Is “Let his hair down and feigned madness to become a slave, and answered the Hongfan” true?
attested in history
The Records of the Grand Historian, Hereditary House of Song Weizi, records that when his remonstrance was not heeded by King Zhou, he let his hair down and feigned madness to become a slave; when King Wu of Zhou visited him and asked for the way to govern, he replied with the Hong Fan. (Original text: 「乃被发详狂而为奴。遂隐而鼓琴以自悲」, source: data/raw/shiji/宋微子世家.txt)
Jizi
In official history, he is a virtuous royal clansman who served as Grand Tutor of the Shang Dynasty and was enslaved for remonstrating; in fiction, he is often portrayed as a loyal elder deeply concerned about his country and people.
Other claims about Jizi
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