Yan Hui
Yan Hui (52 1- 48 1) was born in Lu at the end of the Spring and Autumn Period. Later generations also called him "Yan Shu" and "Yan Sheng", and he was the most proud student of Confucius.
Yan Hui's father Yan Wu Xiu was one of the earliest disciples of Confucius. The Biography of Zhong Ni's Disciples in Historical Records records that "father and son taste different current events, Confucius". Yan Hui was born in the 21st year of Lu (52 1). According to Records of the Historian and Biography of Zhong Ni Disciples, he was thirty years younger than Confucius. Yan Hui died young, but there have been many sayings about the year of his death, such as 18 years old, 29 years old, 35 years old, 4 1 year old and so on. According to Li Kaifu's Shangshu, Mao Qiling's Twelve Questions, Liu Baonan's The Analects of Justice and Qian Mu's Textual Research on the Years of Pre-Qin Scholars, the year of his death coincides with the fourteen years of Lu Aigong (the first 48 1) recorded in Biography of the Spring and Autumn Ram and Historical Records of Confucius.
Yan Hui was born in a poor family, lived in a mean alley, ate and drank, but studied tirelessly. He followed Confucius all his life and didn't become an official. Confucius spoke highly of Yan Hui, making him the best student in the subject of "Morality", and praised Yan Hui for saying, "Those who are not lazy will pay back" (The Analects of Zi Han); "When I return, my heart will not violate the benevolence in March" (The Analects of Confucius, Yongye); "Xian zai, back to also! A spoonful of food, a spoonful of drink, in the mean lane, people can't bear their worries, and they won't change their fun when they go back. Xian zai, back also "("the Analects of Confucius Yong also "); Zigong, who is famous for his insight, thinks that if Yan Hui can "know everything from one smell", Confucius thinks Zigong is right. Confucius regarded Yan Hui as his only colleague and said, "Use it, discard it and hide it.". Only you and I are husbands! " (The Analects of Confucius) Confucius was very sorry for Yan Hui's early death. He once cried bitterly about it and shouted, "What a loss! The sky is lost! " The entourage advised him not to be too sad, but Confucius said, I don't feel sorry for such people. Why should people feel sad? Also said: "I'm sorry! When I saw it, I saw it stop. " (The Analects of Confucius Zi Han) It's a pity that Yan Hui keeps making progress. In the later years of Confucius, Lu Aigong and Ji Kangzi asked his disciples who was the best student. Confucius said to him, "Those who have Yan Hui are eager to learn and will never get angry. Unfortunately, if you are short-lived, you will die today. I have never heard of a good scholar. " (The Analects of Confucius Yongye) and The Analects of Confucius Advanced.
Yan Hui had great respect for Confucius, and once lamented that his teacher said, "The higher you lift, the harder you drill. Look forward and suddenly follow back. Master is good at seduction, giving me articles and asking me to be polite, but he can't stop. I have exhausted my talents, if I make a difference. Although I want to follow it, I have no reason. " (The Analects of Confucius Zi Han) He always followed Confucius. There is a saying in Zhuangzi Tian Zifang that "the teacher follows it, and the teacher follows it". Although this is a fable, I am afraid it is not groundless. When Confucius traveled around the world, he was besieged in Kuang Di. After separation, he met again. Confucius said, "I thought you were dead." Yan Hui replied, "Why do you dare to die when you are alive?" (The Analects of Confucius advanced) Confucius also thought that "belonging to the father is also regarded as" (The Analects of Confucius advanced). Yan Hui absolutely followed the teachings of Confucius and worked hard to do it. For example, after Confucius taught him "self-denial, courtesy and benevolence" and "four don't", he immediately said "reply is not sensitive, please speak English. "It is precisely because Yan Hui did not dare to deviate from Confucius' words that Confucius even criticized him and said," Not to those who helped me, but to tell me everything. " (Advanced Analects of Confucius)
Yan Hui was ambitious and once said, "Shun, who is it?" ? So is Anato? A promising person is also a ",but he is very modest and prudent. Confucius asked him what his ambition was, and he said, "I would like to be free from cutting good and governing by doing nothing", that is, I would like to declare my contribution instead of boasting about my own benefits. There are many records about Yan Yuan's thoughts in Zhuangzi, which tend to be "born". Generally speaking, it was revised by later generations. However, a few scholars think that there are many factors of "natural inaction" in Yan Hui's thought, which is different from Confucius' thought of "combining leniency with severity". Most Neo-Confucians in Song and Ming Dynasties noticed Yan Hui's ideological realm of poverty and happiness, calling it "Confucius' Happiness".
After the death of Confucius, "Confucianism was divided into eight schools", among which "Yan's Confucianism" is generally considered to refer to Yan Hui School. Yan Hui was listed as the "seventy sages" among Confucius disciples in the Han Dynasty. Before the Song Dynasty, Yan Hui's name was often called "Kong Yan" with Confucius. Posthumous title was added to it in the past dynasties. For example, Xuan Shou of the Tang Dynasty named him "Yasheng" and "Zhou Guogong", and Yuan Dynasty named him "Fu". In Qufu, Shandong Province, there is the Fusheng Temple and the Jiyanzi Temple.