese state that was founded in the early Western Zhou dynasty and rose to prominence during the Spring and Autumn period. Its rulers w ...

, where he lived in obscurity and poverty. The ''

Zhuangzi Zhuangzi may refer to: * ''Zhuangzi'' (book) (莊子), an ancient Chinese collection of anecdotes and fables, one of the foundational texts of Taoism **Zhuang Zhou Zhuang Zhou (), commonly known as Zhuangzi (; ; literally "Master Zhuang"; als ...

'' and the ''

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 ...

'' (''Shiji'') both record a conversation between Yuan Xian and

Duanmu Ci Duanmu Ci (; 520–456 BC), also known by his courtesy name Zigong (), was a Chinese businessman, philosopher, and politician. He was one of the most important and loyal disciples of Confucius. Among Confucius' students, he was the second best at ...

(Zigong), another well-known disciple of Confucius. Zigong, who served as a high official and was a wealthy businessman, went to visit Yuan Xian's village in his

quadriga A quadriga is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in classical antiquity and the Roman Empire. The word derives from the Latin , a contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. In Latin the word is almos ...

. According to these texts, Yuan lived in a tiny hut with a thatched roof, reached via alleys too narrow for a chariot. Zigong expressed pity and shame at Yuan's distress, but Yuan Xian countered that he was able to put the

Tao The Tao or Dao is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. T ...

into practice, and lived a life of poverty but not of distress. The chronicles stated that for the rest of his life, Zigong felt ashamed of his own words..

Legacy

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, Yuan Xian's

spirit tablet A spirit tablet, memorial tablet, or ancestral tablet is a placard that people used to designate the seat of a deity or past ancestor as well as to enclose it. The name of the deity or the past ancestor is usually inscribed onto the tablet. Wit ...

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 figures in the Chinese philosopher and Confucianism tradition. They are traditionally accord ...

and

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 ...

. 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 Yuan Xian the nobility title of Count of Yuan (原伯). 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 title of Marquis of Rencheng (任城侯).

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yuan, Xian 515 BC births Year of death unknown 5th-century BC Chinese philosophers Disciples of Confucius Zhou dynasty philosophers