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".

Confucius' philosophy emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships and above all justice and sincerity.

The principles Confucius created had a basis in common Chinese tradition and belief. He encouraged strong family loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of the elderly by their children and of husbands by their wives. In addition he recommended family as a firm 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.

 

Confucius is credited with writing and editing some of the most influential traditional Chinese classics. These include a rearrangement of the “Book of Odes” as well as a revision of the historical “Book of Documents”. He also compiled a historical account of the 12 dukes of Lu, called the “Spring and Autumn Annals”.” Lunyu”, which sets forth Confucius’ philosophical and political beliefs, is thought to be compiled by his disciples. It is one of the "Four Books" of Confucianism that Chinese philosopher Zhu Xi, a self-proclaimed Neo-Confucian, published as Sishu in 1190. Far-reaching in its influence,” Lunyu” was later translated into English under the title “The Analects of Confucius”.

 

 

Confucius, according to the tradition, was born in 551 BC into the class of shi, between the aristocracy and the common people. His birthplace was Zou, Lu state (near present-day Qufu, Shandong Province). His father Kong He, also known as Shuliang He, was an officer in the Lu military. He died when Confucius was three years old, and Confucius was raised by his mother Yan Zhengzai in great poverty. At age 19 he married his wife, surnamed Qiguan, and a year later the couple had their first child, Kong Li.

It is believed that he started his career as a shepherd, cowherd, clerk and book-keeper. When he was 23, he lost his mother and went into 3 years of mourning. At the age of 32, Confucius started teaching the ancient rituals to a minister's sons. The next year, he headed towards the imperial capital, Lo-yang, to study the customs and traditions of Chou Empire. At 34, Confucius accompanied the Prince of Lu and both of them fled to a neighboring state, as the latter was threatened by powerful rivals. It was there that Confucius learned the art of music and upon returning to his native land Lu, he indulged in further studies.

 

 His philosophy of education focused on the "Six Arts": archery, calligraphy, computation, music, chariot-driving and ritual. To Confucius, the main objective of being an educator was to teach people to live with integrity. Through his teachings, he strove to resurrect the traditional values of benevolence, propriety and ritual in Chinese society.

 

At the age of 51, Confucius was appointed as the Minister of Justice, the state of Lu and returned to his political career. Eventually, he was promoted to be the Prime Minister of Lu. Confucius’ political beliefs were based on the concept of self-discipline. He believed that a leader needed to exercise self-discipline in order to remain humble and treat his followers with compassion. According to Confucius, leaders could motivate their subjects to follow the law by teaching them virtue and the unifying force of ritual propriety.

 

Adhering to his counsel and advice, the Prince of Lu became increasingly powerful and the state of Lu became one of the most prosperous states. Frightened by the rise of Lu, the Prince of Qi, a neighboring state, gave his counterpart - Lu, 100 good horses and 80 beautiful dancing girls.

 

Excited upon receiving the gift, the Prince of Lu neglected his government completely and ignored the counsels of Confucius. Deeply disappointed by such irresponsible behavior, Confucius wanted to leave the prince, but restrained himself as he knew his act would bring public humiliation to the ruler. However, when the Prince neglected to even send a portion of the sacrificial meat to Confucius, as was due - according to custom, he decided to leave both his post and the state of Lu and began a long journey around the small kingdoms of northeast and central China. At the courts of these states, he expounded his political beliefs but did not see them implemented. Convinced that his teachings had not made a significant impact on Chinese culture, at the age of 68, Confucius returned to his native land of Lu and stayed there, refusing to accept any government position during his stay.

 

Confucius died on November 21, 479 B.C. in Qufu, China, a year after losing his son, Tzu-lu, in battle. As of the fourth century B.C., Confucius was regarded as a sage who had deserved greater recognition in his time. By the second century B.C., during China’s first Han Dynasty, his ideas became the foundation of the state ideology. Today he is widely considered one of the most influential teachers in Chinese history.