Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-18-05 03:04
Please click on Chinese Simplified to read Chinese.
Confucius' mother
Yan Zhengzai (顏徵在)
Yan Zhengzai was the mother of Confucius (孔子 or Kong Zhongni 孔仲尼).
Confucius' father was called Kong He (孔紇) who was a petty offical in the
district of Zou (鄒邑). Kong He married a girl by the surname of Shi (施
) from the State of Lu (魯國). Kong He had many daughters but no sons. So
he took a concubine who bore him a son. Unfortunately, one day his son was
very sick, but he recovered. Due to his illness his son became a disabled
person. Kong He by then was over 50 years old. He was very sad. He decided
to marry another girl.
Kong He went to ask the hand of one of the daughters from a man called Yan
Shi (顏氏) who had five daughters and none of them was married. Yan Shi
asked his daughters who wanted to marry Kong He. All the bachelor girls
were quiet. The youngest daughter called Yan Zhengzai told her father:
"女子之義, 在家從父, 惟父所命, 何問焉?
As a daughter, at home, I should obey the father, why ask?"
She then told her father that she was willing to marry Kong He. So Yan Zhengzai
married Kong He who was over 50 years old.
After the marriage Kong He and Yan Zhengzai went to pray in a mountain called
Ni (尼山) hoping to have a son. Several days later Yan Zhengzai discovered
she was pregnant and eventually she gave birth to a baby boy. The time was
551BC. Kong He named his son Zhong Ni (仲尼). Zhong (仲) means second since
the baby boy was the second son in the family. Ni (尼) was named after Mount
Ni where they went to pray for a son. The baby boy's full name was Kong
Zhong Ni (孔仲尼) who was better known as Confucius.
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan
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