Duanmu Ci

Duanmu Ci (traditional Chinese: 端木賜; simplified Chinese: 端木赐; pinyin: Duānmù Cì; Wade–Giles: Tuan¹-mu⁴ Tzʻŭ⁴; 520–456 BC), also known by his courtesy name Zigong (traditional Chinese: 子貢; simplified Chinese: 子贡; pinyin: Zǐgòng; Wade–Giles: Tzŭ³-kung⁴), was a Chinese businessman, philosopher, and politician. He was one of the most important and loyal disciples of Confucius. Among Confucius' students, he was the second best at speech, after only Zai Yu. He was a prominent diplomat of the Spring and Autumn period who served as a high official in several states, and was a very wealthy businessman.