Zengzi

Zengzi, known as Master Zeng, whose courtesy name was Ziyu, was a Chinese philosopher and a disciple of Confucius. He lived in the fifth century BC in the state of Lu and is counted among the Four Sages of Confucianism, together with Yan Hui, Zisi and Mencius. His lasting importance lies in having linked the teachings of Confucius to later generations.

According to tradition, he was born in South Wu City, in Lu, and was the son of Zeng Dian, one of Confucius's earliest students. At sixteen his father sent him to study with the master. Later Confucians regarded him as the second most senior of Confucius's pupils, after Yan Hui. He was said to have studied widely and to have carried himself with dignity and quiet authority.

He is remembered above all for his filial piety. After his parents died, he could not read the mourning rites without being moved to tears. He is credited with composing or editing the Classic of Filial Piety under Confucius's direction, and he is also associated with the transmission of the Great Learning. He is said to have written ten books, preserved in the Rites of the Elder Dai, although much of his work is lost or of uncertain authorship.

He founded his own school and taught Zisi, Confucius's grandson, who in turn taught Mencius. This chain created a line of transmitters of orthodox Confucian teaching. Over the centuries his status grew, and in the thirteenth century he was honoured as one of Confucius's four principal assessors.

The best-known stories about him are more moral than historical. In one, he kills a pig to keep a promise made to his son, believing that a child must never be deceived if he is to learn honesty. Such tales helped spread his image as a model of virtue within the family.