Shaozheng Mao

Shaozheng Mao, was a Lu state Taifu in the 6th century BC.

Biography

'Shaozheng' is his official title while Mao is his name. Some historical records document that Shaozheng Mao is an erudite scholar. Except Yan Hui, all the three thousand disciples of Confucius were attracted to attend his lectures several times. In about 500 BC when Confucius became a minister of Lu state, he immediately ordered the execution of Shaozheng Mao, citing his 'five crimes', each worth execution, including concealed evilness, stubborn abnormality, eloquent duplicity, erudition in bizarre facts and generosity to evildoers. The incident was first mentioned in Xunzi: Youzuo,^[1] which was about three centuries later from the time of Confucius, causing doubt about its authenticity among Confucianists. The incident was also documented in Records of the Grand Historian but not in earlier sources like Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu. ^[2]^[3]

References

^ 《荀子·宥坐篇》：孔子為魯攝相，朝七日而誅少正卯。門人進問曰：「夫少正卯魯之聞人也，夫子為政而始誅之，得無失乎，」孔子曰：「居，吾語女其故。人有惡者五，而盜竊不與焉。一曰心達而險；二曰行辟而堅；三曰言偽而辯；四曰記醜而博；五曰順非而澤。此五者，有一於人，則不得免於君子之誅，而少正卯兼有之。故居處足以聚徒成群，言談足飾邪營眾，強足以反是獨立，此小人之桀雄也，不可不誅也。是以湯誅尹諧，文王誅潘止，周公誅管叔，太公誅華仕，管仲誅付里乙，子產誅鄧析、史付，此七子者，皆異世同心，不可不誅也。詩曰：『憂心悄悄，慍於群小。』小人成群，斯足憂也。」
^ 鮑鵬山 (2013). 孔子傳. 香港中和出版公司. pp. 6–7.
^ 《朱子語類‧卷九十三》：「某嘗疑誅少正卯無此事，出於齊魯陋儒欲尊夫子之道，而造為之說。若果有之，則左氏記載當時人物甚詳，何故有一人如許勞攘，而略不及之？史傳間不足信事如此者甚多。」

[1] 《荀子·宥坐篇》：孔子為魯攝相，朝七日而誅少正卯。門人進問曰：「夫少正卯魯之聞人也，夫子為政而始誅之，得無失乎，」孔子曰：「居，吾語女其故。人有惡者五，而盜竊不與焉。一曰心達而險；二曰行辟而堅；三曰言偽而辯；四曰記醜而博；五曰順非而澤。此五者，有一於人，則不得免於君子之誅，而少正卯兼有之。故居處足以聚徒成群，言談足飾邪營眾，強足以反是獨立，此小人之桀雄也，不可不誅也。是以湯誅尹諧，文王誅潘止，周公誅管叔，太公誅華仕，管仲誅付里乙，子產誅鄧析、史付，此七子者，皆異世同心，不可不誅也。詩曰：『憂心悄悄，慍於群小。』小人成群，斯足憂也。」

[2] 鮑鵬山 (2013). 孔子傳. 香港中和出版公司. pp. 6–7.

[3] 《朱子語類‧卷九十三》：「某嘗疑誅少正卯無此事，出於齊魯陋儒欲尊夫子之道，而造為之說。若果有之，則左氏記載當時人物甚詳，何故有一人如許勞攘，而略不及之？史傳間不足信事如此者甚多。」

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