author
Fu Kong
d. -208
A descendant of Confucius, this early Chinese scholar is traditionally linked to works that helped preserve and explain classical learning at a time of political upheaval. He is most often associated with the Xiao Erya, an ancient text that expands on the famous Erya glossary.
1 Audiobook
孔叢子
by Fu Kong
About the author
Born around 264 BCE and said to have died in 208 BCE, Kong Fu, also written as Fu Kong, was a Chinese scholar from the Kong family line and is described in reference works as a descendant of Confucius. He is remembered in later tradition as a learned figure of the late Qin and early Han transition.
He is most commonly associated with the Xiao Erya (“Little Erya”), an early glossary or dictionary-like work that supplements the older Erya. Sources describe the text as traditionally attributed to him, though the wording is often cautious, which suggests that some details of authorship are uncertain.
Kong Fu is also linked in traditional scholarship with the Kongcongzi, a collection connected with the Confucian school. Even where the historical record is thin, his name remains important because it stands near the effort to organize, transmit, and explain classical Chinese learning for later generations.