Confucius

1. Confucius • 欢心

2. About Him • He lived from about 551 BC to 479 BC (so he died at around 71 or 72) • He lived at the time of the Zhou Dynasty • His father was a warrior and owned a fiefdom. • His Chinese (real) name is 孔丘(kongqiu) • He was a philosopher and reformed the morals and social system of China.

3. My Interesting Facts • Although his original name is 孔丘, he is most commonly called 孔夫子. (fuzi means great teacher) • Confucianism is kind of a cross between a religion and a social doctrine. But it is considered a religion by many people. • He was the original creator of the Golden Rule • After his father died, he was raised in poverty • He abandoned his wife and children to go on philosophical journeys for almost 10 years.

4. Confucius in China • He completely changed many social doctrines in China • His teachings are considered perfectly correct, and even sacred • He imposed order and improvements on a previously chaotic and dysfunctional system • He is revered across most of China, and so acts as a binding force for the country. • He is considered the sage of China, and had many disciples that spread his teaching all over the country.

5. Teachings • Confucius taught that you should revere elders and worship ancestors. • The social order within a family should be father, son, mother, daughter (the eldest are revered first as well) • Family and friends are more important than the community • He believed that the ideal government should be run like a family. • He valued humans over property, and believes that you should demonstrate the behaviors that you wish to see in others.

6. Temples • There are usually 2 or 3 courtyards in each temple (some have more). • They do not usually have images, unlike many religious buildings • They contain “spirit tablets” to replace images of Confucius. • There are also spirit tablets for other important sages (including disciples) • The main building is called 大成殿 (dachengdian).