Confucianism

A belief system that originated in China around 520 B.C.

Its founder: Confucius 551-479 B.C.

Family name: K’ung

Personal name: Ch’iu K’ung-tzu or K’ung-fu-tzu
Latinized name: Confucius

Confucius was born into a poor but aristocratic family.

He decided to pursue the life of a scholar at age 15, and
his studies included religious ritual, music, calligraphy,
arithmetic, poetry, and history.
He began serving in local politics at age 19.

At age 30, Confucius left politics to become a teacher. He traveled across China, accompanied by
his followers, teaching his philosophy: All people can be improved through learning.

Confucius wanted society to be reformed so that only the highly educated could be involved in
politics and government administration. He also taught that kings and government leaders had a
duty to be virtuous because their example would lead all of the people to become virtuous.
Confucius taught that… 1.
Learning is essential to moral improvement
2. Only through education can people build character
3. The most learned people have a duty to the public
4. To have a peaceful and ordered society, people must practice Li (proper behavior)
5. To practice Li, one must respect their rulers, parents, elders, and spouse.

After his death, the followers of Confucius gathered his teachings together into a book called
The Analects (The Selected Sayings), which remains popular today.

Confucianism became the official belief system of China in 206 B.C., and during the Han
dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 C.E.) government officials were chosen through a series of exams that
tested one’s knowledge of the teachings of
Confucius. Confucianism holds a very
important place in the cultures of China,
Korea, Taiwan, and Japan to this day.