Meng Wubo (Meng Wubo, a noble of the State of Lu, whose personal name was Zhi, with "Wu" as his posthumous title and "Bo" indicating his rank as the eldest son in the "Bo, Zhong, Shu, Ji" order of seniority) was the tenth generation head of the Mengsun clan in Lu. He is commonly referred to as Zhongsun Zhi or Mengsun Zhi, and was the legitimate eldest son of Meng Yizi (a high-ranking official of Lu).
Meng Yizi (a nobleman of the State of Lu) asked about filial piety (Xiao), and Confucius warned him not to violate Li (ritual propriety). Now Meng Wubo (Meng Yizi's son) came to ask about filial piety, and Confucius advised him to act cautiously and avoid wrongdoing, so that his parents would only worry about his health and nothing else—that is true filial piety. The father and son asked the same question, but Confucius gave different answers tailored to each person. This was not because Confucius's understanding of filial piety was inconsistent, but because both were aristocrats: Meng Yizi held governing power, so Confucius hoped he would control his behavior according to ritual and consciously uphold the state's ritual and music system. In contrast, Meng Wubo was still under his parents' discipline, so Confucius only warned him not to cause trouble and worry his parents, making "parents only worry about their child's illness" the essence of filial piety. Meng Wubo also once consulted Confucius about whether Zhong You (Zi Lu, a brave disciple), Ran Qiu (a capable disciple), and Gongxi Chi (a refined disciple) possessed Ren (Benevolence).
In 478 BCE, Meng Wubo and Gao Chai (two officials of the State of Lu) assisted Duke Ai of Lu in forming an alliance with Duke Ping of Qi. During the alliance ceremony, the Duke of Qi performed the kowtow (a deep bow with head touching the ground), while Duke Ai of Lu merely bowed. The people of Qi were furious. Meng Wubo explained that according to the Rites of Zhou (Zhou Li), the ruler of Lu would only perform the kowtow for the Son of Heaven (the Zhou king), but for other feudal lords, a simple bow was sufficient. In 470 BCE, when Duke Ai of Lu returned from the State of Yue, Ji Kangzi and Meng Wubo welcomed him at Wuwu and held a banquet. A minister named Guo Zhong was also present. Guo Zhong was very fat and was favored by Duke Ai. During the banquet, Meng Wubo took the opportunity of toasting Duke Ai to ask Guo Zhong, "Why are you so fat?" Duke Ai, displeased, replied on Guo Zhong's behalf, "He has broken many promises—how could he not be fat!" This was a sarcastic jab at Meng Wubo, who was known for not keeping his word. Humiliated before the assembled ministers, Meng Wubo turned red with embarrassment. From then on, Meng Wubo and Duke Ai of Lu mutually despised each other.
In 468 BCE, Duke Ai of Lu (the ruler of the State of Lu) believed that the Three Huan (three powerful noble families descended from Duke Huan of Lu) had become excessively extravagant and wanted to use the military forces of other feudal states to remove them. The Three Huan, in turn, considered Duke Ai arrogant, and the ruler and his ministers were at odds with each other. Duke Ai repeatedly asked Meng Wubo (a member of one of the Three Huan families): "May I ask, among you Three Huan, am I nearing the point of death?" Meng Wubo replied, "Your servant has no way of knowing." Afterwards, Duke Ai fled through the State of Zhu to the State of Yue. The Three Huan then installed his son as Duke Dao of Lu.