Confucius
The paragon of Chinese sages and founder of Confucianism.
His philosophical system, known as Confucianism, has deeply influenced the cultural heritage of the Sinosphere and became the state philosophy under Emperor Wu of Han.[1][2]
Quick Facts
- Region
- Chinese philosophy
- Birth name
- Kong Qiu
- Born
- c. 551 BCE
- Birthplace
- Zou, Lu (now Qufu, Shandong)
- Place of death
- Si River, Lu
- Resting place
- Cemetery of Confucius, Lu
- School of thought
- Confucianism
- Main interests
- Ethics
- education
- music
- political philosophy
- social philosophy
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
He married at age 19 and had a son named Kong Li the following year.[3] He later served as governor of a town and rose to Minister of Crime in the state of Lu.[4] Confucius advocated dismantling the fortified city walls of the three aristocratic families to centralize government authority.[4] Confucius's given name was Qiu, which translates to "hill" or "mound" and was chosen because the top-middle of his head had a noticeable depression while the sides rose higher, resembling a valley and hill; he was born in Zou, near modern Qufu, Shandong.[5][6]
After leaving Lu due to political setbacks, Confucius traveled through states such as Wey, Song, Zheng, Cao, Chu, Qi, Chen, and Cai, where he explained his political beliefs but never saw them put into practice.[7][8]
What the cited sources add
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre describes the Cemetery of Confucius as containing his tomb and more than 100,000 graves of his descendants, covering 183 hectares.[9] Mark's encyclopedia entry notes that Confucius claimed to have written nothing and insisted his views were taken from older works known as the Five Classics.[10] The same source states that Confucius was provided basic education in the Six Arts as defined by the Zhou Dynasty.[10] The Irish Times article reports that Confucius taught the "silver rule": "Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself"[11]
The UNESCO description states the Temple of Confucius was built in 478 BC to commemorate and offer sacrifices to him.[9] Berger's article states that the government, still nominally Marxist, has rehabilitated Confucius as a great teacher of social virtue.[12]
References
- Wikipedia, "Confucius" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Life and Significance of Confucius", www.sjsu.edu; Chan 1969, p. 15–17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Confucius" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mark, "Confucianism", World History Encyclopedia, 7 July 2020 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Confucius" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Huang 2013, p. 3; Huang 2013, p. 3; Huang 2013, p. 3; Schuman, "Confucius: And the World He Created", Basic Books, 2015 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Confucius" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dubs 1946, p. 274–276 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Confucius" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Miraculous Portraits of Confucius: Images and Auspicious Presences"; "Confucius Comes Home"; Hunter 2017, p. 50; Nivison 1999, p. 752; Wilkinson 2015, p. 133 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Confucius" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Huang 2013, p. 3; Creel 1949, p. 25; Creel 1949, p. 25; Rainey 2010, p. 16 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Confucius" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Riegel 1986, p. 13; Dubs 1946, p. 274–276 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Confucius" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nylan Wilson 2010, p. 17 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Temple and Cemetery of Confucius and the Kong Family Mansion in Qufu", UNESCO World Heritage Centre. facts only, no text reused. whc.unesco.org
- Mark, "Confucianism", World History Encyclopedia, 7 July 2020. facts only, no text reused. worldhistory.org
- "Unthinkable: Which 'golden rule' of ethics is best, the Christian or Confucian?", The Irish Times. facts only, no text reused. irishtimes.com
- Berger, "Is Confucianism a Religion?", February 15, 2012. facts only, no text reused. the-american-interest.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Confucius (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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