Download “From the very poorest upward … none has ever come to me without

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Mr. Melia – Social Studies
Unit 7 – Ancient China
Chapter 5 – Section 2
Confucius and His Teachings
One day, the teacher Confucius and his students were walking through the countryside. In the
distance they heard a woman crying. As they came around a bend in the road, they saw the woman
kneeling at a grave. “Why are you crying?” they asked her. “Because,” she answered, “a tiger killed
my husband's father. Later, the tiger also killed my husband. Now, the tiger has killed my son as
well.”
They then asked the woman, “Why do you stay in this place after these terrible things have
happened?” The woman answered, “Because there are no cruel rulers here.” Confucius turned to his
students and said, “Remember this. A cruel ruler is fiercer and more feared than a tiger.”
The Life of Confucius
Confucius was the most famous—and important—of the early Chinese thinkers. The Chinese, who
regarded Confucius as a great teacher, called him Kong Fu Zi (kahng foo zuh), or “Master Kong.”
Confucius is the Western version of this name. After his death, Confucius' followers told many stories
about him. Most of them were like the story of the woman and the tiger.
Confucius was born in 551 BC to a noble but poor family of the North China Plain. When he was
three years old, his father died. His mother raised him alone. He loved learning and was largely selftaught. Confucius hoped to advance to an important government office, but he never did.
Instead, Confucius decided to try teaching. He charged students a fee to take classes. Many
historians think that he was China's first professional teacher. Confucius taught his students his views
of life and government. Some of his students
went on to hold important government posts.
In Confucius' time, only the rich could afford
an education. But Confucius also accepted
students who truly wanted to learn, even if
they were poor. As he noted:
“From the very poorest upward … none has
ever come to me without receiving instruction.
I instruct only a student who bursts with
eagerness. Only one who bubbles with
excitement do I enlighten.”
Later in his life, Confucius wandered about
North China. He looked for a ruler who would
follow his teachings, but was unsuccessful.
Confucius returned home a disappointed man.
He died in 479 BC at the age of 72. By the
time of his death, he believed his life had been
a failure. He was wrong.
The Teachings of Confucius
Confucius did not claim to be an original thinker. He felt that his role was to pass on the forgotten
teachings of wise people from an earlier age. Many of his teachings focused on persuading rulers to
reform. He also aimed to bring peace, stability, and prosperity to their kingdoms. Confucius himself
never wrote down his teachings. Instead, his students gathered a collection of his sayings after his
death. Together, these writings made up a philosophy, or system of beliefs and values. It became
known as Confucianism. Confucianism was one of several important philosophies of ancient China.
Over time, it began to guide many aspects of life there.
Confucius lived in a period known as the “Time of the Warring States.” Powerful rulers of several
Chinese states, or kingdoms, fought each other for the control of land. They seemed more interested
in getting power than in ruling wisely. Confucius hoped to persuade these rulers to change their ways
and bring peace to China. Confucius' goal was order in society. He believed that if people could be
taught to behave properly to one another, order and peace would return. Society would prosper.
Confucius said people should know their place in the family and society. They should respect people
above and below them. Everyone must treat others justly. He described people in various
relationships: ruler and ruled; father and son; husband and wife; older brother and younger brother;
and friend and friend. Then he explained how they should behave. Confucius said people in
authority—princes or parents—must set a good example. If a ruler was good, his people would follow
his example and become good, too. Confucius summarized his ideas about relationships in a simple
sentence. It is similar to what Christians and Jews call the Golden Rule: “Do not do to others what
you would not want done to yourself.”
The Impact of Confucius
Confucius' teachings had a major impact on Chinese government. They became the basic training for
members of the civil service. The civil service is the group of people who carry out the work of
government. Before Confucius' ideas took hold, government posts were generally given to the sons
of important people. Afterward, any male could hold a government post on merit—that is, how well
he did his job. People who receive a reward on merit have shown, in some way, that they deserve
that reward. Candidates for government jobs had to pass official examinations. To advance, they had
to pass more exams. These exams were based on Confucius' teachings. The examination system did
bring more able young men into government service. However, it did not open government jobs to
everyone. Candidates still had to know how to read. This made it difficult for a poor man to advance.
But it was not impossible. Many talented but poor young men rose to high government positions.
Confucius would have been surprised at the impact he had on China. He did not consider himself
particularly wise or good. In fact, he felt that he was a failure. But Confucius left his mark on Chinese
life as perhaps no one before or after has.