Confucius (551–479 BC) was a Chinese teacher and philosopher whose ideas about virtue, education, family duty and good government shaped Chinese civilisation for more than two thousand years. His sayings and conversations, collected by his disciples in the Analects, remain among the most influential texts of East Asia.
A teacher in troubled times
Confucius, in Chinese Kong Qiu, later honoured as Kongzi, Master Kong, was born in 551 BC in the state of Lu, in what is now Shandong province. His family was of minor nobility but poor, and his father died when he was a child. He worked as a keeper of granaries and of livestock.
China was then divided into rival states at war with one another, and the authority of the Zhou kings had collapsed. Confucius believed that order could be restored by returning to the virtues and rituals of the early Zhou rulers, and began to teach young men of all backgrounds.
Wandering years
According to tradition, Confucius held office in the government of Lu, but left, disappointed by its rulers, around 497 BC. For some fourteen years he travelled with a group of disciples from state to state, seeking a ruler who would put his principles into practice, without success.
He returned to Lu in old age and devoted himself to teaching and, according to tradition, to editing the classical texts of poetry, history and ritual. He is said to have had three thousand pupils, of whom seventy-two mastered his teaching. He died in 479 BC.
The Analects and their influence
Confucius left no writings of his own. His disciples and their followers gathered his sayings and conversations in the Analects, twenty short books. They describe the ideal of the junzi, the gentleman of virtue, and the importance of humaneness, respect for parents, sincerity and learning.
In the second century BC Confucianism became the official doctrine of the Chinese empire, and the classics associated with Confucius formed the basis of the civil service examinations for some two thousand years. His influence spread to Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
Anecdotes
The Kong family tree
The descendants of Confucius have kept a genealogy for more than two thousand five hundred years, often described as the longest family tree in the world. Its latest edition, published in 2009, lists some two million people.
The temple of Qufu
In Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, the temple, the family mansion and the cemetery where he is buried form a vast complex listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. The temple was enlarged by successive emperors over many centuries.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Analects?
A collection of the sayings and conversations of Confucius, compiled by his disciples and their followers after his death.
What is Confucianism?
A system of moral and political thought based on the teachings of Confucius, stressing virtue, family loyalty, respect for elders, education and good government.
Which translation of the Analects is quoted on Guesseo?
The translation by the Scottish scholar James Legge, published in 1861 in The Chinese Classics.