Confucius Latinized form of Kong Zi, "Kong the master" (551-479 BC) was a Chinese philosopher whose name is given to Confucianism.

Short Biography:

He devoted his life to relieving suffering of the poor through governmental and administrative reform.

His emphasis on tradition and ethics attracted a growing number of pupils during his lifetime; The Analects of Confucius, a compilation of his teachings, was published after his death.

Confucius was born in Lu, in what is now the province of Shangdong, and his early years were spent in poverty. Married at 19, he worked as a minor official, then as a teacher.

In 517 there was an uprising in Lu, and Confucius spent the next year or two in the adjoining state of Ch'i. As a teacher he was able to place many of his pupils i n government posts but a powerful position eluded him. Only in his fifties was be given an office but soon resigned at the lack of power it conveyed. Then for 14 years he wandered from state to state looking for a ruler who could give him a post where he could put his reforms into practice.

At the age of 67 he returned to Lu and devoted himself to teaching. At his death five years later he was buried with great pomp, and his grave outside Qufu has remained a centre of pilgrimage.

Why is Confucius famous?

Confucius was a famous Chinese social philosopher.

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Tags: reform, teacher, tradition, uprising

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Category: Philosophers  - ( Philosophers Archive)

Date Added: 08 December '11

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