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1 Confucius
1 孔子
Zhuangzi once characterized Confucius as saying, “You may forget me as I once was, but there is something unforgettable about me that will still live on.” This prediction remains accurate as Confucius' words still live on today and have been quoted by people down through the ages. Because of the writings and teachings he left behind,Confucius is considered one of history’s wisest men.
莊子曾經這樣描述孔子：“雖忘乎故吾，吾有不忘者存。”這個預言在今天得到證實，因為孔子的金玉良言世世代代流傳，至今人們仍在不斷引用。他遺留下來的著作與學說，使其公認為史上最有智慧的人士之一。
When he was bom in 551 B.C. in Lu, China, the baby who would someday be called Kong Fuzi was named Kong Qiu. Confucius' father, Kong Shulianghe, was a descendant of the royal family of Shang and had at one time been governor of the town of Zou. When Kong Qiu was three years old, his father died, leaving the child and his young mother in poverty. As Kong Qiu grew older, their financial situation required him to take on menial jobs such as caring for livestock. He became known as a polite, smart and hard-working young man with an insatiable desire to learn. This thirst for knowledge would push him toward a life of learning and teaching others.
公元前551年，孔子誕生于魯國，這名未來的“孔夫子”被取名為“孔丘”。孔子的父親孔叔梁紇為商朝王室后裔，也曾治理過鄒邑。孔丘3歲時，父親去世，獨留他與年紀尚輕的母親貧苦度日。孔丘漸漸長大了，因為家中經濟拮據，他不得不從事卑微的工作，如看牲畜。后來他成為大家眼中有禮貌、聰明勤奮、好學上進的年輕人，而且有著永無止境的求知欲。求知若渴促使孔子一生都在學習和教導他人。
Confucius married when he was 19，had a son and two daughters, and continued working assorted jobs, including several in his local government. Around the age of 30， Confucius began his teaching career, sometimes traveling from town to town while teaching a group of students who accompanied him. As a result, it didn’t take long for his principles to spread and for others to begin recognizing him for the wise sage that he was.
孔子19歲結婚，有一個兒子和兩個女兒。他不斷嘗試各種工作，也曾在地方政府做過幾件差事。30歲左右，孔子開始以教學為業，有時遍訪各邑，同時教導跟隨他的一群學生。結果沒過多久，他的信條就傳布開來，世人開始把孔子視為智慧大師和圣人。
Confucius became increasingly distressed by the political corruption and disorder in society, so he decided to get involved in politics, hoping to make a change. But after tens of years of trying, he failed in persuading even one ruler to practice his moral doctrines. Yet Confticius never faltered in his belief that the most important task of any ruler was to work for the welfare and happiness of his people.
孔子對當時的政治腐敗與社會動蕩越來越感到痛心，于是決定涉足政治，以期改變現狀。但是經過十幾年的努力和嘗試，沒有一位君主接受勸服并采用他的道德學說。然而孔子從不懷疑自己的信念：君主最重要的任務就是為人民謀福祉。
He spent the rest years of his life studying, writing and teaching his ever-expanding group of students. It’s been said that up to 3,000 men may have studied with Confucius.
孔子的余年致力于研究、寫作，教導不斷增加的學生。據說有3, 000名學生曾受教于孔子。
Sadly, Confucius’ last years were unhappy. One morning in 479 B.C., the sage died in bed. His followers buried him with great ceremony, built huts close to his grave, and spent the next three years there in mournful respect.
令人難過的是，孔子晚年并不幸福。公元前479年的一天早晨，這位圣人在臥榻上辭世。他的追隨者舉行了儀式隆重的葬禮，并在他的墓旁搭建茅屋，為他守喪3年。
