Why Can’t Nanzi Catch A Break?

Recently, the film 孔子 (Confucius) was released in China (who knows when we’ll get to see it here in the U.S.?), on the life of the sage himself.  While it remains to be seen how good or close to the traditional sources this movie is (I doubt it sticks that close, as what’s in the historical sources wouldn’t make for great drama), one plot-line developed in the film, from what I’ve heard, suggests that Confucius and Nanzi, the wife of Lord Ling of Wei, were romantically involved.  Nanzi is the infamous

The Human Nature Debate of Analects Book 18, Part One

For anyone who’s interested: here is an outline of (most of) the presentation I gave last month in NY at the APA on the Confucian/Proto-Daoist cage match in Analects 18:5-7 (in which fortunately no one was knocked out with a suplex or blindsided with a folding chair…although rumor has it that Zilu’s feelings were hurt).

Any comments, criticisms, or incredulous stares are welcome!

Analects 2.5: on filiality and what is in li

Now, with a new semester started (way too early, I might add…), it seems like a good time to get back into my project of worrying about passages in the Analects.  2.5 seems like a good place to jump back into the mix, and this passage gets us into some interesting territory concerning filiality and its connection to 禮 li (ritual). 2.5 reads:

2.5: 孟懿子問孝。子曰：“無違。”樊遲御，子告之曰：“孟孫問孝於我，我對曰‘無違’。”樊遲曰：“何謂也？”子曰：“生事之以禮；死葬之以禮，祭之以禮。”