author
Fu Kong
d. -208
Known in tradition as a descendant of Confucius, this early Han-era scholar is most often connected with the Xiao Erya, a compact dictionary that helped explain classical Chinese vocabulary. The work became an important reference in the long history of Chinese lexicography.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Tradition identifies Kong Fu (often rendered Fu Kong in older catalogs) as a scholar of the early Han period and a descendant of Confucius. He is usually dated to roughly 265–209 BCE, though some details of his life and even the exact authorship of works linked to him remain uncertain.
He is best known for the Xiao Erya, an early Chinese dictionary arranged by subject. The book supplements the older Erya and gathers short explanations of words covering topics such as kinship, objects, plants, animals, and measures, making it a valuable aid for readers of classical texts.
Because surviving information about him is sparse, modern readers often know him more through this influential reference work than through biographical records. Even so, his name remains tied to an important stage in the development of Chinese scholarship and the study of language.