Confucius - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

7/28/2019 Confucius - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

1/29

A portrait of Confucius by the Tang Dynasty artist

Wu Daozi (680740)

Born 551 BC

Zou, Lu state

Confucius

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Confucius (551479

BC)[1] was a Chineseteacher, editor,

politician, and

philosopher of the

Spring and Autumn

period of Chinese

history. The philosophy

of Confuciusemphasized personal

and governmental

morality, correctness of

social relationships,

ustice and sincerity. His

followers competed

successfully with manyother schools during the

Hundred Schools of

Thought era only to be

suppressed in favor of

the Legalists during the

Qin Dynasty. Following

the victory of Han overChu after the collapse

of Qin, Confucius's

thoughts received

official sanction and

were further developed

into a system known as

ucius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C

9 6/4/2013


2/29

Died 479 BC (aged 71-72)

Lu State

Nationality Chinese

Era Ancient philosophy

Region Chinese philosophy

School Founder of Confucianism

Main interests Moral philosophy, Social

philosophy, Ethics

Notable ideas Confucianism

Confucianism.

Confucius is

traditionally credited

with having authored or

edited many of theChinese classic texts

including all of the Five

Classics, but modern

scholars are cautious of

attributing specific

assertions to Confucius

himself. Aphorismsconcerning his

teachings were

compiled in the

nalects, but only many years after his death.

Confucius's principles had a basis in common Chinese tradition and belief.

He championed strong family loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of eldersby their children (and in traditional interpretations) of husbands by their

wives. He also recommended family as a basis for ideal government. He

espoused the well-known principle "Do not do to others what you do not

want done to yourself", an early version of the Golden Rule.

Contents

1 Names

2 Background

3 Personal life

3.1 Early life

Influenced by

Influenced


9 6/4/2013


3/29

3.2 Political career

3.3 Exile

3.4 Return home

4 Philosophy

4.1 Ethics

4.2 Politics

5 Disciples

6 Legacy

7 Visual portraits

8 Death and legacy

8.1 Memorials of Confucius

8.2 Descendants

9 See also10 Notes

11 References

12 Bibliography

13 Further reading

14 External links

Names

Confucius' family and personal name respectively was Kong Qiu (

ng Qi). His courtesy name was Zhongni (Zhngn).[2] Following

an Old Chinese reconstruction, his family and personal name respectively

may have beenKo K, while his courtesy name may have beenTrusnrs.[3] In Chinese, he is most often known as Kongzi (,

literally "Master Kong").[4][5]

He is also known by the honorific Kong

Fuzi (Kng Fz, literally "Master Kong").[5] In the WadeGiles

system of romanization, the honorific name is rendered as "K'ung Fu-tzu".

The Latinized name "Confucius" is derived from "Kong Fuzi", which was


9 6/4/2013


4/29

first coined by 16th-century Jesuit missionaries to China, most probably by

Matteo Ricci.[5]

Within theAnalects, he is often referred to simply as "the Master" (). In

1 AD, Confucius was given his first posthumous name, the "Laudably

Declarable Lord Ni" (). In 1530, he was declared the"Extremely Sage Departed Teacher" (). He is also known

separately as the "Great Sage" (), "First Teacher" (), and "Model

Teacher for Ten Thousand Ages" ().

Background

According to tradition, three generations before Confucius' time, his

ancestors had migrated from the Song state to the Lu state.[6]

Confucius

was said to have been a descendant of the Shang kings or priests through

the Dukes of Song.[7][8][9]

Personal life

Early life

It is generally thought that Confucius was born in 551 BC.[10]

His

birthplace was in Zou, Lu state (near present-day Qufu, Shandong

Province).[10][11]

His father Kong He (), also known as Shuliang He

(), was an officer in the Lu military. Kong He died when Confuciuswas three years old, and Confucius was raised by his mother Yan Zhengzai

() in poverty. At age 19 he married his wife, surnamed Qiguan (

), and a year later the couple had their first child, Kong Li ().

Confucius was born into the class ofshi (), between the aristocracy and

the common people. He is said to have worked as a shepherd, cowherd,


9 6/4/2013


5/29

clerk, and a book-keeper. When his mother died, Confucius (aged 23) is

said to have mourned for three years as was the tradition.

Political career

The Lu state was headed by a ruling ducal house.[12] Under the duke were

three aristocratic families, whose heads bore the title of viscount and held

hereditary positions in the Lu bureacracy.[13]

The Ji family held the

position "Minister over the Masses", who was also the "Prime Minister";

the Meng family held the position "Minister of Works"; and the Shu family

held the position "Minister of War".[13]

In the winter of 505 BC, Yang Hua retainer of the Ji familyrose up in

rebellion and seized power from the Ji family.[13]

However, by the summer of 501 BC, the three hereditary families had

succeeded in expelling Yang Hu from Lu.[13]

By then, Confucius had built

up a considerable reputation through his teachings, while the families came

to see the value of proper conduct and righteousness, so they could

achieve loyalty to a legitimate government.[14]

Thus, that year (501 BC),

Confucius came to be appointed to the minor position of governor of a

town.[14] Eventually, he rose to the position of Minister of Crime.[14]

Confucius desired to return the authority of the state to the duke by

dismantling the fortifications of the city-strongholds belonging to the three

families.[15]

This way, he could establish a centralized government.[15]

However, Confucius relied solely on diplomacy as he had no military

authority himself.[15]

In 500 BC, Hou Fanthe governor of Hourevolted against his lord of

the Shu family.[15]

Although the Meng and Shu families unsuccessfully

besieged Hou, a loyalist official rose up with the people of Hou and forced


9 6/4/2013


6/29

Hou Fan to flee to the Qi state.[15] The situation may have been in favor

for Confucius as this likely made it possible for Confucius and his disciples

to convince the aristocratic families to dismantle the fortifications of their

cities.[15] Eventually, after a year and a half, Confucius and his disciples

succeeded in convincing the Shu family to raze the walls of Hou, the Ji

family in razing the walls of Bi, and the Meng family in razing the walls of

Cheng.[15]

First, the Shu family led an army towards their city Hou and tore down its

walls in 498 BC.[15]

Soon thereafter, Gongshan Furao[a]

a retainer of the

Ji familyrevolted and took control of the forces at Bi.[16][17] He

immediately launched an attack and entered the capital Lu.[15]

Earlier, Gongshan had approached Confucius to join him, which Confucius

considered at first.[16]

Even though he disapproved the use of a violent

revolution, the Ji family dominated the Lu state by force for generations

and had exiled the previous duke.[16] Although he wanted the opportunity

to put his principles in practice, Confucius gave up on this idea in the

end.[16] Creel (1949) states that, unlike the rebel Yang Hu before him,Gongshan may have sought to destroy the three hereditary families and

restore the power of the duke.[18]

However, Dubs (1946) states that he was instigated by Viscount Ji Huan to

invade the Lu capital in an attempt to avoid dismanteling the Bi fortified

walls.[17] Whatever the situation may have been, Gongshan was

considered an upright man who continued to defend the state of Lu, even

after he was forced to flee.[18][19]

According to Dubs (1946), the attackers retreated after realizing that they

would have to become rebels against the state and against their own

lord.[20] If so, according to Dubs (1946), this incident resulted that the Bi


9 6/4/2013


7/29

officials inadvertently revolted against their own lord through Confucius'

doing, thus forcing Viscount Ji Huan's hand in having to dismantle the

walls of Bi (as it could have harbored such rebels) or confess to instigating

the event by going against proper conduct and righteousness as an

official.[20]

He further states that the incident brought to light Confucius'

foresight, practical political ability, and insight into human character.[20]

During the ordeal, Zhong You () had managed to keep the duke and

the three viscounts together at the court.[19]

Zhong You was one of the

disciples of Confucius and was arranged the position of governor at the Ji

family by Confucius.[21]

When Confucius heard of the raid, he requested

from Viscount Ji Huan to allow the duke and his court to retreat to a

stronghold on his palace grounds.[20] Thereafter, the heads of the three

families and the duke retreated to the Ji's palace complex and ascended the

Wuzi Terrace.[22]

Confucius ordered two officers to lead an assault against

the rebels.[22] At least one of the two grandees was a retainer of the Ji

family, although according to Dubs (1946) probably both were, but they

were unable to refuse the orders while in the presence of the duke,

viscounts, and court.[20] The rebels were followed in pursuit and defeated

in Gu.[22]

Immediately after this revolt was stricken down, the Ji family

razed the Bi city walls to the ground.[22]

When it was time to dismantle the city walls of the Meng family, the

governor was reluctant to have his city walls torn down and convinced the

head of the Meng family not to do so.[22] TheZuo Zhuan recalls that the

governor advised against razing the walls to the ground as he said that it

made Cheng vulnerable to the Qi state and cause the destruction of the

Meng family.[20] Even though Viscount Meng Yi gave his word not to

interfere with an attempt, he went back on his earlier promise to dismantle

the walls.[20]


9 6/4/2013


8/29

Later in 498 BC, Duke Ding personally went with an army to lay siege to

Cheng in an attempt to raze its walls to the ground, but he did not

succeed.[23]

Thus, Confucius could not achieve the idealistic reform that

he wanted and restore the legitimate rule of the duke, returning to the

period of the Duke of Zhou.[24] As a result of his unusual degree of

success, Confucius made powerful enemies within the state, especially

with Viscount Ji Huan.[25] According to accounts in theZuo Zhuan and

Shiji,

Confucius departed his homeland in 497 BC after his support to the failed

attempt of dismantling the fortified city walls of the powerful Ji, Meng,

and Shu families.[26] He left the state of Lu without resigning, remaining in

self-exile and unable to return as long as Viscount Ji Huan was alive.[25]

Exile

The Shiji states that the neighboring Qi state was worried that Lu was

becoming too powerful while Confucius was involved in the government

of the Lu state. According to this account, Qi decided to sabotage Lu'sreforms by sending 100 good horses and 80 beautiful dancing girls to the

Duke of Lu. The Duke indulged himself in pleasure and did not attend to

official duties for three days. Confucius was deeply disappointed and

resolved to leave Lu and seek better opportunities, yet to leave at once

would expose the misbehavior of the Duke and therefore bring public

humiliation to the ruler Confucius was serving. Confucius therefore waited

for the Duke to make a lesser mistake. Soon after, the Duke neglected tosend to Confucius a portion of the sacrificial meat that was his due

according to custom, and Confucius seized upon this pretext to leave both

his post and the Lu state.

After Confucius's resignation, he began a long journey or set of journeys

around the small kingdoms of northeast and central China, traditionally


9 6/4/2013


9/29

The Dacheng Hall, the main hall of the

Temple of Confucius in Qufu.

including the states of Wei, Song, Chen, and Cai. At the courts of these

states, he expounded his political beliefs but did not see them

implemented.

Return home

According to theZuo Zhuan, Confucius returned home when he was 68.

TheAnalects depict him spending his last years teaching 72 or 77 disciples

and transmitting the old wisdom via a set of texts called the Five Classics.

Philosophy

Main article: Confucianism

Although Confucianism is often

followed in a religious manner by

the Chinese, arguments continue

over whether it is a religion.

Confucianism discusses elements

of the afterlife and views

concerning Heaven, but it is

relatively unconcerned with some

spiritual matters often considered

essential to religious thought, such

as the nature of souls.

In theAnalects, Confucius presents himself as a "transmitter who inventednothing". He puts the greatest emphasis on the importance of study, and it

is the Chinese character for study () that opens the text. Far from trying

to build a systematic or formalist theory, he wanted his disciples to master

and internalize the old classics, so that their deep thought and thorough

study would allow them to relate the moral problems of the present to past

political events (as recorded in theAnnals) or the past expressions of


9 6/4/2013


10/29

The Analects of Confucius.

commoners' feelings and

noblemen's reflections (as in the

poems of theBook of Odes).

Ethics

One of the deepest teachings of

Confucius may have been the

superiority of personal

exemplification over explicit rules

of behavior. His moral teachings

emphasized self-cultivation,

emulation of moral exemplars, and the attainment of skilled judgmentrather than knowledge of rules. Confucian ethics may be considered a type

of virtue ethics. His teachings rarely rely on reasoned argument and ethical

ideals and methods are conveyed more indirectly, through allusion,

innuendo, and even tautology. His teachings require examination and

context in order to be understood. A good example is found in this famous

anecdote:

When the stables were burnt down, on returning from court

Confucius said, "Was anyone hurt?" He did not ask about the

horses.

Analects X.11 (tr. Waley),

10-13 (tr. Legge), or X-17 (tr.

Lau)

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. Confucius, as an exemplar of human excellence, serves

as the ultimate model, rather than a deity or a universally true set of


29 6/4/2013


11/29

abstract principles. For these reasons, according to many commentators,

Confucius's teachings may be considered a Chinese example of humanism.

One of his most famous teachings[citation needed] was a variant of the

Golden Rule sometimes called the "Silver Rule"[citation needed]

owing to its

negative form:

"What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to others."

Zi Gong [a disciple] asked: "Is there any one word that couldguide a person throughout life?"

The Master replied: "How about 'reciprocity'! Never impose

on others what you would not choose for yourself."

Analects XV.24, tr. David

Hinton

Often overlooked in Confucian ethics are the virtues to the self: sincerity

and the cultivation of knowledge. Virtuous action towards others begins

with virtuous and sincere thought, which begins with knowledge. A

virtuous disposition without knowledge is susceptible to corruption and

virtuous action without sincerity is not true righteousness. Cultivating

knowledge and sincerity is also important for one's own sake; the superior

person loves learning for the sake of learning and righteousness for the

sake of righteousness.

The Confucian theory of ethics as exemplified inL() is based on three

important conceptual aspects of life: ceremonies associated with sacrifice

to ancestors and deities of various types, social and political institutions,

and the etiquette of daily behavior. It was believed by some that l

originated from the heavens, but Confucius stressed the development ofl

through the actions of sage leaders in human history. His discussions of l


29 6/4/2013


12/29

seem to redefine the term to refer to all actions committed by a person to

build the ideal society, rather than those simply conforming with canonical

standards of ceremony.

In the early Confucian tradition, lwas doing the proper thing at the proper

time, balancing between maintaining existing norms to perpetuate anethical social fabric, and violating them in order to accomplish ethical

good. Training in the lof past sages cultivates in people virtues that

include ethical judgment about when lmust be adapted in light of

situational contexts.

In Confucianism, the concept ofli is closely related toy (), which is

based upon the idea of reciprocity. Y can be translated as righteousness,though it may simply mean what is ethically best to do in a certain context.

The term contrasts with action done out of self-interest. 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. Thus an outcome ofy is doing the right thing

for the right reason.

Just as action according toLshould be adapted to conform to the

aspiration of adhering toy, soy is linked to the core value ofrn

().Rn consists of 5 basic virtues: seriousness, generosity, sincerity,

diligence and kindness.[27]Rn is the virtue of perfectly fulfilling one's

responsibilities toward others, most often translated as "benevolence" or

"humaneness"; translator Arthur Waley calls it "Goodness" (with a capital

G), and other translations that have been put forth include"authoritativeness" and "selflessness." Confucius's moral system was based

upon empathy and understanding others, rather than divinely ordained

rules. To develop one's spontaneous responses ofrn so that these could

guide action intuitively was even better than living by the rules ofy.

Confucius asserts that virtue is a means between extremes. For example,

the properly generous person gives the right amountnot too much and


29 6/4/2013


13/29

not too little.[27]

Politics

Confucius' political thought is based upon his ethical thought. He argues

that the best government is one that rules through "rites" (l) and people's

natural morality, rather than by using bribery and coercion. He explained

that this is one of the most important analects: "If the people be led by

laws, and uniformity sought to be given them by punishments, they will try

to avoid the punishment, but have no sense of shame. If they be led by

virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety,

they will have the sense of the shame, and moreover will become good."

(Translated by James Legge) in the Great Learning (). This "sense of

shame" is an internalisation of duty, where the punishment precedes the

evil action, instead of following it in the form of laws as in Legalism.

Confucius looked nostalgically upon earlier days, and urged the Chinese,

particularly those with political power, to model themselves on earlier

examples. In times of division, chaos, and endless wars between feudal

states, he wanted to restore the Mandate of Heaven () that couldunify the "world" (, "all under Heaven") and bestow peace and

prosperity on the people. Because his vision of personal and social

perfections was framed as a revival of the ordered society of earlier times,

Confucius is often considered a great proponent of conservatism, but a

closer look at what he proposes often shows that he used (and perhaps

twisted) past institutions and rites to push a new political agenda of his

own: a revival of a unified royal state, whose rulers would succeed topower on the basis of their moral merits instead of lineage. These would be

rulers devoted to their people, striving for personal and social perfection,

and such a ruler would spread his own virtues to the people instead of

imposing proper behavior with laws and rules.

While he supported the idea of government ruling by a virtuous king, his


29 6/4/2013


14/29

ideas contained a number of elements to limit the power of rulers. He

argued for according language with truth, and honesty was of paramount

importance. Even in facial expression, truth must always be represented.

Confucius believed that if a ruler were to lead correctly, by action, that

orders would be deemed unnecessary in that others will follow the proper

actions of their ruler. In discussing the relationship between a king and hissubject (or a father and his son), he underlined the need to give due

respect to superiors. This demanded that the subordinates must give advice

to their superiors if the superiors were considered to be taking the course

of action that was wrong. Confucius believed in ruling by example, if you

lead correctly, orders are unnecessary and useless.

Disciples

Main article: Disciples of Confucius

There is not much known of Confucius' disciples and a little over half of

them had their surnames recorded in theZuo Zhuan.[28] TheAnalects

records 22 names that are most likely Confucius' disciples, while the

encius records 24 names, although it is quite certain that there have been

many more disciples whose name were not recorded.[28]

Most of

Confucius' disciples were from the Lu state, while others were from

neighboring states.[28] For example, Zigong was from the Wey state and

Sima Niu was from the Song state.[28] Confucius' favorite disciple was Yan

Hui, most probably one of the most impoverished one of them all.[28]

Sima

iu, in contrast to Yan Hui, was from a hereditarily noble family hailingfrom the Song state.

[28]Under Confucius' teachings, the disciples became

well-learned in the principles and methods of government.[29] He often

engaged in discussion and debate with his students and gave high

importance to their studies in history, poetry, and ritual.[29]

Confucius

advocated loyalty to principle rather than to individual in which reform


29 6/4/2013


15/29

was to be achieved by persuasion rather than violence.[29] Even though

Confucius denounced them for their practices, the aristocracy was likely

attracted to the idea of having trustworthy officials who were studied in

morals as the circumstances of the time made it desirable.[29] In fact, the

disciple Zilu even died defending his ruler in Wei.

[29]

Yang Hu, who was a subordinate of the Ji family, had dominated the Lu

government from 505 to 502 and even attempted a coup, which narrowly

failed.[29]

As a likely consequence, it was after that that the first disciples

of Confucius were appointed to government positions.[29] Few of

Confucius' disciples went on to attain official positions of some

importance, some of which were arranged by Confucius.[30]

By the timeConfucius was 50 years old, the Ji family had consolidated their power in

the Lu state over the ruling ducal house.[31]

Even though the Ji family had

practices that Confucius disagreed and disapproved, they nonetheless gave

Confucius' disciples many opportunities for employment.[31] Confucius

continued to remind his disciples to stay true to their principles and

renounced those who did not, while being openly critical of the Ji

family.[32]

Legacy

Confucius's teachings were later turned into an elaborate set of rules and

practices by his numerous disciples and followers, who organized his

teachings into the Analects. Confucius' disciples and his only grandson,Zisi, continued his philosophical school after his death. These efforts

spread Confucian ideals to students who then became officials in many of

the royal courts in China, thereby giving Confucianism the first wide-scale

test of its dogma.

Two of Confucius's most famous later followers emphasized radically


29 6/4/2013


16/29

different aspects of his teachings. In the centuries after his death, Mencius

() and Xun Zi () both composed important teachings elaborating

in different ways on the fundamental ideas associated with Confucius.

Mencius (4th century BC) articulated the innate goodness in human beings

as a source of the ethical intuitions that guide people towards rn,y, and

l, while Xun Zi (3rd century BC) underscored the realistic andmaterialistic aspects of Confucian thought, stressing that morality was

inculcated in society through tradition and in individuals through training.

In time, their writings, together with theAnalects and other core texts

came to constitute the philosophical corpus of Confucianism.

This realignment in Confucian thought was parallel to the development of

Legalism, which saw filial piety as self-interest and not a useful tool for aruler to create an effective state. A disagreement between these two

political philosophies came to a head in 223 BC when the Qin state

conquered all of China. Li Ssu, Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty

convinced Qin Shi Huang to abandon the Confucians' recommendation of

awarding fiefs akin to the Zhou Dynasty before them which he saw as

counter to the Legalist idea of centralizing the state around the ruler.

When the Confucian advisers pressed their point, Li Ssu had manyConfucian scholars killed and their books burnedconsidered a huge blow

to the philosophy and Chinese scholarship.

Under the succeeding Han Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, Confucian ideas

gained even more widespread prominence. Under Wudi, the works of

Confucius were made the official imperial philosophy and required reading

for civil service examinations in 140 BC which was continued nearlyunbroken until the end of the 19th Century. As Moism lost support by the

time of the Han, the main philosophical contenders were Legalism, which

Confucian thought somewhat absorbed, the teachings of Lao-tzu, whose

focus on more mystic ideas kept it from direct conflict with Confucianism,

and the new Buddhist religion, which gained acceptance during the

Southern and Northern Dynasties era. Both Confucian ideas and


29 6/4/2013


17/29

"Life and works of Confucius", by

Prospero Intorcetta, 1687.

Confucian-trained officials were relied upon in the Ming Dynasty and even

the Yuan Dynasty, although Kublai Khan distrusted handing over

provincial control.

During the Song Dynasty, the scholar Zhu Xi (AD 11301200) added ideas

from Daoism and Buddhism into Confucianism. In his life, Zhu Xi waslargely ignored, but not long after his death his ideas became the new

orthodox view of what Confucian texts actually meant. Modern historians

view Zhu Xi as having created something rather different, and call his way

of thinkingNeo-Confucianism. Neo-Confucianism held sway in China,

Japan, Korea and Vietnam until the 19th century.

The works of Confucius weretranslated into European languages

through the agency of Jesuit

scholars stationed in China.[b]

Matteo Ricci started to report on

the thoughts of Confucius, and

father Prospero Intorcetta

published the life and works ofConfucius into Latin in 1687.[33] It

is thought that such works had

considerable importance on

European thinkers of the period,

particularly among the Deists and

other philosophical groups of the

Enlightenment who were interested by the integration of the system ofmorality of Confucius into Western civilization.

[33][34]

In the modern era Confucian movements, such as New Confucianism, still

exist but during the Cultural Revolution, Confucianism was frequently

attacked by leading figures in the Communist Party of China. This was

partially a continuation of the condemnations of Confucianism by


29 6/4/2013


18/29

intellectuals and activists in the early 20th Century as a cause of the

ethnocentric close-mindedness and refusal of the Qing Dynasty to

modernize that led to the tragedies that befell China in the 19th Century.

Confucius's works are studied by scholars in many other Asian countries,

particularly those in the Chinese cultural sphere, such as Korea, Japan andVietnam. Many of those countries still hold the traditional memorial

ceremony every year.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes Confucius was a Divine

Prophet of God, as were Lao-Tzu and other eminent Chinese

personages.[35]

In modern times, Asteroid 7853, "Confucius", was named after the

Chinese thinker.

Visual portraits

o contemporary painting or sculpture of Confucius survives, and it was

only during the Han Dynasty that he was portrayed visually. Carvingsoften depict his legendary meeting with Laozi. Since that time there have

been many portraits of Confucius as the ideal philosopher.

In former times, it was customary to have a portrait in Confucius Temples;

however, during the reign of Hongwu Emperor (Taizu) of the Ming

dynasty it was decided that the only proper portrait of Confucius should be

in the temple in his hometown, Qufu. In other temples, Confucius isrepresented by a memorial tablet. In 2006, the China Confucius

Foundation commissioned a standard portrait of Confucius based on the

Tang dynasty portrait by Wu Daozi.

Death and legacy


29 6/4/2013


19/29

Tomb of Confucius in Kong Lin

cemetery, Qufu, Shandong

Province

Burdened by the loss of both his son

and his favorite disciples, he died at

the age of 71 or 72. Confucius was

buried in Kong Lin cemetery which

lies in the historical part of Qufu. The

original tomb erected there in memoryof Confucius on the bank of the Sishui

River had the shape of an axe. In

addition, it has a raised brick platform

at the front of the memorial for

offerings such as sandalwood incense

and fruit.

Memorials of Confucius

Soon after Confucius' death, Qufu, his

hometown became a place of devotion

and remembrance. It is still a major

destination for cultural tourism, and

many people visit his grave and the surrounding temples. In pan-Chinacultures, there are many temples where representations of the Buddha,

Laozi and Confucius are found together. There are also many temples

dedicated to him, which have been used for Confucianist ceremonies.

The Chinese have a tradition of holding spectacular memorial ceremonies

of Confucius () every year, using ceremonies that supposedly derived

from Zhou Li () as recorded by Confucius, on the date of Confucius'birth. This tradition was interrupted for several decades in mainland China,

where the official stance of the Communist Party and the State was that

Confucius and Confucianism represented reactionary feudalist beliefs

which held that the subservience of the people to the aristocracy is a part

of the natural order. All such ceremonies and rites were therefore banned.

Only after the 1990s did the ceremony resume. As it is now considered a


29 6/4/2013


20/29

Confucius Monument in Rizal

Park, Manila, Philippines

veneration of Chinese history and

tradition, even Communist Party

members may be found in attendance.

In Taiwan, where the Nationalist Party

(Kuomintang) strongly promotedConfucian beliefs in ethics and

behavior, the tradition of the memorial

ceremony of Confucius () is

supported by the government and has

continued without interruption. While

not a national holiday, it does appear

on all printed calendars, much asFather's Day does in the West.

Descendants

See also: Family tree of

Confucius in the main line of

descent

Confucius' descendants were repeatedly identified and honored by

successive imperial governments with titles of nobility and official posts.

They were honored with the rank of a marquis thirty-five times since

Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, and they were promoted to the rank of duke

forty-two times from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Emperor

Xuanzong of Tang first bestowed the title of "Duke Wenxuan" on Kong

Suizhi of the 35th generation. In 1055, Emperor Renzong of Song first

bestowed the title of "Duke Yansheng" on Kong Zongyuan of the 46th

generation.

Despite repeated dynastic change in China, the title of Duke Yansheng was

bestowed upon successive generations of descendants until it was


29 6/4/2013


21/29

abolished by the Nationalist Government in 1935. The last holder of the

title, Kung Te-cheng of the 77th generation, was appointed Sacrificial

Official to Confucius. Kung Te-cheng died in October 2008, and his son,

Kung Wei-yi, the 78th lineal descendant, had died in 1989. 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. Te-cheng's sister, Kong Demao,

lives in mainland China and has written a book about her experiences

growing up at the family estate in Qufu. Another sister, Kong Deqi, died as

a young woman.[36]

Confucius's family, the Kongs, has the longest recorded extant pedigree in

the world today. The father-to-son family tree, now in its 83rdgeneration,[37] has been recorded since the death of Confucius. According

to the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee, he has 2 million

known and registered descendants, and there are an estimated 3 million in

all.[38]

Of these, several tens of thousands live outside of China.[38]

In the

14th century, a Kong descendant went to Korea, where an estimated

34,000 descendants of Confucius live today.[38] 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.[36]

Because of the huge interest in the Confucius family tree, there was a

project in China to test the DNA of known family members.[39]

Among

other things, this would allow scientists to identify a common Y

chromosome in male descendants of Confucius. If the descent were truly

unbroken, father-to-son, since Confucius's lifetime, the males in the family

would all have the same Y chromosome as their direct male ancestor, with

slight mutations due to the passage of time.[40]

However, in 2009, the

family authorities decided not to agree to DNA testing.[41] Bryan Sykes,

professor of genetics at Oxford University, understands this decision: "The

Confucius family tree has an enormous cultural significance," he said. "It's


29 6/4/2013


22/29

not just a scientific question."[41] 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.[42]

The fifth and most recent edition of the Confucius genealogy was printed

by the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee (CGCC).[43][44] It

was unveiled in a ceremony at Qufu on September 24, 2009.[43][44]

Women are now included for the first time.[45]

See also

Classic of PoetryConfucius Institute

Notes

^ Gongshan Furao is also known as Gongshan Buniu.a.

^ The first was Michele Ruggieri who had returned from China to Italy in

1588, and carried on translating in Latin Chinese classics, while residing in

Salerno.

b.

References

^ Riegel 2012, online (http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2012/entries

/confucius/).

1.

^ Chin 2007, 2.2.

^ Based on Baxter & Sagart 2011, pdf (http://crlao.ehess.fr

/docannexe.php?id=1207).

3.

^ Rainey 2010, 1.4.


29 6/4/2013


23/29

^ a b c Phan 2012, 1705.

^ Creel 1949, 26.6.

^ Yao 1997, 29.7.

^ Yao 2000, 23.8.

^ Rainey 2010, 66.9.

^a b

Creel 1949, 25.10.^ Rainey 2010, 16.11.

^ Dubs 1946, 274275.12.

^ a b c d Dubs 1946, 275.13.

^ a b c Dubs 1946, 275276.14.

^ a b c d e f g h i Dubs 1946, 277.15.

^ a b c d Creel 1949, 3536.16.

^

a b

Dubs 1946, 277278.17.^ a b Creel 1949, 35.18.

^a b

Dubs 1946, 278.19.

^ a b c d e f g Dubs 1946, 279.20.

^ Dubs 1946, 278279.21.

^ a b c d e Chin 2007, 30.22.

^ Dubs 1946, 280.23.

^ Dubs 1946, 280281.24.

^ a b Dubs 1946, 281.25.

^ Riegel 1986, 13.26.

^ a b Bonevac & Phillips 2009, 40.27.

^ a b c d e f Creel 1949, 30.28.

^ a b c d e f g Creel 1949, 32.29.

^ Creel 1949, 31.30.

^ a b Creel 1949, 33.31.

^ Creel 1949, 3233.32.

^ a b Parker 1977, 25.33.

^ Hobson 2004, 194195.34.

^ Ahmad ???, online (http://www.alislam.org/library/books/revelation

/part_2_section_3.html).

35.

^ a b Kong, Ke & Roberts 1988.36.

^ China Economic Net 2009, online (http://en.ce.cn/National/culture37.


29 6/4/2013


24/29

/200901/04/t20090104_17866318.shtml).

^a b c

Yan 2008, online (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02

/16/content_7616027.htm).

38.

^ Ministry of Commerce of the PRC 2006, online

(http://ye2.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/chinanews/200606

/20060602462372.html).

39.

^ China Internet Information Center 2006, online (http://www.china.org.cn

/english/culture/171840.htm).

40.

^a b

Qiu 2008, online (http://seedmagazine.com/content/article

/inheriting_confucius/).

41.

^ Bandao 2007, online (http://eng.bandao.cn/newsdetail.asp?id=4644).42.

^ a b China Daily 2009, online (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china

/2009-09/24/content_8733256.htm).

43.

^ a b Zhou 2008, online (http://www.china.org.cn/china/features/content_16696029.htm).

44.

^ China Daily 2007, online (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-02

/02/content_800011.htm).

45.

Bibliography

Hard copy

Bonevac, Daniel; Phillips, Stephen (2009).Introduction to world

philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press.

ISBN 978-0-19-515231-9.

Creel, Herrlee Glessner (1949). Confucius: The man and the myth.

New York: John Day Company.

Dubs, Homer H. (1946). "The political career of Confucius".

Journal of the American Oriental Society 66 (4). JSTOR 596405

(http://www.jstor.org/stable/596405).

Hobson, John M. (2004). The Eastern origins of Western

civilisation (Reprinted ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press. ISBN 0-521-54724-5.

Chin, Ann-ping (2007). The authentic Confucius: A life of thought


29 6/4/2013


25/29

and politics. New York: Scribner. ISBN 978-0-7432-4618-7.

Kong, Demao; Ke, Lan; Roberts, Rosemary (1988). The house of

Confucius (Translated ed.). London: Hodder & Stoughton.

ISBN 978-0-340-41279-4.

Parker, John (1977). Windows into China: The Jesuits and their

books, 15801730. Boston: Trustees of the Public Library of theCity of Boston. ISBN 0-89073-050-4.

Phan, Peter C. (2012). "Catholicism and Confucianism: An

intercultural and interreligious dialogue". Catholicism and

interreligious dialogue. New York: Oxford University Press.

ISBN 978-0-19-982787-9.

Rainey, Lee Dian (2010). Confucius & Confucianism: The

essentials. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-4051-8841-8.Riegel, Jeffrey K. (1986). "Poetry and the legend of Confucius's

exile".Journal of the American Oriental Society 106 (1).

JSTOR 602359 (http://www.jstor.org/stable/602359).

Yao, Xinzhong (1997). Confucianism and Christianity: A

Comparative Study of Jen and Agape (http://books.google.com

/books?id=BN47m0BHtLkC). Brighton: Sussex Academic Press.

ISBN 1-898723-76-1.

Yao, Xinzhong (2000).An Introduction to Confucianism

(http://books.google.com/books?id=tAE2OJ9bPG0C). Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64430-5.

Online

Ahmad, Mirza Tahir (???). "Confucianism" (http://www.alislam.org

/library/books/revelation/part_2_section_3.html). AhmadiyyaMuslim Community. Retrieved 7 November 2010.

Baxter, William H.; Sagart, Laurent (20 February 2011). "Baxter-

Sagart Old Chinese reconstruction" (http://crlao.ehess.fr

/docannexe.php?id=1207).

"Confucius descendents say DNA testing plan lacks wisdom"

(http://eng.bandao.cn/newsdetail.asp?id=4644). Bandao. 21 August


29 6/4/2013


26/29

2007.

"Confucius family tree to record female kin"

(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-02

/02/content_800011.htm). China Daily. 2 February 2007.

"Confucius' Family Tree Recorded biggest"

(http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-09/24/content_8733256.htm). China Daily. 24 September 2009.

"Confucius family tree revision ends with 2 mln descendants"

(http://en.ce.cn/National/culture/200901

/04/t20090104_17866318.shtml). China Economic Net. 4 January

2009.

"DNA Testing Adopted to Identify Confucius Descendants"

(http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/171840.htm). ChinaInternet Information Center. 19 June 2006.

"DNA test to clear up Confucius confusion"

(http://ye2.mofcom.gov.cn/aarticle/chinanews/200606

/20060602462372.html). Ministry of Commerce of the People's

Republic of China. 18 June 2006.

Riegel, Jeffrey (2012). "Confucius" (http://plato.stanford.edu

/archives/spr2012/entries/confucius/). The Stanford Encyclopedia

of Philosophy. Stanford University.

Qiu, Jane (13 August 2008). "Inheriting Confucius"

(http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/inheriting_confucius/).

Seed Magazine.

Yan, Liang (16 February 2008). "Updated Confucius family tree has

two million members" (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02

/16/content_7616027.htm). Xinhua.

Zhou, Jing (31 October 2008). "New Confucius Genealogy out nextyear" (http://www.china.org.cn/china/features

/content_16696029.htm). China Internet Information Center.

Further reading


29 6/4/2013


27/29

Clements, Jonathan (2008). Confucius: A Biography. Stroud,

Gloucestershire, England: Sutton Publishing. ISBN

978-0-7509-4775-6.

Confucius (1997).Lun yu, (in English The Analects of Confucius).

Translation and notes by Simon Leys. New York: W.W. Norton.

ISBN 0-393-04019-4.Confucius (2003). Confucius: AnalectsWith Selections from

Traditional Commentaries. Translated by E. Slingerland.

Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing. (Original work published c.

551479 BC) ISBN 0-87220-635-1.

Creel, Herrlee Glessner (1949). Confucius and the Chinese Way.

New York: Harper.

Creel, Herrlee Glessner (1953). Chinese Thought from Confucius toMao Tse-tung. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2005). "Confucianism: An Overview". In

Encyclopedia of Religion (Vol. C, pp 18901905). Detroit:

MacMillan Reference USA.

Dawson, Raymond (1982). Confucius. Oxford: Oxford University

Press. ISBN 0-19-287536-1.

Fingarette, Hebert (1998). Confucius : the secular as sacred. Long

Grove, Ill.: Waveland Press. ISBN 1-57766-010-2.

Ssu-ma Ch'ien (1974).Records of the Historian. Yang Hsien-yi and

Gladys Yang, trans. Hong Kong: Commercial Press.

Van Norden, B.W., ed. (2001). Confucius and the Analects: New

Essays. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513396-X.

Van Norden, B.W., trans. (2006).Mengzi, in Philip J. Ivanhoe &

B.W. Van Norden,Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy. 2nd

ed. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing. ISBN 0-87220-780-3.

External links

Confucius (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00547k8) onIn Our

Time at the BBC. (listen now (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console


29 6/4/2013


28/29

/p00547k8/In_Our_Time_Confucius))

Multilingual web site on Confucius and the Analects

(http://www.confucius.org/)

Confucius (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/confucius) entry by

Jeffrey Riegel in the Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyWorks by Confucius (http://www.gutenberg.org/author/Confucius)

at Project Gutenberg

Confucian Analects (http://digital.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook

/lookup?num=4094) (Project Gutenberg release of James Legge's

Translation)

Biography of Confucius and His Influence on China

(http://www.seeraa.com/china-spirituality/confucius.html)

French translation by Edouard Chavannes of Sima Qian's biography

of Confucius (see pp. 283435) in the Records of the Grand

Historian (http://books.google.com/books?id=A_MEAAAAMAAJ&

pg=PA359&dq=edouard+chavannes+ts%27ien+kung+tse&

as_brr=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false)

Familiar Discourses (Jia yu,), containing traditions aboutConfucius' early life (http://books.google.com

/books?id=33guAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP11&dq=kia+yu+harlez+1899&lr=&as_brr=1#v=onepage&

q=kia%20yu%20harlez%201899&f=false)

New modern and detailed TV series about Confucius made by

CCTV (http://www.omeca.cn/Article/Newsletter/200908/696.shtml)

Confucius | Motion Picture In Full HD (http://www.youtube.com

/watch?v=XKQPlt2RZsw) Confucius (2010) in IMDB

(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1397498)Core philosophical passages (http://www.wfu.edu/~moran

/zhexuejialu/Analects_PEM.html) in theAnalects of Confucius.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Confucius&

oldid=556303626"

Categories: 551 BC births 479 BC deaths


29 6/4/2013


29/29

5th-century BC philosophers 5th-century BC historians

Ancient Chinese philosophers Confucius Chinese Confucianists

Classical humanists Confucianism Education theory

Founders of religions Guqin players Moral philosophers

People from Qufu Lu (state) Zhou Dynasty historians6th-century BC philosophers Writers from Shandong

This page was last modified on 22 May 2013 at 18:17.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-

ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site,

you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation,

Inc., a non-profit organization.


Documents

Confucius - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia