Confucius (551 BC-479 BC) was a Chinese thinker, politician, and educationalist. He was the progenitor of the amazingly influential philosophical system, Confucianism. This great man lived in the later days of the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC-476 BC). He was a native of Zouyi of Lu State (present-day Qufu, Shandong Province). The formal name of Confucius was Kong Qiu, and he was also called Zhongni.
Confucius lost his father when he was a child. Thus, Confucius lived in poverty with his mother. Confucius was a very bright boy and with the support and encouragement of his mother, he did very well in his studies. It is said he learned ritual law from Laotze, music theory from Changhong and Qin-playing skill from Shixiang. Later he mastered many disciples, gave lectures everywhere, participated in political activities and spread his own political thought. To publicize his belief in the power and efficacy of ritual and benevolent government, at the age of 55, Confucius took his disciples to the Song, Wei, Chen, Cai, Qi and Chu, only returning to Lu at the age of 68. During this period, he went through all kinds of hardships and difficulties.
He was misunderstood, treated with contempt, and persecuted, but he never changed his beliefs or gave up his mission.
One day, Chang Tsu and Chieh Ni were at work in the field together, when Confucius passed by. He sent Tsze Lu to inquire about a ford. Chang Tsu said, “Who is he that holds the reins in the carriage there?” Tsze Lu told him, “It is Kung Chiu.”
“Really? It is Kung Chiu of Lu?” he asked incredulous. “Yes,” was the reply, to which the other rejoined, “He well knows the ford.”
Chich Ni said, “Are you not the disciple of Kung Chiu of Lu?”
“I am,” he replied.
Then Chich Ni said to him, “Disorder, like a swelling flood, spreads over the whole empire, and who will change this state of affairs? It is better to follow those who have withdrawn from the world altogether?” With this he fell back to his work.
Tsze Lu, who had fallen behind his master, met an old man, carrying across his shoulder a basket for weeds. Tsze Lu said to him, “Have you seen my master, sir?”
The old man replied, “Your limbs are unaccustomed to toil; you cannot distinguish the five kinds of grain; who is your master?” With this, he planted his staff in the ground, and proceeded to weed.
When Confucius and his disciples came to the State of Song, senior officials there plotted to persecute him because they were jealous of his talent. Confucius fled to the place between the Chen and Cai states and lived by eating edible wild herbs. At that time many people did not understand Confucian theory and his way of spreading the theory, so on their trip road, Confucius and his disciples suffered from many indignities and persecutions.
Confucius was committed to education in his later years. Legend has it that he had 3,000 disciples, among which more than 70 were famous for their erudition. He also compiled the Book of Songs and the Classic of Rites, and revised the Spring and Autumn Annals written by official historians, making it the first historical book written in the annalistic style.
After his death, a record of the words and acts of the central Chinese thinker and philosopher Confucius and his disciples, as well as the discussions they held was compiled into the book The Analects of Confucius. Confucius thought and theory developed into Confucianism, which has had an enormous influence on Chinese history over the last 2,000 years.
