Confucius

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher and possibly the most influential man in Chinese history.

Introduction
Marriage and early career
Philosophies
Later life

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Introduction

c. 551-479 B.C.E.
K'UNG FU-TZU, as he was called in China, was born in the state of Lu. His father died when he was three, but despite his family's subsequent poverty, he received a good education.

Marriage and early career
Confucius married at 19, and had 2 daughters and a son. He was forced, because of his monetary situation, to perform menial labour for four years. After his mother died in 527 B.C.E., Confucius began to teach. He acquired a following of disciples and his fame spread quicky through the state. He was known for his education, character, and reverence for Chinese ideals and traditions.

Philosophies
Confucius hated life in the 2nd half of the Chou Dynasty because the feudal system was falling apart, things were in a state of disorder, and vice ran wild.

Confucius decided that the only way to improve this situation was to believe again in the principles of ancient sages. He read, reviewed, and lectured on the classics. He taught his disciples that example had great power, and that if a ruler wanted to be great, he must be virtuous and lead a great life. Confucius was extremely ethical and believed that uprightness, decorum, wisdom, and faithfulness were crucial in life. He also believed one should highly respect one's parents.

Later Life
Confucius was appointed magistrate of Chung-tu at 50 years of age and minister of crime of the state of Lu a year after. He was incredibly successful — crime virtually disappeared. He became so powerful that the leader of a nearby state pulled some strings to get him dismissed. After he left office in 496 B.C.E. he continued to teach, and sought without success another prince to allow him to carry out his reforms. In 484 B.C.E. he retired to Lu and spent the rest of his life writing commentaries on the classics. Confucius was buried at Chü-fu, Shandong. His disciples wrote down his principles of philosophy, and in later centuries his work had a huge influence on the Chinese nation. Although Confucius didn't believe in the supernatural, he has been regarded as a "spiritual" figure by millions of people.

Sources
Click here for a list of sources used in this project.
Glossary
All the words in bold are found in the Glossary. If you don't understand a word, click on the beside it, to go directly to the Glossary Page.
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