HSK 4 · Article · 580 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/who-was-confucius

孔子是谁？

Who was Confucius?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

两千五百多liǎngqiānwúbǎiduō年nián前qián，在zài郑国zhèngguó的de城门口chéngménkǒu，有人yǒurén对duì一个yígè年轻人niánqīngrén说shuō：“东门dōngmén那儿nàr站zhàn着zhe一yí个gè人rén，看起来kànqilai又yòu累lèi又yòu失落shīluò，像xiàng一yì条tiáo没有méiyǒu家jiā的de狗gǒu。”年轻人niánqīngrén回去huíqù，把bǎ这zhè句jù话huà转告zhuǎngào了le自己zìjǐ的de老师lǎoshī。老师lǎoshī听tīng了le，不但búdàn没有méiyǒu生气shēngqì，反而fǎn’ér愉快yúkuài地de笑xiào了le：“说shuō我wǒ像xiàng一yì条tiáo没有méiyǒu家jiā的de狗gǒu？说shuō得de对duì，说shuō得de对duì！”

这zhè位wèi老师lǎoshī就是jiùshì孔子kóngzǐ，那个nàge年轻人niánqīngrén是shì他tā的de学生xuéshēng子贡zǐgòng。今天jīntiān，孔子kóngzǐ是shì中国zhōngguó最zuì著名zhùmíng的de老师lǎoshī。可是kěshì他tā活huó着zhe的de时候shíhou，日子rìzi一点yìdiǎn也yě不bú顺利shùnlì。

公元前gōngyuánqián551年nián，孔子kóngzǐ出生chūshēng在zài鲁国lǔguó，也yě就是jiùshì今天jīntiān的de山东shāndōng。他tā三sān岁suì的de时候shíhou，父亲fùqin就jiù去世qùshì了le，母亲mǔqīn带dài着zhe他tā过guò着zhe贫穷pínqióng的de生活shēnghuó。年轻niánqīng的de时候shíhou，他tā做zuò过guò很hěn多duō普通pǔtōng的de工作gōngzuò：管guǎn过guò仓库cāngkù，账zhàng算suàn得de清清楚楚qīngqīng-chúchǔ；也yě养yǎng过guò牛羊niúyáng，养yǎng得de又yòu多duō又yòu肥féi。

后来hòulái，他tā在zài鲁国lǔguó当dāng了le大官dàguān，负责fùzé法律fǎlǜ。可是kěshì他tā推行tuīxíng的de改革gǎigé失败shībài了le，五十多岁wǔshí-duōsuì的de时候shíhou，他tā离开líkāi了le鲁国lǔguó。

之后zhīhòu的de十四shísì年nián，他tā带dài着zhe学生xuéshēng走zǒu了le一个yígè又yòu一个yígè国家guójiā，希望xīwàng有yǒu国王guówáng愿意yuànyì采用cǎiyòng他tā的de主张zhǔzhāng。可是kěshì没有méiyǒu一个yígè国王guówáng真正zhēnzhèng重用zhòngyòng他tā。有yǒu一次yícì，他们tāmen在zài路上lùshang被困bèikùn住zhù了le，连lián饭fàn都dōu吃不上chībushàng。那个nàge“没有méiyǒu家jiā的de狗gǒu”的de故事gùshi，就jiù发生fāshēng在zài这些zhèxiē年nián里。

快kuài七十qīshí岁suì的de时候shíhou，孔子kóngzǐ回到huídào鲁国lǔguó，不再búzài当官dāngguān，专心zhuānxīn教书jiāoshū。据说jùshuō他tā一yí共有gòngyǒu三千sānqiān个gè学生xuéshēng，其中qízhōng七十二qīshí’èr个gè特别tèbié优秀yōuxiù。《论语lúnyǔ》里li说shuō，不管bùguǎn是shì谁shéi，只要zhǐyào带dài一点yìdiǎn肉干ròugān来lái当dāng学费xuéfèi，就jiù可以kéyǐ做zuò他tā的de学生xuéshēng。在zài那nà个gè时代shídài，能néng读书dúshū的de大多dàduō是shì贵族guìzú，所以suóyǐ这zhè是shì很hěn了不起liǎobuqǐ的de事shì。

公元前gōngyuánqián479年nián，孔子kóngzǐ去世qùshì了le，活huó了le七十多岁qīshí-duōsuì。他tā自己zìjǐ没有méiyǒu写xiě过guò书shū。他tā死sǐ后hòu，学生xuéshēng们men把bǎ他tā平时píngshí说shuō的de那些nàxiē话huà记录jìlù下来xiàlai，编成biānchéng了le一yì本běn书shū，就是jiùshì《论语lúnyǔ》。比如bǐrú“温故而知新wēngù’érzhīxīn”：把bǎ学xué过guò的de知识zhīshi拿ná出来chūlái再zài复习fùxí一遍yíbiàn，就jiù会huì有yǒu新xīn的de收获shōuhuò。还有háiyǒu“己所不欲jísuǒ-búyù，勿施于人wùshī-yúrén”：自己zìjǐ不bù喜欢xǐhuān的de事shì，就jiù不要búyào对duì别人biéren做zuò。

活huó着zhe的de时候shíhou，孔子kóngzǐ到处dàochù寻找xúnzhǎo愿意yuànyì听tīng他tā的de人rén，却què没有méiyǒu找到zhǎodào。死sǐ了le以后yǐhòu，中国zhōngguó人rén听tīng了le他tā两千多liǎngqiānduō年nián。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
愉快yúkuàihappy; pleasant; delightful
著名zhùmíngfamous; well-known; celebrated
活huówork; job
顺利shùnlìsmoothly; successfully; smooth; without a hitch
父亲fùqinfather
母亲mǔqīnmother
普通pǔtōngordinary; common; average
管guǎnto manage; to run
算suànto calculate; to count
当dāngwhen; at the time of
负责fùzéto be in charge of; to be responsible for
法律fǎlǜlaw

English (for the teacher)

More than 2,500 years ago, at the city gate in the state of Zheng, someone said to a young man: “There's a man standing over by the east gate who looks worn out and lost, like a dog with no home.” The young man went back and told his teacher what he'd heard. The teacher, far from being angry, laughed happily: “I look like a dog with no home? That's right, that's right!”

The teacher was Confucius, and the young man was his student Zigong. Today Confucius is China's most famous teacher. But while he was alive, life did not go his way at all.

Confucius was born in 551 BC in the state of Lu, which is today's Shandong. His father died when he was three, and his mother brought him up in poverty. As a young man he did all kinds of ordinary jobs: he ran a storehouse and kept the accounts perfectly straight, and he kept cattle and sheep and raised plenty of them, and fat ones.

Later he became a high official in Lu, in charge of the law. But the reforms he pushed for failed, and in his fifties he left Lu.

For the next fourteen years he took his students from one state to another, hoping some ruler would take up his ideas. But not one ruler ever gave him real power. Once they got stuck on the road and couldn't even get food. The story of the “dog with no home” happened during these years.

When he was nearly seventy, Confucius returned to Lu, gave up official work and gave himself to teaching. He is said to have had three thousand students in all, seventy-two of them outstanding. The Analects says that anyone at all could become his student, as long as they brought a little dried meat as their fee. In those days most people who could study were nobles, so that was a remarkable thing.

Confucius died in 479 BC, in his seventies. He never wrote a book himself. After he died, his students wrote down the things he used to say and put them together into a book: the Analects. One example is “Review the old and you will learn something new”: go back over what you have already learned, and you will get something new out of it. Another is “What you don't want for yourself, don't do to others”: if you wouldn't like something done to you, don't do it to others.

While he was alive, Confucius went everywhere looking for people who would listen to him, and never found them. After he died, China listened to him for more than two thousand years.