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Top 10 Facts about Confucius

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Top 10 Facts about Confucius

Confucius was a聽Chinese philosopher聽and politician of the聽Spring and Autumn period. This聽was a period in Chinese history from approximately 771 to 476 BC which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. In his role as a聽political thinker, philosopher, teacher聽and聽great master, Confucius left a聽deep influence in the essence of Chinese society. The impact of his philosophy聽on East Asia and other parts of the world can be perceived even today, many centuries after his death. Let us take a closer look at the family, career, death, teachings, philosophy and disciples of this great Chinese erudite. Here are the top 10 facts about Confusious.

1. Confucius was not his birth name

The famous name Confucius is Latin. Born K菕ng F奴z菒, meaning “Master K菕ng”, Confucius had his name Latinized. The name was coined in the late 16th century by the early聽Jesuit missionaries to China. Confucius’s clan name was “K菕ng”, and his given name was “Qi奴”. His “capping name”, given upon realization of adulthood and by which he would have been known to all but his older family members, was “Zh貌ngn铆”, the “Zh貌ng” indicating that he was the second son in his family.

2. His Biography is widely saught

鈥淎nalects of Confucius鈥�, compiled by Confucius鈥檚 followers, is considered as聽one of the most reliable biographical materials on Confucius.听鈥淩ecords of the Grand Historian鈥�,聽a masterpiece by聽Sima Qian,聽is a colossal account of ancient Chinese history covering over 2500 years. It was completed around 94 BC during the rule of the Han dynasty and聽consists of聽a聽biography聽of Confucius.

Other important texts with more information about Confucius include聽鈥淐ommentary of Zuo鈥�, composed in the 4th century. Another is the聽Mencius, compilations of teachings and philosophies of Confucius by his well-known 4th-century follower 惭别苍肠颈耻蝉,听known as the聽鈥淪econd Sage鈥� after Confucius himself.

3. Confucius life before philosophy

Confucius鈥� father, Kong He, was a soldier and commander in the Lu garrison. However, he died when Confucius was three years of age. The little boy was brought up in the care of his mother Yan Zhengzai in a life of poverty. He took up many minor jobs to support his family. His first occupation appears to have been as a bookkeeper of the Lu granary. It is noted that he also worked as a labourer, supervisor of the fields, shepherd, cowherd and a clerk.

4. His teachings emphasized the significance of the family

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Confucius believed that it is only within the family that the individual is fully defined and developed. He went on to add that familial obligations and relationships were key to his philosophy. For instance, a husband has a duty to love and cherish his wife, while the wife鈥檚 obligation is to obey her husband; the same goes the old and the young, parents and children, and so on. Further, Confucius thought that the state of the private family had consequences for public life; In short, a well-ordered household would produce a well-ordered society.

5. Confucianism was a major philosophy

Confucianism is a system of thought and behaviour. It was developed from what was later called the Hundred Schools of Thought. The ‘hundred schools of thought‘ are philosophies and schools that flourished from the 6th century to 221 B.C. The era of the 鈥�100 schools of thought鈥� is considered one of the great ages of cultural, philosophical and intellectual expansion in China. It took place during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period of ancient China. Confucius grew up in a time when China was getting more and more divided. The lack of unity and civil strife gave rise to various philosophies. Confucius and his followers competed successfully with many other schools during the era. Other major philosophies, underlined by historian Sima Qian, during this period are the School of Yin-yang, Legalism and Logicians, among others.

6. Confucius confused his disciples

As maintained by Sima Qian, Confucius once said聽鈥淭he disciples who received my instructions and could themselves comprehend them, were seventy-seven individuals. They were all scholars of extraordinary ability.鈥� Traditionally it is said and widely believed that Confucius had 3000 disciples, but only 72 managed to master what he had to teach.

7. His philosophy got him a state job

Confucius lived during a time of political turmoil. Politics was fiercely competitive and there was a lack of morality in the state and empire as a whole. This had led to a vast array of problems. This brought about the rise of various philosophies which were looked at as guiding lights by certain people in power. Around聽500 BC,聽Confucius had gained in respect through his teachings and聽was allotted to serve first as a magistrate, then as聽an assistant minister of public works, and eventually as聽minister of crime in the state of Lu.

8. He went into self-imposed exile

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Being among the history of power in Lu, Confucius must have been glad with the opportunity to propagate his ideas. There are varied accounts on why he repealed his position and went into exile. Majority of those reasons point to the internal politics within the state, the moral denigration of the ruling elite, envy from other states as his ideas did not sit well with the aristocracy. In聽496 BC,聽Confucius聽went into a long self-imposed exile of 13 to 14 years聽looking for a feudal state that would utilize his services. His journey was primarily in the聽north-east and central China聽including Wey, Song, Zheng, Cao, Chu, Qi, Chen, and Cai. Confucius was mostly received with much respect and admiration during his journey. He expounded his philosophy but was disappointed that much of his teachings were never implemented.

9. Confucius鈥� teachings did not achieve conventional influence until after his death

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During his life, he was an itinerant scholar who offered political advice to the governments of competing states, preaching his idea of an ideal society. Late in life, he moved back to his home state and served as a low-ranking statesman. His ideas didn鈥檛 become widespread until his disciples began to disseminate them broadly through their writings.

10. Confucius died in 479 BC

Confucius returned to his native state of Lu as an old man of 68 years. He finally breathed his last in 479 BC. During his last years, he acted as an adviser to the government officials, transmitting his wisdom to his followers and working on various texts including the 5 classics. His teachings would later be compiled and elaborated by his followers and his philosophical school continued to flourish for ages.

The succeeding聽Han聽and聽Tang Dynasties encouraged聽Confucian thought聽with聽Emperor Wu of Han聽making it聽the imperial philosophy. During the Song Dynasty, famous Confucian scholar聽Zhu Xi聽built upon Neo Confucianism, a more rationalist and secular form of Confucianism. The ideas of Confucius had great influence in not only China but also Japan, Vietnam, Korea and others, up until the 19th century. Now you know the top 10 facts about Confucius. I hope you enjoyed reading this article.