Disciple of Confucius, often the questioner in the 论语, who served the state of 鲁 as an envoy and grew rich in trade. Merchants later took him as their model. He mourned at Confucius's grave for six years.
Zǐgòng jīngshāng zhuàn le hěnduō qián, shì Kǒngzǐ dìzǐ zhōng zuì fùyǒu de.
Zigong made a fortune in trade and was the richest of Confucius's disciples.
Tips
culture
When an official said 子贡 outdid Confucius, he answered that his own wall was shoulder-high while the master's rose several times a man's height: 不得其门而入, 'without finding the gate, you cannot get in', now an idiom for finding no way in.
culture
Confucius once called him a 瑚琏, a precious vessel for grain offerings: praise with a sting from the teacher who said 君子不器, 'a gentleman is not a vessel'. Honest dealing in business is still praised as 端木遗风, 'the way of Duanmu'.
