Chinese philosopher, grandson of Confucius, native of the ancient state of Lu (present Shantung province), and according to tradition, the author of the Doctrine of the Mean (Zhongyong). This classic, now part of the Li Chi (“Record of Rites”) and classified as one of the Four Books, reaffirms Confucius' interpretation of the mean as the state of equilibrium (chung yung) of the exemplary man. The work also broadens the concept of mean through its discussion of the “timely mean” (shih chung) that is relative and varies according to situation.