孔子
Confucius
Confucianism · personConfucius (551–479 BCE), known in Chinese as Kongzi (孔子) or Kong Qiu, was a Chinese philosopher, educator, and political thinker whose teachings form the foundation of Confucianism. His philosophy centers on ren (仁, benevolence), li (礼, ritual propriety), and the cultivation of the junzi (君子, noble person). He compiled the Five Classics and his dialogues were recorded in the Analects (论语). His ideas shaped Chinese civilization, government, education, and family ethics for over two millennia, extending across East Asia and remaining influential in modern philosophical and political thought.
As Confucius taught through the Analects and as the Confucian tradition of self-cultivation holds, Confucius represents a key concept that continues to inform philosophical thought and practice today.
What Are the Key Facts About Confucius?
- Tradition: Confucianism
- Chinese: 孔子
- Category: Person
- Definition: Confucius (551–479 BCE), known in Chinese as Kongzi (孔子) or Kong Qiu, was a Chinese philosopher, educator, and political thinker whose teachings form the foundation of Confucianism.
What Cards Are Related to Confucius?
The Golden Rule
What you do not wish, do not do to others
Virtue Is Never Alone
Goodness draws neighbors
The Open Heart
The noble person is broad and at ease
The Morning Way
To hear the Way in the morning and die in the evening
To Learn and to Practice
Is this not a pleasure?
Review the Old to Know the New
Then you can teach
Learning Without Thinking
Thinking without learning
To Know What You Know
And to know what you do not
Better to Love It
Three levels of engagement
Three People Walking
One of them is your teacher
Three Questions Every Day
Zengzi's daily self-examination
See the Worthy, Look Within
Two mirrors, one practice
The River Flows
Time passes like this, never ceasing
Demand More of Yourself
Blame others less, and resentment fades
Seek Within
The noble person looks inward
Establish Others First
The positive golden rule
Do Not Yield
When rightness is at stake, even to your teacher
Care for All
The old at peace, friends trusted, the young cherished
The Measure Is Rightness
Not profit
Unjust Wealth
Like floating clouds
Words and Deeds
The noble person is ashamed when words outrun actions
The Real Mistake
An error uncorrected
Hearsay
Repeating what you heard on the road
Like an Eclipse
Everyone sees the noble person's mistake
Lead Upright
No orders needed
Haste Makes Waste
Small gains block great achievements
Sharpen Your Tools
Preparation is not procrastination
Foresight
Without it, trouble is near
Help Others Succeed
The noble person completes what is good in others
Three Kinds of Friends
The helpful and the harmful
Harmony, Not Uniformity
Agreement is not the same as peace
Blame No One
Not heaven, not others, just the long study upward
Nature and Habit
Born close. Grown apart.
Gravity
Without weight, there is no authority
The Scholar's Burden
Heavy and far
Three Cautions
What to guard against at each stage of life
The Idle Belly
A full stomach and an empty mind
Know Destiny
Without it, you cannot be a noble person
Broaden the Way
It is people who enlarge the Way, not the Way that enlarges people
The Winter Pine
Only when the year grows cold do we see it
Three Virtues
Wisdom, compassion, courage
The Struggle Before the Light
Do not teach until they are ready
Broad Learning, Firm Purpose
Ask closely. Reflect near at hand.
Words and People
Do not judge a person by their words, nor discard words because of the person
What Concepts Are Related to Confucius?
Ren 仁Common Questions
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For authoritative academic perspectives on Confucius, consult these external sources: