家庭

其祖父程遹任黄陂县令，卒于该县。父程珦年幼无力返乡，遂居于黄陂，后来还做了县尉。二程就是在其父任黄陂县尉时所生。

高祖父︰程羽

曾祖父︰程希振

曾祖母︰崔氏

祖父︰程遹

祖母︰张氏 (理学家张载之姑)

父亲︰程珦 (张载表兄)

母亲︰侯氏 (侯道济第二女，侯可姐姐)

外祖父︰侯道济

外祖母︰刁氏

外曾祖父︰侯嵩

外高祖父︰侯元

舅父︰侯可

舅母︰刘氏、刘氏，两名刘氏是姐妹关系。

表弟︰侯仲良

外父：彭思永

外母：晏氏，晏融女儿，晏殊侄女

儿子：程端懿，程端慤，程端本

女儿：四个，其中一个名程澶娘

生平

程颢与其弟程颐共同为宋代理学奠定了基业，「新儒学」的真正成立，自程氏兄弟始。世称「二程」，程颢叫大程，程颐叫小程。因二程兄弟长期在洛阳讲学，故世称其学为「洛学」。程氏兄弟最重要的贡献在「天理」的发现，程颢提出「天者理也」和「只心便是天，尽之便知性」的说法。他把「理」视为宇宙的本原。认为知识、真理的来源，知识内在于人的心中，「当处便认取，更不可外求」。就天道来说，程颢形容它是「生」，谓世界生生不已。为学以「识仁」为主，《识仁篇》提到「仁者浑然与物同体，义礼智信皆仁也。识得此理，以诚敬存之而已，不须防检，不须穷索。」《定性书》则说「夫天地之常，以其心普万物而无心，圣人之常，以其情顺万物而无情。故君子之学，莫若廓然大公，物来顺应。」

在教育上，程颢先后在嵩阳、扶沟等地设学庠，并潜心教育研究，论著颇巨，形成一套教育思想体系。程颢提出，教育之目的乃在于培养圣人，「君子之学，必至圣人而后己。不至圣人而自己者，皆弃也」。

二程兄弟个性极其不同，大程为人随和活泼，在洛阳讲学十馀年，弟子有「如坐春风」之喻。小程则严肃刚直，讲学时间比其兄还长，达三十馀年之久。新儒学发展到南宋，朱熹实为集大成者，而以小程为正统。小程整日严肃脸孔，端坐如木人，神圣不可侵犯。被视为所谓「道学脸孔」。大程活了五十四岁，小程则活了七十五岁。二程兄弟、张载、邵雍、司马光、周敦颐六人，朱熹称之为「北宋六先生」。

程颢在熙宁元年向宋神宗上《论王霸札子》和《论十事札子》，并肯定王安石变法。变法之初曾视察诸路农田、水利、赋役。

宋宁宗嘉定十三年（1220年），赐谥程颢为「纯」，程颐为「正」。理宗淳佑元年（1241年），又追封程颢为「河南伯」，程颐为「伊川伯」，并「从祀孔子庙庭」。元明宗至顺元年（1330年），诏加封程颢为「豫国公」，程颐为「洛国公」。

Life

Hao's grandfather was a county magistrate in Huangpi and died there while in that capacity. Hao's father Cheng Xiang (|s=|t=程珦 ) was still young at the time and was unable to return to Luoyang, so he was forced to grow up in Huangpi instead. He later became county magistrate (县尉 xiànwèi), at which time his two sons Hao and Yi were born. In 1057 Hao passed the Imperial examinations and became an entered scholar. He successively served as an administrative clerk in Hu County, Shaanxi, as an administrative clerk in Shangyuan County (an area now in Nanjing), as an administrative director in Zezhou, as well as a minister of ceremony, a Censor, a tax and tariff official, a ceremony minister to the military, and various other positions.

Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi were among the pioneers of Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism, and they are often credited with its formal creation along with Zhu Xi and several other scholars. The two brothers were sometimes referred to as "The Two Chengs" (|s=|t=二程 ), or individually as "Cheng the Elder" (|s=|t=大程 ) and "Cheng the Younger" (|s=|t=小程 ). They dealt extensively with cosmology in their studies, applying Neo-Confucian principles to their studies of celestial bodies. In particular, the brothers identified and applied the principle of Divine or Natural Order, called li, to that of Tian, the Heavens, as their original and guiding power. Hao established schools at Fugou and Songyang (in modern Dengfeng). Throughout his life he promoted the view that study and scholarship were means to making men sages, once writing: "The studies of a superior man must arrive at sagacity sage-hood and then upon his own intellect; in the case of not arriving at sage-hood but upon his own intellect, all is lost." Hao died in 1085 at the age of fifty-three.

Legacy

Hao was known as an outgoing, laid-back, and lively man, in contrast to his stern and severe younger brother. As Neo-Confucianism's popularity grew throughout the early second millennium AD, the two Cheng brothers along with Zhou Dunyi, Zhang Zai, Shao Yong, and Sima Guang became known as "The Six Masters of Northern Song" for their philosophical contributions.

Hao also received several posthumous titles: in 1220 he was given the posthumous name "Lord of Purity" (纯公) by the emperor. In 1241 he was given the posthumous title of "Bo Earl of Henan". In 1330, an imperial decree made Hao the posthumous "Lord of Yu Kingdom Henan".

Cheng Hao's offspring held the title of Wujing Boshi (五经博士; Wǔjīng Bóshì).

In 1452 Wujing Boshi was bestowed upon the offspring of Mengzi-Meng Xiwen 孟希文 56th generation and Yan Hui-Yan Xihui 顔希惠 59th generation, the same was bestowed on the offspring of Zhou Dunyi-Zhou Mian 周冕 12th generation, the two Cheng brothers (Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi-Chen Keren 程克仁 17th generation), Zhu Xi-Zhu Ting 朱梴 9th generation, in 1456-1457, in 1539 the same was awarded to Zeng Can's offspring-Zeng Zhicui 曾质粹 60th generation, in 1622 the offspring of Zhang Zai received the title and in 1630 the offspring of Shao Yong.