Kong Rong (Kong Wenju 153 – 208) was a bureaucrat, poet, and minor warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. A well-known story commonly used to educate children even nowadays on the values of courtesy and fraternal love involves the four-year-old Kong Rong giving up the larger pears to his elder and younger brothers. This story is also mentioned in the Three Character Classic, a text used for elementary education since the Song Dynasty.
Kong Rong showed his quick wits since his young age. Here is a story recorded about him in ‘A New Account of Tales of the World’ (Shi Shuo Xin Yu).Kong Wenju came to Luoyang with his father when he was ten.
At that time Li Yuanli (110-169) enjoyed great prestige in Luoyang as the Attorney-General. Only prominent figures or his close relatives were allowed to visit him.
Wenju approached his gate and said to the door man, ‘I’m a relative of Mr Li.’
After he was allowed in and sat down, Li asked him, ‘How is it that you are my relative?’
Wenju replied, ‘Long ago, my ancestor Confucius called your ancestor Laozi (note: Laozi’s surname is said to be Li) by the title of Master, therefore you and I have a relationship spanning many generations.’
Li and his guests were impressed by his reply. A while later, Chen Wei, an adviser of the Emperor, came and other told him the words of the boy. He uttered, ‘Being smart at a young age doesn’t mean he’ll be somebody when he grows up.’
Wenju answered, ‘I’m sure you must be smart when you were young.’
Chen was choked up.
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孔融(孔文举153-208) 是东汉三国时期的官僚、诗人、小军阀。他四岁时让梨给兄弟的故事至今还是教育儿童礼让与友爱的有名教材。三字经就有提到这个故事。
他从小就显示才智过人。这里是《世说新语》里记录有关他的一个故事。
孔文举年十岁，随父到洛阳。
时李元礼（110-169）有盛名，为司隶校尉。诣门者，皆俊才清称及中表亲戚乃通。
文举至门，谓吏曰：“我是李府君亲。”
既通，前坐。元礼问曰：“君与仆有何亲?”
对曰：“昔先君仲尼与君先人伯阳有师资之尊，是仆与君奕世为通好也。”
元礼及宾客莫不奇之。太中大夫陈韪后至，人以其语语之，韪曰：“小时了了，大未必佳。”文举曰：“想君小时必当了了。”
韪大踧踖。
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