Scholars › Philosopher / Thinker
Gongyang Gao
Warring States scholar of Qi, traditionally a disciple of Zixia and the attributed author of the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals.
A thatched pavilion open on three sides stands among tall bamboo; one person sits with their back turned at the veranda rail beside a zither and a stack of bamboo slips, while a stone path runs to a calm pond reflecting clouds and distant hills.
Also known as Gongyangzi
Gongyang Gao, a man of Qi in the Warring States period, is traditionally said to have been a disciple of Confucius's student Zixia and to have transmitted the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals orally. According to He Xiu of the Eastern Han and Xu Yan of the Tang, the teaching passed down through several generations of the Gongyang family until his descendant Gongyang Shou and Humu Sheng wrote it down under Emperor Jing of Han as the Gongyang Commentary. The commentary expounds the 'subtle words and great principles' of the Annals and became the core text of Han New Text classicism.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; traditionally a man of Qi in the Warring States period