Introduction to the allusion of Kong Li, the son of Confucius, who passed the court

Kong Li Guo Ting

Kong Li Guo Ting is an allusion, which means that the younger generation accepts the lessons of the elders. Kong Li was Zhongni's only son. He had a famous father and a famous son. When he was born, the king of Lu State sent his father a fish to express his congratulations. Zhongni simply named his son Li.

Picture of Kong Li passing the court

Sage Kong had many students, one of whom was named Chen Kang. Once, he saw the teacher and his only son talking. Because they were too far away, he could not hear clearly what was being said, so he became very curious. Another time, he saw the teacher teaching his son alone. The teacher looked serious. This time, he was so imaginative that the teacher was trying to make a fool of his only son and was sparing a lot of attention to his disciples. Chen Kang was a man who couldn't hold himself back, so he asked Kong Li directly. Kong Li said that when he passed the courtyard, he saw his father. His father asked him if he had read the Book of Songs. When he knew that his son had not read it, he said that if he read the Book of Songs well, he could express his thoughts well. Another time, he also met his father in the courtyard. His father asked him if he had read the Book of Rites. He was not angry when he knew that he had not read it. After learning the Book of Rites, he would understand the principles of life. When Chen Kang heard this, he realized that he had misunderstood the teacher and that the teacher was not hiding anything. Chen Kang swept away the gloom and became happy. He told Kong Li that he learned three things from communicating with him. One was to learn the Book of Songs well, the other was to learn the Book of Rites well, and the third was that the teacher was an upright person who treated his son and students equally.

In this story, later generations summarized the allusion of Kong Li passing through the court, and also regarded the carp court as a place for education. The classroom where we study can also be said to be a carp garden. What kind of person is Kong Li?

Kong Li is the only son of Saint Kong and Qi Guan. Boyu was not as talented as his father's students. Throughout the entire Analects of Confucius, Boyu appears relatively rarely. In the relevant documents, there is almost no praise from Confucius for his son's academic performance. On the contrary, he often recommended his outstanding disciples to the monarch.

Picture of Kong Li learning to walk

Boyu is an open-minded person. As the son of Confucius, he could not compare with his senior brothers. He would never be jealous of his senior brothers, and he would never complain about his father's equal treatment. He said to his father, "My son is better than your son." He said to his son Zisi, "My father is better than your father." This also shows that he is an optimist who sees the shortcomings of others as well as his own strengths. He knows how to compare his own strengths with the shortcomings of others, which shows that he is a person who knows how to be flexible in his thinking.

Boyu is also a filial child. He loves his mother very much. Although his mother passed away a long time ago, he still misses her often and sheds tears. He also respected his father. In order to raise funds for his father to go abroad, he often worked until midnight and could only sleep very little every day.

Kong Li also has a good mentality. It doesn't matter that he is not as good as his father in terms of eloquence and appearance, but his son is also better than him, and he deserves more attention from his father. He never did anything excessive to his son because of his father's status. He was still the same person, caring for his family meticulously and protecting his family in his own way.

Kong Li does not follow the crowd and has his own opinions. Everyone around him was secretly talking about him. He was sandwiched between his famous son and father, which caused gossip among the neighbors. But he never cared and lived firmly according to his own ideas. Who is Kong Li's mother?

Kong Li's mother is Zhongni's wife, Qiguan of the Song Dynasty. The marriage custom in the Song Dynasty was endogamy. The so-called endogamy refers to marriage within a certain social relationship. So the marriage between Confucius and his wife was an arranged marriage. When Confucius was 19 years old, he found a job as a clerk managing a warehouse.

Confucius’s mother believed that he already had a job and his career had begun, and it was time to find himself a daughter-in-law. Like all mothers in the world, she hopes that her son can live smoothly and live happily.

She asked her eldest son, Bernie, to bring chicken, duck and fish meat to the home of the girl she liked. The girl, Qiguan, gave Bernie a set of piano covers embroidered with golden phoenixes to Zhongni.

One year after getting married, Qi Guan gave birth to a big fat boy, Kong Li, to the Kong family.

Kong Li's mother is very mysterious in history. We don't know whether she is beautiful or not, and some interesting things about her life. She did not leave as many traces in history as Meng's mother. People are also very curious about Confucius' private life and whether he is really like an immortal. Zilu, a student of Confucius, was also curious. Once, Zilu and his teacher came back from another country. They had been away from home for a long time. At night, Zilu wanted to go to the toilet. Seeing that the teacher's room was still lighted, he walked to the corner and poked the window paper. He saw the teacher and his wife lying on the bed, and the woman was nestled in the man's arms. The teacher hugged his wife passionately and the two were making out. Zilu satisfied his curiosity and went to sleep contentedly.

The sage Confucius also had seven emotions and six desires just like ordinary people. Qi Guan was a good wife and supported Confucius no matter what he did. In order to raise money for Confucius, he even sold his own gold bracelet. How did Kong Li die?

Kong Li was shot to death at the age of 50. Saint Kong lost his only son when he was sixty-nine years old, and one can imagine his grief. Confucius followed the etiquette, and his son had a coffin when he died, but no coffin. This is where he forgets his feelings as a saint. When Yan Hui died in the second year, because his family was poor, there was only a coffin for burial. Someone advised Confucius to sell his car to buy a coffin for his disciples. Confucius refused because his son also had no coffin.

Pictures of how Kong Li died

It is a pity that Kong Li is not outstanding, but his son is a talent. Some people say that this is Kong Zhongni The success of intergenerational education. As a father, Confucius failed to teach his son well, but as a grandfather, he taught a good grandson. Of course, this is just a joke, just listen to it.

There is also a joke about Kong Li that is widely circulated. Kong Li never felt inferior or resentful because of his lack of talent. On the contrary, he lived happily every day. One day, three generations of ancestors and grandsons were sitting together. Kong Li said to Confucius: "You are actually not better than me. After all, your son is not as good as my son." Then he said to Zisi: "You are not better than me. Your father Not as powerful as my father.” Nowadays, when traveling in Qufu, you can also hear this story told by tour guides.

Kong Li admired his father very much. One day, a guest arrived, and there was only one Kong Li at home. The guest said that Zhongni knew so much knowledge and wanted to ask him how many seasons there were in a year. When Boyu heard that it was so simple and he could answer it, he told the guest that there are four seasons in a year. The guest smiled and said wrong. The two argued endlessly. The guest asked about the grass and flies, and they both said that there are three seasons in a year. Kong Li could not think of an excuse. Just at this moment, Confucius appeared. After observing the guests, he said that there are three seasons in a year. The guest finally left laughing wildly.

Kong Li was very puzzled, and his father told him that this man could not survive the winter, so there were three seasons in a year. Kong Li finally understood and admired his father from the bottom of his heart. This story was known to everyone, and everyone admired Confucius. Kong Li's Tomb

Kong Li's tomb is located five meters away from Confucius' tomb. It is 18 meters long, 23 meters wide and about 3 meters high. There are two steles standing in front of Kong Li's tomb. The larger one says "Sishui Hou Tomb" was erected in the Ming Dynasty. The small stele following this stele reads the tomb of the second generation ancestor, which was erected by the descendants of the Kong family in the Yuan Dynasty. The descendants of the Kong family call Kong Li the second ancestor. This is not a derogatory meaning. It is purely based on the generation in the family tree.

Pictures of Kong Li's tomb

As for Kong Li's son, he is called the third generation grandson, and the following direct descendants of the Kong family can be deduced in this way.

When Kong Li was born, Confucius was only 20 years old and had just been married for a year. At that time, he was not the world-famous Kong Zhongni, but just a warehouse manager who had just been appreciated by Duke Lu. The Duke of Lu knew that Lin'er was born, so he sent him a big carp. Confucius was very happy and felt honored to receive a gift from the king, so he named his son Li, with the courtesy name Boyu.

In order to show respect for the second generation ancestor, the descendants of the Kong family called carp red fish, and the carp used in sacrifices were also replaced by other fish.

The title of Marquis of Sishui on Kong Li's tombstone was awarded by Song Huizong. He received this title not because of his own contribution to Confucianism or society, but purely because he was the son of Confucius. He only lived for 50 years, so he could do nothing great in his life. But during those 50 years, he stayed by Confucius' side and performed his duty as a son. He never bullied his father's disciples because of his status as Confucius' son.

Confucius should be pleased and satisfied with his son's conduct. Confucius's son died before Confucius, and Confucius's only blood relative was his grandson. But his students treated him like their own biological father. After Confucius's death, they all observed filial piety for Confucius for three years. Especially Zigong, after the three years of filial piety was over, he remained filial piety for another three years. In order to commemorate this event, later generations built three houses and erected a monument, on which was engraved "Zigonglu Tomb Place".