Confucius’s distant ancestors were nobles of the Song State, descendants of Weizi, the half-brother of King Zhou of the Shang dynasty. Tracing the ancient patriarchal lineage, this line can be followed back to Tang, the founding monarch of the Shang dynasty. Hence, Confucius described his own origins by saying, “I am a man of Yin” (Book of Rites, Tan Gong I). Tang, who “comforted the people and punished the tyrant,” overthrew the rule of the cruel King Jie of Xia and was honored as a “sage.” Therefore, historical tradition holds that Confucius was a descendant of a sage. After King Wu of Zhou conquered Yin, he enfeoffed Weizi Qi, a member of the Shang royal house, in Song. From Weizi, the line passed through Weizhong Yan, Song Gong Ji, and Ding Gong Shen, reaching Min Gong in the fourth generation. Min Gong’s eldest son, Fufu He, was lawfully entitled to become the ruler of Song, but he yielded the throne to his younger brother, Li Gong. Fufu He became a minister, and Confucius’s ancestors thus transformed from a ruling house into a ducal ministerial family. Fufu He’s great-grandson, Zheng Kaofu, successively served as chief minister to Duke Dai, Duke Wu, and Duke Xuan of Song, renowned for his humility. Zheng Kaofu’s son, Kongfu Jia, succeeded as Grand Marshal of Song. According to the Zhou system of Li (Propriety/Ritual), a high official could not take a feudal lord as his ancestor, and “after five generations, the kinship ends, and one separates to become a lord.” Consequently, his descendants took Kong as their surname. When Duke Mu of Song fell ill, he entrusted his son, Duke Shang, to Kongfu Jia. Later, the Song Grand Steward Huafu Du rebelled, assassinating Duke Shang and killing Kongfu Jia. To escape disaster, Kongfu Jia’s descendants fled to the Zouyi region of the State of Lu (within present-day Qufu, Shandong). From then on, the Kong clan settled in Zouyi, losing their ministerial rank and descending to the shi (scholar-official) class, becoming people of Lu. Confucius’s great-grandfather, Kong Fangshu, served as the steward of the Fangyi district in Lu. The deeds of his grandfather, Boxia, are unknown. His father, named He, styled Shuliang (also known as Shuliang He), was a renowned warrior of Lu, with two military merits, and served as the steward of Zouyi. Shuliang He first married a woman of the Shi clan, who bore him nine daughters but no son. A concubine bore a son named Boni (also known as Meng Pi), who had a foot ailment making him lame. In the patriarchal society of the time, only a son could inherit his father’s enterprise. Although Shuliang He’s noble status had declined, he was still the steward of Zouyi. Feeling that a lame son would bring shame, and hoping for a proper son to succeed him, he remarried Yan Zhengzai. Shortly after their marriage, on the 27th day of the 8th month in the 22nd year of Duke Xiang of Lu (September 8, 551 BCE), Confucius was born. Because his parents had prayed for a son at Mount Niqiu, they named him Qiu, with the courtesy name Zhongni. Another tradition says Confucius was born with a head that was high around the sides and low in the center, resembling Mount Niqiu, hence the name. According to the ancient ranking system of “Bo, Zhong, Shu, Ji,” “Zhong” indicates that Confucius was the second son among the boys in his family. Historical records state that Confucius was nine feet and six inches tall, which converts to over two meters.