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The founder of Confucianism was Kong Qiu (K'ung Ch'iu), who was born around 552 B.C.E.
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The interaction between the Yin and Yang is thought to be the cause for the creation of all that is. Tao, the Great Ultimate, is the cause of change and generates Yin and Yang. Therefore, we came from Tao, the Great Ultimate, the force that permeates the universe.
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There is no God, per se, in Confucianism. Confucius has never been considered a god by his adherents. Confucianism is a socio-philosophical movement aimed at bettering society. Confucius did believe, however, in the Great Ultimate (Tao), which manifests itself in the I, or change. Tao is the cause of I, and generates Yang (energy) and Yin (a passive form). Together, Yin and Yang are seen as complementary symbols of the energy and tension in a system of counter forces. Tao, or the Great Ulti
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Confucius lived between 551 and 479 BCE. His teachings were carried on and promoted by his disciple Mencius, and, later, by Hsun-Tzu, who lived from about 300 to 235 BCE. A rationalist form of Neo-Confucianism, an outgrowth of Confucianism, began to gain popularity through the teachings of Chu Hsi, who lived from 1033 to 1107 CE (Common Era, formerly AD, Anno Domini, Year of our Lord). A more socially oriented Neo-Confucianism became popular through the teachings of Wang Yang-Ming, who lived
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Confucius saw five major human relationships that should be governed by li, or propriety. Those relationships are:
- Ruler and subject
- Father and son
- Husband and wife
- Oldest son and younger brothers
- Elders and juniors (friends)
- Benevolence in rulers, loyalty in ministers and subjects
- Kindness in the father, filial piety in the son
- Righteous behavior i
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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-China cultures, 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.
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The scholar Tu Wei-ming explains these classics as embodying “five visions" which underlie the development of Confucianism:
I Ching or Classic of Change or Book of Changes, generally held to be the earliest of the classics, shows a metaphysical vision which combines divinatory art with numerological technique and ethical insight; philosophy of change sees cosmos as interaction between the two energies yin and yang, universe always shows organismic unity and dynamism.
Classic of Poetry or Book of -
As mentioned above, the Burning of the Books and Burying of the Scholars resulted in the destruction of large numbers of books, and very probably some Confucian texts. Nonetheless, Confucianism survived this suppression, some say because a scholar hid the texts in the walls of his house.
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The compilation of the Wujing (The Four Classics) was a concrete manifestation of the coming of age of the Confucian tradition. The inclusion of both pre-Confucian texts, the Shujing (“Classic of History”) and the Shijing (“Classic of Poetry”), and contemporary Qin-Han material, such as certain portions of the Liji (“Record of Rites”), suggests that the spirit behind the establishment of the core curriculum for Confucian education was ecumenical. The Five Classics can be described in terms of fi
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There was a school of thought that ran in direct opposition to Confucianism. This was known as Legalism. Where as Confucianism believed that people were naturally good, Legalism believed that they were naturally bad. Legalism believed that people only reacted to their craving for pleasure and the fear of pain and punishment. The Legalists believed that without a set of strong laws with harsh punishments society would go out of control.
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Tian (天), commonly translated as "Heaven" or "Sky", but philologically meaning the "Great One", "Great Whole", is a key concept in Confucianism.[13][14] It denotes the source of reality, the cosmos, and nature in Chinese religions and philosophies.[15] The Confucians mean by Tian what the Taoists mean by Tao.[16] In Analects 9.5 Confucius says that a person can know the movement of the Tian, and speaks about his own sense of having a special place in the universe.[17] In 7.19 he says that he is
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Social harmony results in part from every individual knowing his or her place in the natural order, and playing his or her part well. When Duke Jing of Qi asked about government, by which he meant proper administration so as to bring social harmony, Confucius replied: There is government, when the prince is prince, and the minister is minister; when the father is father, and the son is son. (Analects XII, 11, trans. Legge) Particular duties arise from one's particular situation in relation to
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Confucianism began in China and spread through South East and East Asia, gaining popularity in Japan, Korea and Vietnam as well. For a long period of time, Confucianism had empirical acceptance and validity, as the Chinese emperors and their dynasties saw it as the official philosophy of the empire.
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The spread of Confucianism across East Asia was accomplished largely through voluntary and consensual means, rather than by conquest or conversion.
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Confucianism began in China and spread through South East and East Asia, gaining popularity in Japan, Korea and Vietnam as well. For a long period of time, Confucianism had empirical acceptance and validity, as the Chinese emperors and their dynasties saw it as the official philosophy of the empire.
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Confucianism "largely defined the mainstream discourse on gender in China from the Han dynasty onward."[58] The often strict, obligatory gender roles based on Confucian teachings became a cornerstone of the family, and thus, societal stability. Starting from the Han period onward, Confucians in general began to gradually teach that a virtuous woman was supposed to follow the lead of the males in her family, especially the father before her marriage and the husband after she marries. In the later
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For many years since the era of Confucius, various critiques of Confucianism have arisen, including Laozi's philosophy and Mozi's critique. Lu Xun also criticised Confucianism heavily for shaping Chinese people into the condition they had reached by the late Qing Dynasty: his criticisms are well portrayed in two of his works, "A Madman's Diary" and The True Story of Ah Q. In modern times, waves of critique along with vilification against Confucianism arose. The Taiping Rebellion, May Fourth Mov
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Historically, cultures and countries strongly influenced by Confucianism include mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam, as well as various territories settled predominantly by Chinese people, such as Singapore. In the 20th century, Confucianism’s influence has been greatly reduced. More recently, there have been talks of a "Confucian Revival" in the academia and the scholarly community.[
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What we now today as the northern part of Vietnam was first annexed by the Chinese in 207 BCE.(fig.1) This was the beginning of more than one thousand years of Chinese rule and Vietnamese rebellion. During this long period Vietnam was influenced by China's technology as well as its culture. Vietnam never lost her self identity but she did absorb many things from China, some more than others and one of the things that she did readily accept and implement was Confucianism and the examination syste
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The works of Confucius were translated into European languages through the agency of Jesuit scholars stationed in China.[note 4] Matteo Ricci was among the very earliest to report on the thoughts of Confucius, and father Prospero Intorcetta wrote about the life and works of Confucius in Latin in 1687.[47] Translations of Confucian texts influenced European thinkers of the period,[48] particularly among the Deists and other philosophical groups of the Enlightenment who were interested by the int
