ConfuciusandConfucianism.docVIP

Confucius and Confucianism The PersonConfucius (romanized from Chinese Kongzi 孔子 Master Kong) is said to be born in 551 BC as the scion of an impoverished noble family in the state of Lu 魯 during the Spring and Autumn period. His personal name was Zhongni 仲尼 or Kong Qiu 孔丘, named after a hill in the region (some historians say his shape of is head resembled this hill). He acted as granary overseer and later as minister in his home state of Lu. The decline of moral of his times (rulers enjoying beautiful dancers instead of devoting to government) urged him to leave Lu and to wander around for 13 years from state to state, trying to persue the rulers to follow his proposals for morally correct politics. Disappointed by the unsuccessful admonishings, he returned to Lu and is said to have died in 479 BC, being buried in Qufu 曲阜/Shandong where his descendants still live today. His teachings are conserved in the so-called Analects Lunyu 論語, and the collections Kongzi Jiayu 孔子家語, Kongcongzi 孔叢子, and Kongzi Jiyu 孔子集語. But he is also said to have revised the so-called Confucian Classics, the Shu 書, Yi 易, Shi 詩, Li 禮, Chunqiu 春秋, and a book about ritual music Yue 樂.His TeachingsAlready as a small official, Confucius was famous for his expertise in matters of culture, ceremonies and rites. This knowledge was the only weapon he could use trying to prevent the social downfall of his class, the lower aristocracy. In a multistate world where the rulers started to make use of state-emploryed officials instead of hereditary nobles, Confucius looked for the ideals of the old times to conserve the everchanging new society. Social chaos, despoty and repression endangered the security of the daily life. In his dreams for a better society, Confucius called for a rectification of names (zhengming 正名), for a newly built social hierarchy by what everybody had his fixed position to his neighbors, relatives, superiors and subordinated, with all his rights and duties. The right names had