Confucius

China L2: Confucius and his Teachings

Learn about Confucius and his influence on Chinese society

One day, the Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius and his students were walking through the countryside. In the distance, they heard a woman crying. As they came around a bend in the road, they saw the woman kneeling at a grave. “Why are you crying?” they asked her. “Because,”  she said, “A tiger killed my husband's father. Later, the tiger also killed my husband. Now, the tiger has killed my son as well.”

 Then they asked the woman, “Why do you stay in this place after these terrible things have happened?”  The woman answered, “Because there are no cruel rulers here.”  Confucius turned to his students and said, “Remember this. A cruel ruler is fiercer and more feared than a tiger.”

Open Ended

What was the lesson of the story of the woman and the tiger?

Life of Confucius

After the death of Confucius, people told many stories about him. Like the story of the woman and the tiger, most stories contained an important lesson.

 Confucius was the most famous, and important, of the early Chinese thinkers. The Chinese called him Kung Fu Zi, or “Master Kong.”  Confucius is the latinized version of this name.

Multiple Select

Who was Confucius? (choose 2)

• A teacher

• A ruler

• A woman

• A philosopher

Multiple Choice

What did the Chinese call Confucius?

• Donkey Kong

• Master Kong

• Master Wong

• Kong Fu Master

Early Years

Confucius was born in 551 BC to a noble but poor family of the North China Plain.  He loved learning and was mostly self-taught. He hoped to advance to an important government office, but he never succeeded in that way. Instead, he decided to try teaching.

Many historians think that Confucius was China's first professional teacher. Confucius charged his students a fee to take his classes. He taught the students his views of life and government. He was a dedicated teacher.

Multiple Choice

Historians believed Confucius was what?

• China's first teacher

• China's first learner

• China's emperor

• China's god

Pioneer Teacher

 Later in his life, Confucius searched for a ruler who would follow his teachings, but he could find no such ruler. He died in 479 BC at age 73. By the time of his death, he believed his life had been a failure. He had no way of knowing that his teachings would be followed for many centuries.

Teachings of Confucius

Confucius did not claim to be an original thinker. He felt that his role was to pass on the forgotten teachings of wise people from an earlier age. In many of his teachings he tried to persuade rulers to reform. He also hoped to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to China's kingdoms.

Multiple Select

What did Confucius hope to bring to China’s kingdoms?

(check all that apply)

• power

• peace

• prosperity

• stability

Confucianism

Confucius himself never wrote down his teachings. Instead, his students gathered a collection of his sayings after his death. Together, these writings made up a system of beliefs and values, or a philosophy. That philosophy became known as Confucianism. Confucianism was one of several important philosophies of ancient China. Over time, it began to govern many aspects of life there.

Multiple Choice

What is philosophy?

• a system of religious thought

• beliefs on government

• a system of beliefs and values

Confucius lived during a time of frequent warfare in China. Powerful rulers of several Chinese states, or kingdoms, fought one another for the control of land. They seemed more interested in gaining power than in ruling wisely. Confucius hoped to persuade these rulers to change their ways and bring peace and order to China.

Open Ended

What did Confucius hope to change rulers’ minds about?

Bringing order to society

 The goal of Confucius was to bring order to society. He believed that if people could be taught to behave properly toward one another, order and peace would result. Society would prosper. Confucius said that people should know their place in the family and in society. They ought to respect the people above and below them and treat others justly.

Respecting others

 He described 5 human relationships: ruler and ruled; father and son; husband and wife; older brother and younger brother; and friend and friend.   Then he explained how people should behave in each of these relationships. Confucius said that people in authority, princes or parents, must set good examples. For example, if a ruler was fair, his people would follow his example and treat one another fairly, too. Confucius summarized his ideas about relationships in a simple way. It is similar to what Christians and Jews called the Golden Rule: “Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself.”

Open Ended

What is the Golden Rule?

Similarity to other religions

Although Confucianism is a philosophy, it has also functioned as a religion for many people. Like Hindus or Buddhists, those who practice Confucianism are part of a moral community. The teachings of Confucius helped guide many of the ancient Chinese and how to behave. But many ancient Chinese also practiced Confucianism alongside their existing religious traditions.

Multiple Choice

Those who practice Confucianism, like Hindus and Buddhists, are part of a ______ _________.

• pop group

• moral community

• immortality practices

Religious Tradition

Ancient China was home to many kinds of religious beliefs and practices: the worship of ancestors, the honoring of gods, and the belief in spirits. Most Chinese believe that life should be lived in harmony with nature. Happiness came from living a balanced life. A religious philosophy known as Taoism supported these ideas.

Multiple Choice

Most Chinese believed that life should be lived in harmony with what?

• wealth

• happiness

• selfishness

• nature

Taoism was based on the writings of Laozi, a Chinese thinker who lived in the 500 BC. The Taoists loved nature, and they believed in leading simple and selfless lives. 

At times, Taoism would rival Confucianism for popularity in China. But overall, the teachings of Confucius would remain the most widely studied of Chinese philosophies.

Influence of Confucius

 The teachings of Confucius came to have a major effect on Chinese government. They became part of the basic training for members of the civil service. The civil service is the group of people who carry out the work of government. Examples of civil service workers are teachers, officials, and judges.

Open Ended

Write down 2 examples of a civil service worker.

A merit system

 Before the ideas of Confucius took hold, government posts were generally given to the sons of powerful people. Afterward, any man could hold a government post based on merit, which is how qualified he was or how well he did his job. Candidates for government jobs had to pass official examinations. These exams are based on the teachings of Confucius.

Multiple Choice

Who generally held government posts or jobs before the merit system?

• sons of powerful people

• kings and priests

• hard workers

Multiple Choice

What is merit?

• deserving of something, like an award

• undeserving of anything

• worthy of punishment

Rising to high positions

 The examination system did not open government jobs to everyone. Candidates still had to know how to read. This rule made it difficult for a poor man to enter the government. It was not impossible. Many talented but poor young men learned to read and rose to high government positions.

 Confucius would have been surprised at the influence he had on China; he did not consider himself particularly wise or good. But he left a lasting mark on Chinese life.

Multiple Select

Confucius did not have a lasting mark on Chinese Life.

• True

• False