世家 'hereditary houses' were the chapters on the ruling families of the old states, yet
司马迁 gave one to
孔子, a commoner who never ruled, because scholars had honoured his teaching for more than ten generations. The chapter tells how in old age he read the
易经 until the leather thongs binding it broke three times, the source of
韦编三绝, and ends with Sima Qian's own tribute, the source of
心向往之 'my heart yearns for it'.
