Confucian Principles

Life of Confucius

Confucius (551–478 BC) was a Chinese educator, politician and social philosopher and the founder of Confucianism in ancient China. He is known as Kong Fuzi (‘Master Kong’), or Kongzi in Chinese. His original name was Kong Qiu, in which Kong was the family name and Qiu was the given. The name Confucius is a Latinized version of Kong Fuzi, created by Jesuit missionaries to China in the sixteenth century. Confucius was born into a family with an aristocratic past in the state of Lu, now in Shandong province of China, during the Spring and Autumn Period (771–476 BC) of Chinese history. His father died at a young age, not long after Kongzi's birth. Growing up in poverty, Kongzi studied hard and enjoyed learning the great classics of Chinese literature, history, poetry, music and archery. During his early years, Confucius worked as a shepherd, clerk and bookkeeper, before he established his own private school around the age of 30. During his lifetime, he enrolled 3,000 students in his private school.

Confucius advocated the idea that those who excel in learning should serve in government, and many of his pupils became successful officials serving in government posts. Following this belief, all through his life, Confucius pursued a political career in order to practice his principles and create a unified and stable country. Around age 50, he was appointed to a position as governor of a town and then became the minister of justice in the state of Lu a year later and eventually deputy prime minister. Due to political disagreements and internal conflicts, he lost a campaign through which he tried to weaken the power of three aristocratic clans. [Page 176]He finally left Lu with a group of his loyal disciples and began 14 years of political exile in the neighbouring states, seeking to persuade political leaders to adopt his beliefs. However, he did not see any of his political ideas implemented. With the help of one of his former students, Ran You, Confucius was able to resettle in Lu at the age of 68. He then devoted his last years mainly to teaching and writing and passed away at the age of 73 after losing his son and two of his favourite students.

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