Ruler of 卫国 for 42 years, at whose court Confucius stayed for years without being given office. Book 15 of the 论语 is named after him, as it opens with his question about battle formations.
The idiom 'when it comes to doing right, yield to no one' comes from the Duke Ling of Wei book of the Analects.
Tips
history
His state 卫国 sounds exactly like 魏国, a different state, so watch the character. His favourite was Lady 南子, whom Confucius once visited, to 子路's displeasure. 灵 is an unflattering posthumous title, given to rulers whose reign was disorderly.
usage
The book's first line is 卫灵公问陈于孔子, where 陈 is read zhèn and stands for 阵 'battle formation'. Confucius answered that he had studied ritual, not war, and left Wei the next day.
