Duanmu Ci (520-456 BCE), with the surname Duanmu, given name Ci, and courtesy name Zi Gong, was thirty-one years younger than Confucius and a native of the State of Wei. Among Confucius's disciples, his recorded exchanges with the Master in The Analects are the most numerous, and Confucius valued him second only to Yan Hui. Zi Gong had excellent eloquence and was skilled in debate; he once flexibly used the line "As cutting and filing, as carving and polishing" from the "Qi Ao" chapter of the Classic of Poetry's "Odes of Wei" to answer the Master's question. Confucius deemed Zi Gong's response highly apt and thus praised him, saying, "Now I can begin to discuss the Classic of Poetry with you." He also remarked that Zi Gong "told of the past and understood the future," believing that his understanding of the poem had reached a level of deep insight. Hence, Zi Gong was listed as an outstanding figure in the category of speech. Possessing talent for benefiting the world and handling affairs with acumen, Confucius once called him a "vessel of ritual offerings" (a vessel for state ceremonies). He served as prime minister of both the States of Lu and Wei and was a renowned diplomat of the late Spring and Autumn Period. In the past, when Qi planned to attack Lu and Lu faced the danger of overthrow, Zi Gong lobbied among the states of Qi, Wu, Yue, and Jin, causing Wu to attack Qi and thus preserving Lu. He was also skilled in commerce, once engaging in trade between the states of Cao and Lu, amassing a fortune of a thousand gold pieces, making him the wealthiest among Confucius's disciples. Confucius said, "Ci does not accept fate but engages in trade, and his speculations often hit the mark."
Sima Qian, in his Records of the Grand Historian, devoted the most ink to the figure of Zi Gong (a wealthy merchant and eloquent disciple of Confucius), and his biography is also the longest among all of Confucius’s disciples in terms of length. This shows how extraordinary Zi Gong was. He excelled in his studies, possessed rich cultural cultivation, demonstrated outstanding political and diplomatic talents, and had superb skills in financial management and commerce. His great influence and immense role were unmatched by any other disciple of Confucius.
Among Confucius's disciples, Zi Gong (a skilled diplomat and wealthy merchant disciple) was the best at combining learning with practice. His fame and status once even surpassed that of his teacher Confucius. At the time, Shu Sun Wushu (a high-ranking official of the State of Lu) publicly declared in the court, "Zi Gong is more worthy than Zhongni" (Confucius's courtesy name). Upon hearing this, Zi Gong firmly refuted such remarks, loyally defending Confucius's reputation and position. Sima Qian (the Grand Historian) believed that Confucius's fame spreading across the world and Confucianism becoming a prominent school of thought were largely due to Zi Gong's efforts. Zi Gong and Zi Lu (another disciple) were like Confucius's left and right hands—one refined in civil affairs, the other in martial matters. After Confucius's death, Zi Gong observed the three-year mourning period with his fellow disciples, then kept vigil at the grave alone for another three years, showing a teacher-student bond deeper than that of father and son.