Five all-rounders in history, each of whom demonstrated outstanding talent and achievements in their time, can be called an example of omnipotence.
1. Confucius (Philosophy, Ethics, Political Science, History, Art)
Born in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Kong Qiu was an outstanding thinker and educator in the late Spring and Autumn Period, and the founder of Confucianism. He was praised by the world as "the saint of heaven" and "the wood of heaven", and was one of the outstanding scholars in the society at that time. Later generations revered him as a Confucian saint, the most holy teacher, and a master of all ages, and his influence was far-reaching, and he was even selected by UNESCO as the first of the "Top Ten Cultural Celebrities in the World".
Confucius and his Confucianism had a profound impact not only in China, but also on the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Vietnam, and other regions. He advocated "poetry education", emphasizing the close integration of literature and art with political morality, and regarded it as an important means to change society and politics, as well as an important way to cultivate sentiment.
In terms of the concept of governance, he advocated morality and etiquette as the core, believing that this is the highest state of governing the country, and this statecraft is also known as "rule by virtue" or "rule by etiquette".
2. Heng Zhang (Mathematics, Astronomy, Geography, Engineering, Art)
Zhang Heng, a native of Nanyang, Henan Province, was an outstanding astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer, cartographer, writer and scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was an official scholar in the Han Dynasty and made important contributions to the development of astronomy, mechanical technology and seismology in mainland China. Because of its outstanding contributions, the United Nations Astronomical Organization named the asteroid 1802 in the solar system as "Zhang Hengxing".
Zhang Heng, a representative of the Hun Tian theory in the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty, proposed that the moon itself does not emit light, and that the moonlight is actually a reflection of sunlight, and correctly explained the cause of the lunar eclipse. He also recognized the infinite nature of the universe and the relationship between planetary motion and distance from the Earth. Zhang Heng observed and recorded 2,500 stars, created the world's first leaky armillary sphere that can accurately perform celestial phenomena, and the first instrument for testing earthquakes, the wind and ground motion instrument, and invented the guide car and the automatic memory drum car.
3. Shen Kuo (Astronomy, Geography, Meteorology, Agronomy, Medicine)
Shen Kuo, a native of Qiantang County, Hangzhou, was born as a Jinshi, participated in Wang Anshi's reforms, and held many important positions, including the promotion of Si Tianjian and Hanlin Bachelor. In his later years, he wrote the famous "Dream Creek Writings" in Zhenjiang Mengxi Garden.
Shen Kuo studied astronomy intensively and proposed a new calendar that is quite similar to today's solar calendar. In physics, he recorded the principle and production method of the compass, discovered the existence of geomagnetic declination, expounded the principle of concave mirror imaging, and studied the laws of resonance. In the field of mathematics, he developed methods such as "gap product" and "circle technique". In geology, he studied the formation of alluvial plains and the erosion of water, and proposed the naming of oil for the first time.
In medicine, Shen Kuo has documented effective prescriptions and is the author of a number of medical works.
4. Wang Shouren (Philosophy, Political Science, Military Science, Art)
Wang Shouren, a native of Yuyao County, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang, was a famous thinker, educator, writer, calligrapher, philosopher and military strategist in the Ming Dynasty. He served as the secretary of the Nanjing Military Department and the imperial history of the left capital of the Nanjing Metropolitan Procuratorate, and was awarded the title of Xinjian Bo for his military exploits such as quelling the Chenhao Rebellion, and was posthumously awarded the title of Marquis during the Longqing period.
Wang Shouren is the master of Lu Wang's Xinxue, he is not only proficient in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, but also can lead the army to fight, which can be called a rare all-round Confucianism in Chinese history. He developed Lu Jiuyuan's doctrine, advocating that through the method of self-cultivation of the heart, the state of "the unity of all things" should be achieved. The concepts of "unity of knowledge and action" and "knowledge and action go hand in hand" proposed by him aim to oppose the Song Confucian view of "knowledge before action" and various arguments that sever the relationship between knowledge and action.
In terms of politics and military affairs, Wong has also distinguished himself. He quickly mobilized troops to suppress the popular uprising in Jiangxi and the local armed forces of the Yao, Dong and other ethnic minorities, and contributed to the stability of the country. In terms of political ideas, he emphasized the "reward and punishment" to improve the effectiveness of the rule, and promoted the rule of virtue and etiquette to prevent crime.
5. Chongzhi Zu (Mathematics, Astronomy, Engineering)
Zu Chongzhi was an outstanding mathematician, astronomer and engineer during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. He was born in the period of Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty and died in the period of the Marquis of Qi, and his ancestral home was Fanyang County. In order to escape the war, Zu Chongzhi's grandfather Zu Chang moved to Jiangnan, and served as the master craftsman of Liu Song, in charge of civil engineering. In such a family background, Zu Chongzhi received a wealth of scientific knowledge from an early age.
He entered the academic field at a young age and held many official positions in his life, including the history of Southern Xuzhou, the army of the public government, the order of Lou County, the servant of the confessor, and the captain of Changshui. However, his main contributions were not in his career, but in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and engineering. Zu Chongzhi's achievements in these fields have made him an indispensable all-round figure in history.