KUNG-SUN HUNG

died 121 BC, China Pinyin Gongsun Hong scholar who helped establish Confucianism as the official doctrine of the Chinese state. According to tradition, Kung-sun Hung was a poor swineherd who did not begin the study of the Confucian Classics until he was 40 years old. In 140 BC he placed first among scholars examined by the Han emperor Wu and became one of his most important advisers. Primarily known for his ability to interpret portents and omens, Kung-sun Hung made an understanding of omens part of the officially accepted Confucian doctrine; future generations of administrative officials used his interpretations of natural phenomena in their attempt to check Imperial policies with which they disagreed. In 124 BC Kung-sun Hung, together with the scholar Tung Chung-shu, established the first Imperial university. This school, which trained and tested future officials in the Confucian doctrines, became the predecessor of the later Confucian civil service examination system.