Kong Yingda

Kong Yingda
Kong Yingda, as portrayed in the Ming dynasty encyclopedia Sancai Tuhui
Native name	孔穎達
Born	574 Hengshui, Jizhou, Northern Qi
Died	648 (aged 73–74)
Academic background
School or tradition	Confucianism
Academic work
Notable works	Wujing Zhengyi ("Correct Meaning of the Five Classics")

Kong Yingda (Chinese: 孔穎達; Wade–Giles: K'ung Ying-ta; 574 – 648), courtesy names Chongyuan (冲遠) and Zhongda (仲達), was a Sui and Tang dynasty Confucianist, who is considered one of the most influential Confucian scholars in Chinese history. His most important work is the Wujing Zhengyi ("Correct Meaning of the Five Classics"), which became the standard curriculum for the Imperial Examinations, and the basis for all future official commentaries of the Five Classics. He was also "skilled at mathematics and the calendar."

Kong Yingda was born 574 in Hengshui, Jizhou (冀州), in the state of Northern Qi of the Northern Dynasties. He was said to be a 32nd-generation descendant of Confucius, and his father Kong An (孔安), grandfather Kong Shuo (孔碩), and great-grandfather Kong Linggui (孔靈龜) all served as high-ranking government officials.

Kong began studying Confucian classics in childhood. He later became a pupil of Liu Zhuo (), a renowned scholar of the time, and studied the Shangshu and Du Yu's annotations of the Zuo Zhuan under his guidance.

After Emperor Yang ascended the throne of the Sui dynasty in 604, the emperor invited famous scholars and their students to his court, including Liu Zhuo and Kong Yingda. Kong excelled in scholarly debates, and was appointed to a high post at the age of only 30. His eminence caused envy in some established scholars, who were ashamed of being inferior to him and made an abortive attempt to have him assassinated.