What is the story of Kong Rong and the pears?

When Kong Rong was four, he and his older brothers were given pears to share, and he always took the smallest. Asked why, he said that as the little one he should take a little pear and leave the big ones to his elders. Chinese families still tell it to teach sharing and respect.

Where does the story of Kong Rong giving away the pear come from?

It first appears in the Family Biography of Kong Rong, quoted in Li Xian's Tang-dynasty commentary on the Book of the Later Han. It became famous through the Three Character Classic: 融四岁，能让梨 ('At four, Rong could give up the pear').

How old was Kong Rong when he gave away the pear?

Four. According to his family biography, he was the sixth of seven brothers, and at four he always took the smaller pear when eating with his older brothers.

A 20th-generation descendant of Confucius and a well-known writer at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, counted among the Seven Masters of Jian'an. He was outspoken, repeatedly angered the warlord Cao Cao, and was executed in 208 AD.

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Chinese history · 声匠改编 · 3:36

Kong Rong Gives Away the Bigger Pear

A basket of golden pears, and every brother eyes the biggest. Four-year-old Kong Rong takes the smallest, and his reason surprises the whole family.

Narrator

Kong Rong

Father

Mother

Eldest Brother

Fifth Brother

0:000:00

Other languages · 2 languages

🇨🇳 中文 🇺🇸 English

About this story

Kong Rong Gives Away the Bigger Pear comes from the Family Biography of Kong Rong, quoted by the Tang-dynasty scholar Li Xian in his commentary on the Book of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu). Kong Rong was the sixth of seven brothers, and at four, whenever he ate pears with his older brothers, he took a small one; asked why, he said that as a small child he should by rights take the small one. The Three Character Classic later turned it into the line 融四岁，能让梨 ('At four, Rong could give up the pear'). This version adds the scene where he hands a big pear to his baby brother, a detail common in later retellings but not in the original record.

What it teaches

Giving way isn't losing out; it means keeping other people in mind. The story teaches children to share and to respect both older and younger family members, and it reminds adults that good habits grow from small moments like sharing fruit.

Suits

Ages 6–12

Tips for telling it

After the story, bring out a plate of fruit and let your child share it out to the family.
Don't turn 'giving way' into 'always taking the worst'. The point is thinking of others and sharing by choice.
Older children can learn the original lines from the Three Character Classic: 融四岁，能让梨 (Róng sì suì, néng ràng lí).

Questions people ask

What is the story of Kong Rong and the pears?: When Kong Rong was four, he and his older brothers were given pears to share, and he always took the smallest. Asked why, he said that as the little one he should take a little pear and leave the big ones to his elders. Chinese families still tell it to teach sharing and respect.
Where does the story of Kong Rong giving away the pear come from?: It first appears in the Family Biography of Kong Rong, quoted in Li Xian's Tang-dynasty commentary on the Book of the Later Han. It became famous through the Three Character Classic: 融四岁，能让梨 ('At four, Rong could give up the pear').
How old was Kong Rong when he gave away the pear?: Four. According to his family biography, he was the sixth of seven brothers, and at four he always took the smaller pear when eating with his older brothers.
Who was Kong Rong?: A 20th-generation descendant of Confucius and a well-known writer at the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, counted among the Seven Masters of Jian'an. He was outspoken, repeatedly angered the warlord Cao Cao, and was executed in 208 AD.

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