Overview
The translated histories identify Zengzi as a philosopher, scholar, student, and teacher. This record brings together 24 passages from 18 chapters across 8 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.
Names
| Type | English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | Zengzi | 曾子 | Zengzi |
| Personal | Master Zeng | 曾子 | Zengzi |
| Personal name | Master Zeng | 曾生 | |
| Personal | Master Zeng | 曾氏 | Zēng shì |
| Surname | Zeng | 曾 | Zēng |
| Surname | Zeng | 曾 | Zeng |
| Personal name | Zeng | 曾 | Zeng |
| Alternate | Zeng | 曾 | |
| Surname | Zeng | 曾 | |
| Personal | Zeng Shen | 曾參 | Zeng Shen |
| Personal | Zeng Shen | 曾氏 | Zeng Shen |
| Personal name | Zeng Shen | 曾參 | Zēng Shēn |
| Personal | Zeng Shen | 參 | Zēng Shēn |
| Personal | Zeng Shen | 曾 | |
| Title | Zengzi | 曾子 | Zengzi |
| Personal name | Zengzi | 曾子 | Zengzi |
| Personal | Zengzi | 曾子 | Zēngzǐ |
| Title | Zengzi | 曾子 | |
| Personal name | Zengzi | 曾子 | Zēngzǐ |
| Courtesy name | Zengzi | 曾子 | |
| Title | Zengzi | 曾子 | Zēngzǐ |
Identity
- Historicity
- Uncertain
- Identification
- Named
- Sex
- Male
- Sex: maleStrongly inferred · hanshu:058:s0034, jinshi:115:s0002, liangshu:047:s0258, nanqishu:021:s0084, shiji:083:s0233, shiji:127:s0102
- Sex: male
- Value: maleStrongly inferred · shiji:101:s0036
Roles
- Philosopher
- Scholar
- Student
- Teacher
Life and dates
Attested activity
- Qualitative: legendary antiquityExplicit · yuanshi:171:s0115
- Source Date: Text: 元嘉三年後庭誥引述 · Western Interval: Start: AD 426 · End: AD 433
- Source Date: Text: 學於曾子 · Western Interval: Start: BC 450 · End: BC 436Explicit event contextual date · shiji:065:s0076, shiji:065:s0084
- Source Date: Text: 春秋之時 · Western Year: BC 500Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:025:s0151
- Source Date: Text: 春秋時期約 · Western Year: BC 500Strongly inferred · shiji:101:s0036
- Source Date: Text: 曾、閔 · Western Year: c. BC 505Explicit · houhanshu:037:s0221
- Source Date: Text: 曾子 / 曾參 · Western Interval: Start: BC 505 · End: BC 436Explicit · liangshu:047:s0258, liangshu:047:s0274
- Source Date: Text: 曾子侍 · Western Interval: Start: BC 505 · End: BC 436Explicit · nanqishu:021:s0084
- Source Date: Text: 曾子時代 · Western Interval: Start: BC 505 · End: BC 435Explicit event contextual date · jinshi:115:s0159
- Source Date: Text: 曾氏之義 · Western Interval: Start: BC 505 · End: BC 436Explicit · shiji:127:s0102
- Source Date: Text: 縣名勝母而曾子不入 · Western Interval: Start: BC 505 · End: BC 436Explicit · shiji:083:s0233
- Source Date: Text: 量交 · Western Year: c. BC 436Explicit event contextual date · liangshu:014:s0242
Places and affiliations
- Place: Shengmu / 勝母 · Relation: refused-to-enterExplicit · shiji:083:s0233
Works and attributed material
- Kind: advice · Role: speaker · Quoted: true · Addressee Person Id: Yang Fu (陽膚) · Topic: compassionate adjudicationExplicit · hanshu:025:s0151, hanshu:025:s0152
- Kind: cited-authority · Role: exemplar · Provenance: Mode: named-person-report · Speaker Person Id: Song Zhong (宋忠)Explicit · shiji:127:s0102
- Explicit · jinshi:115:s0159
Events and relationships
- Kind: travel · Role: traveler · Action: refused-to-enter · Place: Shengmu / 勝母 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 縣名勝母而曾子不入 · Western Interval: Start: BC 505 · End: BC 436Explicit · shiji:083:s0233
- Relation: student-of · Person Id: Confucius (孔子)Strongly inferred · liangshu:047:s0274
- Relation: broke-relations-with · Person Id: Wu Qi (吳起)Explicit · shiji:065:s0086
- Relation: teacher-of · Person Id: Wu Qi (吳起)Explicit · shiji:065:s0076, shiji:065:s0084
- Relation: advised · Person Id: Yang Fu (陽膚)Explicit · hanshu:025:s0151, hanshu:025:s0152
Assessments and attributes
- Assessment: exemplary filial figure invoked in Household Admonitions · Provenance: Mode: quoted-document · Source Person Id: Yan Yanzhi (顏延年)Explicit · songshu:073:s0087
- Assessment: paragon of household filiality · Provenance: Mode: named-speaker · Speaker Person Id: Ruan Xiaoxu (阮孝緒)Explicit · liangshu:047:s0258
- Assessment: reverently filial exemplar · Provenance: Mode: historian-judgmentExplicit · liangshu:047:s0274
- Assessment: virtuous talent treated as dust when powerless · Provenance: Mode: quoted-source · Speaker Person Id: Liu Jun (劉峻)Explicit · liangshu:014:s0242, liangshu:014:s0243
Source notes
- Historicity: historicalExplicit · shiji:083:s0233
References in the histories
Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.