When Confucius was … Of all the changes taking place in China these days, one of the least reported is the rehabilitation of Confucius, that old sage born 500 years before … But the meeting was disappointing: it only confirmed what Confucius already knew about this man’s character and judgment. [50], In modern times, Asteroid 7853, "Confucius", was named after the Chinese thinker. It was a time when China was being sliced into feudal states by the warlord “princes” who raised armies, waged battles, oppressed slave laborers, and heavily taxed subjects. It was a moving, but not altogether credible, tale of strength gained through self-examination. Describe Confucius’ childhood: Born 551 BC in China, the state of Lu Not a lot is known about the childhood of Confucius. Confucius became famous as a sage, or wise man, of China during the so-called 'Age of Philosophers'. In South Korea, a grand-scale memorial ceremony called Seokjeon Daeje is held twice a year on Confucius's birthday and the anniversary of his death, at Confucian academies across the country and Sungkyunkwan in Seoul. Confucius did not want children to be acquiescent in situations that call for their judgment. The tomb, dated to 55 BCE, was discovered in Hebei province about 100 miles south of Beijing. [16][19] When his mother died, Confucius (aged 23) is said to have mourned for three years, as was the tradition. Confucius, Pinyin romanization Kongfuzi or Kongzi, Wade-Giles K’ung-fu-tzu or K’ung-tzu, original name Kongqiu, literary name Zhongni, (born 551, Qufu, state of Lu [now in Shandong province, China]—died 479 bce, Lu), China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, whose ideas have profoundly influenced the civilizations of China and other East Asian countries. The journey lasted 14 years, and Confucius spent much of that time looking for rulers who might be willing to accept his influence and be guided by his vision of virtuous government. Not strictly religious, the teachings of Confucius were a utilitarian approach to social harmony and defined moral obligations between individuals and social systems. "[98] The DNA testing was originally proposed to add new members, many of whose family record books were lost during 20th-century upheavals, to the Confucian family tree. Kung Te-cheng's grandson, Kung Tsui-chang, the 79th lineal descendant, was born in 1975; his great-grandson, Kung Yu-jen, the 80th lineal descendant, was born in Taipei on January 1, 2006. But the fixation on that subject tended to obscure their more important differences regarding such topics as education and self-knowledge, feelings and intellect, law and adjudication, and the moral risks of a political profession. A teacher could only “point out one corner of a square,” he said; it was up to the students “to come back with the other three” (Analects, 7:8). Early materials associated with Confucius continued to surface in the early 21st century. Liu He was made an emperor in 74 BCE at the age of 18 but was dethroned within 27 days—a victim of the political struggle going on at the time—and sent back to his ancestral home as a commoner. 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 god Confucius believed in was Ti'en(Heaven). Confucius was the “master” (zi) to these followers, who called themselves his “disciples” or “apprentices” (tu). How did he talk to his disciples? He did not have to. The Analects probably took shape within the first century after Confucius’s death. His father, commander of a district in Lu, died three years after Confucius was born, leaving the family in poverty; but Confucius nevertheless received a fine education. His father was a soldier named Kong He who died when Confucius was three years old. to 256 B.C.) Describe Confucius’ childhood: Born 551 BC in China, the state of Lu Not a lot is known about the childhood of Confucius. To one such man, a prime minister of the state of Qi who aspired to follow the great kings of the past but had not yet taken the first step, Xunzi said, “For you [to harbour such ambitions] is analogous to lying down flat on one’s face and trying to lick the sky or trying to rescue a man who had hanged himself by pulling at his feet” (Xunzi, Chapter 16, “On Strengthening the State”). They named him Kong Qiu. Some have claimed that he may have been the illegitimate son of a nobleman and a concubine. Yet he still rejoiced in life because life astonished him, and the will in all living things to carry on in spite of setbacks and afflictions inspired him. Confucius asserts that virtue is a mean between extremes. Thousands of Zhao soldiers were buried alive on this occasion by the army of the Qin dynasty after they had surrendered. When old age did arrive, Confucius discovered that the act of holding his conduct and judgment to the right measure no longer bore him down. Confucius, Pinyin romanization Kongfuzi or Kongzi, Wade-Giles K’ung-fu-tzu or K’ung-tzu, original name Kongqiu, literary name Zhongni, (born 551, Qufu, state of Lu [now in Shandong province, China]—died 479 bce, Lu), China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, whose ideas have profoundly influenced the civilizations of China and other East Asian countries. Thank you … The success of Zigong and Ran Qiu must have enhanced his reputation as a person who could prepare young men for political careers. Indeed, several of these excavated texts seem to resonate with Xunzi’s writings in both style and substance. Even though later scholars did not find all his stories believable and saw logistical problems in his account of Confucius’s travels, they were willing to overlook such questions because of Sima Qian’s rare talent for improving the records imaginatively and reconstructing the interior lives of his subjects. Confucius wanted to teach his disciples to be gentlemen-君子. Who Is Confucius Chinese children call Confucius 孔子 or 孔 … There are also many temples dedicated to him, which have been used for Confucian ceremonies. [31] Thus, Confucius could not achieve the idealistic reforms that he wanted including restoration of the legitimate rule of the duke. Although Mencius’s political thought might today seem somewhat simplistic, he had a respectable following among the young; he also made a good living as a political counselor, and his service was often in demand. History >> Biography >> Ancient China. Ho had Confucius with his third wife, Cheng-Tsai, who was 47 years younger than himself. Now they were gaining the upper hand, and some were so brazen as to openly compete with their ruler for wealth and women. Confucius was born in 551 BC, to a family already far down the path from riches to rags, and worked as a cattle and sheep herder before becoming a reforming minister of crime. Different historians give very different accounts of his childhood; for example, some claim that he was born into a royal family of the Zhou Dynasty while others claim he was born into poverty. But Confucius still had faith in professional advisers like himself, who, in the tradition of the great counselors of the past, were able to make rulers great with their hard work, discernment, and deft ways of moral suasion. Kung the Tall lived in China a very long time ago. [56] A few of Confucius's disciples went on to attain official positions of some importance, some of which were arranged by Confucius. Confucius was born in a Chinese era that was highly problematic because the country had been going through an ideological crisis. While pursuing one's own self-interest is not necessarily bad, one would be a better, more righteous person if one's life was based upon following a path designed to enhance the greater good. He uses this knowledge to imagine the humanity in others, and he relies on his learning of rites and music to hold him to the right measure. It was believed by some that lǐ originated from the heavens, but Confucius stressed the development of lǐ through the actions of sage leaders in human history. He died from natural causes. When Was Confucius born? Training in the lǐ of past sages cultivates in people virtues that include ethical judgment about when lǐ must be adapted in light of situational contexts. His father was a soldier named Kong He who died when Confucius was three years old. He said, “I transmit but do not innovate. [21] In the winter of 505 BC, Yang Hu—a retainer of the Ji family—rose up in rebellion and seized power from the Ji family. [34] He left the state of Lu without resigning, remaining in self-exile and unable to return as long as Viscount Ji Huan was alive.[33]. Even so, the material evidence firmly places him in Warring States history. Confucius believed in ruling by example, if you lead correctly, orders by force or punishment are not necessary.[41]. After Confucius's resignation, he began a long journey or set of journeys around the principality states of north-east and central China including Wey, Song, Zheng, Cao, Chu, Qi, Chen, and Cai (and a failed attempt to go to Jin). Confucius’s disciples were considerably younger than him. Confucius’ original name was K'ung Ch'iu and was born on September 28, 551 BC, in the district of Zou which is near present-day Qufu, China. Zilu had relatives there who could have introduced Confucius to the state’s ruler. The last holder of the title, Kung Te-cheng of the 77th generation, was appointed Sacrificial Official to Confucius. He did not found any school or academy. [88] One of the main lineages fled from the Kong ancestral home in Qufu during the Chinese Civil War in the 1940s and eventually settled in Taiwan. [53], Confucius's favorite disciple was Yan Hui, most probably one of the most impoverished of them all. [21] However, by the summer of 501 BC, the three hereditary families had succeeded in expelling Yang Hu from Lu. 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. It was a time when China was being sliced into feudal states by the warlord “princes” who raised armies, waged battles, oppressed slave laborers, and heavily taxed subjects. This demanded that the subordinates must advise their superiors if the superiors are considered to be taking a course of action that is wrong. He found employment first with the Jisun clan, a hereditary family whose principal members had for many decades served as chief counselors to the rulers of Lu. (Book) : Burgan, Michael : "Born in 551 BC, Confucius was a young man when he set his heart and mind on learning as much as he could. Looking at China from an outsider's point-of-view. Was he calm or vexed? [51], Confucius began teaching after he turned 30, and taught more than 3,000 students in his life, about 70 of whom were considered outstanding. They were honored with the rank of a marquis 35 times since Gaozu of the Han dynasty, and they were promoted to the rank of duke 42 times from the Tang dynasty to the Qing dynasty. [49], The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes Confucius was a Divine Prophet of God, as were Lao-Tzu and other eminent Chinese personages. If you guide them with exemplary virtue and keep them in line with the practice of the rites, they will have sense of shame and will know to reform themselves” (Analects, 2:3). It was these three—Zigong, Zilu, and Yan Hui—who followed Confucius on his long journey into the unknown. In addition, there is a Confucian temple located in Zuoying District of Kaohsiung that was completed in 1974 in the Northern Song architectural style. [62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] From that time up until the Yuan dynasty, there were two Duke Yanshengs, one in the north in Qufu and the other in the south at Quzhou. He was articulate and shrewd and quick on his feet. Just as the legendary sage emperor Shun (c. 23rd century BCE) told the director of music to teach the children poetry—to let the poems become their voice—so that “the straightforward shall yet be gentle, the magnanimous shall yet be dignified”—Confucius, too, hoped that the Odes would become his son’s speech, because such utterances are always appropriate and so will “never swerve from the path” (Analects, 2:2). His teachings require examination and context to be understood. 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. Confucius was born in the village called Tsou in the country of Lu. Scholars do not agree on the dating of his birth or the details of his early life however. in Tuo, China during a time of ideological crisis. [99] The main branch of the family which fled to Taiwan was never involved in the proposed DNA test at all. According to this account, Qi decided to sabotage Lu's reforms by sending 100 good horses and 80 beautiful dancing girls to the duke of Lu. A good example is found in this famous anecdote: By not asking about the horses, Confucius demonstrates that the sage values human beings over property; readers are led to reflect on whether their response would follow Confucius's and to pursue self-improvement if it would not have. To this their teacher responded, “If not for this man, for whom should I show so much sorrow?” (Analects, 11:9; 11:10). Indeed, according to Mencius, at no time—not even when his family was plotting against his life—was Shun ever resentful or disrespectful toward his parents (Mencius, 5A:1, 2, 3). Confucius was born on September 28, 551 BC; Confucius was born in Lu; I hope this helps! Only after the 1990s did the ceremony resume. During the Song dynasty, the scholar Zhu Xi (AD 1130–1200) added ideas from Daoism and Buddhism into Confucianism. Confucius constantly bore in mind the fact that he himself was of a later generation of the slaveholding aristocracy. Also, the ruler of Wei was not interested in finding a capable man who could offer him counsel. In return, he expected nothing more than a bundle of dried meat as a gift (Analects, 7:7). But who would have wanted him dead, and what could he have done to provoke such reactions? Historians in later eras speculated about the causes and resolutions of these crises. Confucius said, “Guide the people with ordinances and statutes and keep them in line with [threats of] punishment, they will try to stay out of trouble but will have no sense of shame. In these ways, Confucius was Xunzi’s precursor. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? His home was in Lu, a regional state of eastern China in what is now central and southwestern Shandong province. “As soon as I desire humaneness, it is here,” he said, and everyone he had come across had sufficient strength “to devote all his effort to the practice of humaneness” (Analects, 7:30; 4:6). Confucius 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. They either approached him directly for advice or used his disciples as intermediaries. Answer to: What year was Confucius born? He believed that the moral resolve of a few could have a beneficial effect on the fate of the many. In discussing the relationship between a king and his subject (or a father and his son), he underlined the need to give due respect to superiors. Material evidence of the age of the standard text emerged from the ground in 1973, when archaeologists opened the tomb of the prince of Zhongshan (Liu Xiu, also known as King Huai), a relative of the Han emperor Wudi. The brief account in this record prompted writers in later centuries to speculate about how Confucius might have behaved in this situation. [30] Immediately after the revolt was defeated, the Ji family razed the Bi city walls to the ground. Of the Duke of Zhou, Xunzi said that he was born into power and knew how to utilize it, and, even when his actions might have seemed irregular, people trusted him as they trusted the four seasons—such was the integrity of this man (Xunzi, Chapter 8: “Teachings of the Ru”). He later credited this seclusion with giving him time for deep thought and intense study of history. Zhòngní, the "Zhòng" indicating that he was the second son in his family. 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