Duanmu Ci

Duanmu Ci (traditional Chinese: 端木賜; simplified Chinese: 端木赐; pinyin: Duānmù Cì; Wade–Giles: Tuan-mu Tz'u; 520–456 BC), also known by his courtesy name Zigong (traditional Chinese: 子貢; simplified Chinese: 子贡; pinyin: Zǐgòng; Wade–Giles: Tzu-kung), was one of the most important and loyal disciples of Confucius. Among Confucius' students, he was the second best at speech, after only Zai Yu. He was a prominent diplomat of the Spring and Autumn period who served as a high official in several states, and was a very wealthy businessman.

Duanmu Ci (Zigong) was a native of the State of Wey. He was 31 years younger than Confucius.

Zigong had mental sharpness and ability, and appears in the Analects as one of the most eloquent speakers among Confucius' students. Confucius said, "From the time that I got Ci, scholars from a distance came daily resorting to me." According to Zhu Xi, Zigong was a merchant who later became wealthy through his own efforts, and developed a sense of moral self-composure through the course of his work. (His past profession as a merchant is elaborated in Analects 11.18).

When he first came to Confucius he quickly demonstrated an ability to grasp Confucius' basic points, and refined himself further through Confucius' education. He is later revealed to have become a skillful speaker and an accomplished statesman (Analects 11.3), but Confucius may have felt that he lacked the necessary flexibility and empathy towards others necessary for achieving consummate virtue (ren): he once claimed to of have achieved Confucius' moral ideal, but was then sharply dismissed by the Master (Analects 5.12); later he is criticized by Confucius for being too strict with others, and for not moderating his demands with an empathic understanding of others' limitations (Analects 14.29). He is one of the Confucius' students most commonly referred to in the Analects, also appearing in Analects 9.6, 9.13, 11.13, 13.20, 14.17, and 17.19.

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