Famous Stories of Confucius

1: Confucius Misunderstood Yan Hui

On one occasion Confucius was stranded in the region around Chen and Cai, and he did not taste rice for seven days.

One day at noon, his first son, Yan Hui, asked for some rice to cook. When the rice was about to be cooked, Confucius saw Yan Hui actually grabbing the rice in the pot with his hands and eating it.

Confucius deliberately pretended not to see this, and when Yan Hui came in and asked Confucius to eat, Confucius stood up and said, "Just now, my ancestor Meng Li told me that food should be offered to the honored one before eating, and how can I eat it by myself first?

Yan Hui, on hearing this, hastened to explain, "Your Excellency has misunderstood; just now I picked up the soiled rice grains and ate them because I saw some soot fall into the pot.

Confucius sighed: "What one can trust is the eye, but the eye is also unreliable, and what one can rely on is the heart, but the heart is also insufficient to rely on.

2The Lost Dog

On one occasion when Confucius was separated from his disciples in the state of Zheng, he stayed by the east gate of the city wall, and a man from the state of Zheng said to Zigong, "There is a man by the east gate, whose forehead is like Yao, whose neck is like Gaotao, and whose shoulders are like Zi Chan's, but he is three inches short of Dayu's since his waist is down. His shoulders were like those of Zi Chan, but he was three inches short of Dayu from the waist down, and he looked like a dog that had lost its home when it labored. Zigong told Confucius the whole story. Confucius smiled frankly and said, "It is too much to say that I look like this. But to say that I am like a homeless dog is indeed so! Indeed!"

3 Knowing that you can't do it

"Analects? Xianqian (宪问)："Zi Lu stayed at the stone gate. The morning gate said: 'Xi since?' Zi Lu said: 'From Kong.' He said: 'Is it the one who knows it cannot be done but does it?'" The meaning is to know that can not be done but prefer to do

"Knowing that can not be done", this story, although there is no Confucius, this is a summary of Confucius is really into the wood, deep very much. Obviously, the man who guarded the city gate was not an idle one, but a great hermit who was highly cultivated but hidden in the city.

4 Zi meets Nan Zi

Nan Zi, the wife of Duke Wei Ling, a native of Song, was rich in style and scandalous. Nanzi is also a stargazer, long admired the name of Confucius, now Confucius came, have to see a good, The Records of the Grand Historian said: (Nanzi) make people said Confucius said: "the four sides of the gentleman does not dishonor want to be a brother with the widowed king, must see the widowed little king. I am not a small ruler originally see." Confucius resigned, had no choice but to meet. The lady was in the linen curtain. Confucius entered the door and bowed to the north. Mrs. from the curtain and then worship, ring pendant jade sound. Confucius said: "my township for not see, see the ritual answer." Zi Lu did not say. Confucius said: "I do not, the sky is sick of it! Heaven is sick of it!"

This is "Zi met Nanzi". According to reason, this meeting is just an ordinary meeting between a stargazer and a celebrity, however, a lot of historical records have been recorded, what is the mystery?

This is because of Zi Lu's displeasure.

Zi Lu was a strange person, his teacher went to meet a beautiful female fan, what is worth making a fuss?

However, Zi Lu was no ordinary man, and his displeasure must have been justified. Moreover, the fact that Zi Lu was displeased led his teacher to repeatedly swear to the heavens: "Heaven is sick of it."