Qiguan and Confucius later had two daughters together, one of whom is thought to have died as a child and one was named Kong Jiao ( 孔姣). At age 19 he married Lady Qiguan ( 亓官氏), and a year later the couple had their first child, their son Kong Li ( 孔鯉). His mother later died at less than 40 years of age. Kong He died when Confucius was three years old, and Confucius was raised by his mother Yan Zhengzai ( 顏徵在) in poverty. Traditional accounts of Confucius's life relate that Kong He's grandfather had migrated the family from Song to Lu. His ancestry traced back through the dukes of Song to the Shang dynasty which had preceded the Zhou. His father Kong He (or Shuliang He) was an elderly commandant of the local Lu garrison. The area was notionally controlled by the kings of Zhou but effectively independent under the local lords of Lu, who ruled from the nearby city of Qufu. It is thought that Confucius was born on September 28, 551 BCE, in Zou ( 鄒, in modern Shandong province). He espoused the well-known principle 'Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself', the Golden Rule. With filial piety, he championed strong family loyalty, ancestor veneration, and respect of elders by their children and of husbands by their wives, recommending family as a basis for ideal government. Aphorisms concerning his teachings were compiled in the Analects, but only many years after his death.Ĭonfucius's principles have commonality with Chinese tradition and belief. Ĭonfucius is traditionally credited with having authored or edited many of the Chinese classic texts, including all of the Five Classics, but modern scholars are cautious of attributing specific assertions to Confucius himself. Confucianism was part of the Chinese social fabric and way of life to Confucians, everyday life was the arena of religion.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, Confucianism developed into a system known in the West as Neo-Confucianism, and later as New Confucianism. After the collapse of Qin and the victory of Han over Chu, Confucius's thoughts received official sanction in the new government. His followers competed with many other schools during the Hundred Schools of Thought era, only to be suppressed in favor of the Legalists during the Qin dynasty. His philosophical teachings, called Confucianism, emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice, kindness, and sincerity. Ĭonfucius considered himself a transmitter for the values of earlier periods which he claimed had been abandoned in his time. Confucius's teachings and philosophy underpin East Asian culture and society, remaining influential across China and East Asia to this day. 479 BCE) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. 'Confucius ( Kǒngzǐ)' in seal script (top) and regular (bottom) Chinese charactersĬonfucius ( / k ən ˈ f j uː ʃ ə s/ kən- FEW-shəs Chinese: 孔夫子 pinyin: Kǒng Fūzǐ, 'Master Kǒng' or commonly 孔子 Kǒngzǐ c.

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