However, Confucius severely criticized him for proposing to shorten the three-year mourning period after the death of a parent.

[1] According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, Zai Yu served as a minister in Linzi, the capital of Qi, and was killed when he was involved in the rebellion of Chen Heng (陳恆) and his clan was exterminated.

[6] However, this account has been questioned by scholars since ancient times, as the Zuozhuan only mentions that Kan Zhi (阚止) was killed in Chen Heng's rebellion.

As Kan Zhi was also known by his courtesy name Ziwo, which was identical to that of Zai Yu, Sima Qian may have conflated the two people's stories.

[4] During the Tang dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong posthumously awarded Zai Yu the nobility title of Marquess of Qi (齊侯).