Confucius

Confucius (551 BC — 479 BC), whose personal name was Qiu and styled Zhongni, was born in the Lu State. Confucius was a great thinker and educator in the late Spring and Autumn Period. He was also the founder of Confucianism.

Confucius was a descendant of a noble family in the Song State, who descended from royals of the Yin Dynasty. When he was still a child, his father died, and his family went to a decline as a result, but he studied very hard. He once said, “From any three people walking,，I will find something to learn for sure.” later, Confucius began to travel about and instruct disciples.

In his life, Confucius had instructed more than 3 000 disciples, some were from poor families. In this way, Confucius had gradually changed the tradition that nobody but nobilities had the right to receive education.

In his later years, Confucius compiled and preserved many literary works of ancient times, including The Book of Songs, The Book of Documents and The Book of Changes. Even in modern times, many of Confucius’ ideas are quite valuable. For instance, Confucius established and developed a moral and ethical system called ren (benevolence). To achieve “ren”, he believed that one should show benevolence to others, and therefore “Do as you would like to be done by others”. Confucius also believed that “Gentlemen are harmonious but different” which reveals that difference between people should be recognized in dealing with human relationship, thereby it is inappropriate to judge with a single standard, and thus the harmony and stabilization of society will be accomplished.

In terms of education, Confucius maintained that teachers should enlighten students to think independently, and that students should formulate their own opinions when acquiring knowledge from textbooks.

The sayings and behaviors of Confucius’ were compiled in The Analects of Confucius by his disciples. Confucius’ ideology has been absorbed and carried forward by later generations, composing the essential part of Chinese traditional ideology. It was also spread into the border regions and areas, building up a circle of culture of Confucianism exerting profound influence on the whole East Asian countries. Confucius belongs to China. He is a household name in China, and most of the Chinese people have been influenced by Confucius in one way or another. Confucius also belongs to the world; UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural-Organization) has labeled him one of the “Ten Cultural Celebrities”.