However, given what Confucius said about learning—“Being human and yet lacking in humaneness—what can such a man do with the rites?” or “with music?”—he must have had some notion of human nature, which was likely to have been positive (Analects, 3:3). in the state of Lu. [22], Confucius desired to return the authority of the state to the duke by dismantling the fortifications of the city—strongholds belonging to the three families. [6] Confucius's clan name was 孔, OC:*‍kʰˤoŋʔ, mod. The god Confucius believed in was Ti'en(Heaven). Confucius was born on 28 Septemeber 551 BCE in Lu, China, a province of the Zhou dynasty – near modern day Qufu. According to his disciple Zigong, his master treated students like doctors treated patients and did not turn anybody away. Since that time there have been many portraits of Confucius as the ideal philosopher. The Historic Confucius . A series of modest positions with the Jisuns—as keeper of granaries and livestock and as district officer in the family’s feudal domain—led to more important appointments in the Lu government, first as minister of works and then as minister of crime. [56] Even though Confucius denounced them for their practices, the aristocracy was likely attracted to the idea of having trustworthy officials who were studied in morals as the circumstances of the time made it desirable. Neo-Confucianism held sway in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam until the 19th century. Information on his life Confucius … [45][46] François Noël, after failing to persuade Clement XI that Chinese veneration of ancestors and Confucius did not constitute idolatry, completed the Confucian canon at Prague in 1711, with more scholarly treatments of the other works and the first translation of the collected works of Mencius. The regional rulers, who were relatives of the Zhou king, should have been his strongest supporters, but they preferred to pursue their own ambitions. The poem reads: “With harps we bring her company,” and “with bells and drums do her delight.” Of the tone and sentiment in this poem, Confucius said, “There is joy but no immodest thoughts, sorrow but no self-injury” (Analects, 3:20). Far from trying to build a systematic or formalist theory, he wanted his disciples to master and internalize older classics, so that their deep thought and thorough study would allow them to relate the moral problems of the present to past political events (as recorded in the Annals) or the past expressions of commoners' feelings and noblemen's reflections (as in the poems of the Book of Odes). A Brief Note On Confucius: According to tradition, Confucius was born in 551 BC.Spring and Autumn Period, at the beginning of the Hundred Schools of Thought philosophical movement. When he first heard it, he said, “I never imagined that music could be this beautiful,” and “for the next three months he did not notice the taste of meat” (Analects, 7:14). Yet, if they worked hard enough and were smart, they could exert influence in most political contests. He was born in a period of religious and cultural turmoil, with the great Zhou dynasty in decline and being replaced by petty fiefdoms fighting for supremacy. He enjoyed Zigong’s company because Zigong was someone with whom he could share his thoughts about the world and the people they knew and about poetry and ritual practices (Analects, 11:3; 1:15; 11:19; 5:9). Confucians in the Song and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties rejected him because his writings on human nature threatened to undermine their belief that the achievement of self-knowledge is the fulfillment of humanity’s inborn promise. Before reaching the state of Chen, his next stop, two incidents along the road nearly took his life. This realignment in Confucian thought was parallel to the development of Legalism, which saw filial piety as self-interest and not a useful tool for a ruler to create an effective state. He did not actively recruit them when he was a counselor in Lu. By the mid-7th century BCE, however, the family had lost political standing and most of its wealth, and some of the Kongs—Confucius’s great-grandfather being one—had relocated to the state of Lu. His resignation was the result of a protracted struggle with the hereditary families—which, for generations, had been trying to wrestle power away from the legitimate rulers of Lu. The author, Sima Qian, is China’s most distinguished historian, and the biography remains the standard in Chinese historiography. Also, the ruler of Wei was not interested in finding a capable man who could offer him counsel. Confucius was born in a poor family in the year 551 B.C. Although there was one ruling family, the real power was in the hands of local warlords. [96] Among other things, this would allow scientists to identify a common Y chromosome in male descendants of Confucius. Emboldened by his purpose, Confucius continued his journey to Chen, where he spent three uneventful years. His father died when he was four years old. Confucius Ancient Philosopher Specialty Confucianism Born 551 BC Zou, Lu state Died 479 BC (at age 71-72) Lu State Nationality Chinese Of the many renowned Chinese philosophers, none were as influential and as endearing as Confucius. “Thereupon, Confucius returned home.”. The common gentlemen, at this point, still could not displace the aristocrats as the society’s elite. The man Confucius looked back to for inspiration and guidance was Zhougong (the Duke of Zhou)—a brother of the founder of the Zhou dynasty and the regent of the king’s young son Chengwang. They also throw light on Confucius’s intellectual ancestry and the roots of his moral thinking. [26] However, Dubs (1946) is of the view that Gongshan was encouraged by Viscount Ji Huan to invade the Lu capital in an attempt to avoid dismantling the Bi fortified walls. Yet the gaps in the historical records were eventually beneficial, because they prompted later scholars to look for any trace of evidence that might reveal something new about him. [37] Confucianism discusses elements of the afterlife and views concerning Heaven, but it is relatively unconcerned with some spiritual matters often considered essential to religious thought, such as the nature of souls. Even so, the material evidence firmly places him in Warring States history. iLook China. But what if your parents are thinking of doing something wrong? He espoused the well-known principle "Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself", the Golden Rule. The third source is a long biography of Confucius written in the 1st century BCE. Confucius’ teaching principals are focused on benevolence-仁. 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