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CONFUCIANISM
Confucius
Confucianism,alongwithBuddhismandTaoism,isoneofthethreedominantbeliefsystemsofChina.Westernobserverssometimescharacterize
Confucianismasareligion,butitismoreaccuratelyviewedasasetofguidelinesforlivingamorallife.Confucianism'steachingsonethical
behaviorhavebeenimmenselyinfluentialinChinaandthroughouteastAsia,evenamongpopulationsthatsubscribetootherbeliefsystems.Confucian
preceptsconcerningeducation,filialpiety,andhumanebehaviorformedanimportantcomponentofChineseimperialpolicyformostofthelast2,000years.
AlthoughthebeliefsystemfelloutoffavorwithChina'scommunistgovernmentinthe20thcentury,ithasremainedingrainedinthethoughtsandactionsof
Chinesepeopleintothepresentday.
ConfucianismisnamedafterKongQiu,asixthcenturyBCEcivilservantandphilosopherwhoprovidedthefirstcomprehensivestatementofConfucian
principles.EuropeansLatinizedhisnameto"Confucius."Accordingtotradition,Confuciuswasbornin551BCEatQufuinthestateofLu,inwhatisnow
Shandongprovince.HelivedduringaparticularlyvolatiletimeinChinesehistory,whichundoubtedlymotivatedhissearchforamoreharmoniousgovernment.
Inhisthirties,Confuciusbeganteachingothersabouthisphilosophyofgovernment,anditissaidthatatonepointhehadmorethan3,000students.His
primarygoal,however,seemstohavebeentoaffectgovernmentfromwithin,notjustasacommentatorfromoutside,soheappealedtotherulerofLutolet
himreformthegovernment.Bythattime,however,Confuciushadalienatedanumberofpowerfulpeoplewhobenefitedfromtheinefficiencyandinjusticeof
thecurrentadministration.Consequently,Confuciusandhisfollowerswereforcedtomoveontoanotherstate.
Confuciusspent13yearssearchingaroundChinaforarulerwhowouldlethimreformhisgovernment.Whilemanylordsreceivedhimgraciously,nonewas
willingtoturnoverthereinsofgovernmenttosucharadicalreformer.Attheageof67,Confuciusreturnedhometoteachandtocompilethewritingshefelt
weremostusefulinhelpingapersonleadamorallife.Hediedin479attheageof72.
Confucius'followerscontinuedhisworkafterhisdeath.TheypromotedthestudyoftheFiveClassicstextsasameansofunderstandingthemorallife.They
alsocollectedtheirteacher'ssayingsintoaworkknownastheAnalects,whichreacheditsfinalformsometimearound400BCE.TheearlyConfucianssought
tofilloutthedetailsofthebeliefsystemandtoaddressquestionsthatConfuciushadleftunanswered.
Mencius

AquestionthatconcernedmanyChinese(andpeopleofotherculturesaswell)iswhetherpeoplearebasicallygoodorevil.Confucius,perhaps
intentionally,alwaysavoidedansweringthatquestion.ThephilosopherMenciusproclaimedthatpeoplearebasicallygoodandthatwithproper
educationandopportunities,canbeexpectedtoleadmorallives.Menciusalsotaughtthatwealthandmoralitycouldcoexistharmoniouslyandthatcommon
peoplehadarighttorebelagainstanunjustruler.Mencius'teachingswerecodifiedintheDiscoursesofMencius,oneofthecanonicalFourBooksoflater
Confucianscholarship.
ThelastgreatConfucianphilosopheroftheclassicalera,Xunzi,disagreedwithMenciusabouthumannature.Hearguedthatpeoplewereinherentlyimmoral
andthatgovernmentsneedtoimposestrictlawsandpunishmentsinordertoforcepeopletoleadmorallives.Xunzi'steachingshavebeenlesspopular
amongConfucianscholarsthanthoseofMencius.Theyhavebeeninfluential,however.
AseriesofChineseimperialdynastiesusedinterpretationslikeXunzi'stojustifystrictandevenoppressivelegalsystems.Infact,theuseofConfucianismby
imperialgovernmentstojustifyoppressiveregimesisoneofthemainreasonsConfucianismfelloutoffavorwiththerevolutionarygovernmentsof20thcentury
China.Itisunfair,however,toplacetheblameforthisuseormisuseofConfucianprinciplesontheshouldersofeitherXunziorConfuciusgovernments
throughouthistoryhaveshownawillingnesstoadaptideologiesandreligionstotheirownpurposes,whetherornottheirusesareconsistentwiththe
originator'sintentions.
ConfucianismenjoyedawidefollowingamongChineseintellectualsinthecenturiesafterConfucius'lifetime,butitdidnotgainofficialacceptancebya
governmentuntilthebeginningofthesecondcenturyBCE.DuringthedynastyofthefirstemperorofChina,ShiHuangdi,Confucius'belovedbookswere
burnedenmasseamidanatmosphereofantiintellectualsuspicions.
DuringthereignoftheHandynasty(206BCE220CE),however,theHanemperorspromotedConfucianismasastabilizingforceinsociety.Theyadopted
ConfucianscholarshipoftheFiveClassicsasthebasisoftheircivilserviceexaminationsinthatway,knowledgeofConfucianprinciplesbecameessentialfor
anyonewhowantedtoadvanceinaHanadministration.ConfucianprinciplesalsoformedthebasisfortheHanlegalsystem,althoughinamuchmore
pragmaticformthanConfuciusprobablyintended.Chinesegovernmentsoverthenext2,000yearsgenerallybasedtheirlegalsystemsonthiscombinationof
ConfucianidealsandpragmaticLegalism.
ConfucianismhadasimilarlyprofoundeffectonthegovernmentsofothereastAsiancountries.AftertheHanemperorsconqueredVietnamandKorea,they
introducedbureaucraciesbasedonConfucianprinciples.Evenafterthesecountriesregainedtheirindependenceinfollowingcenturies,theyretained
Confucianprinciplesintheirlegalsystemsandcivilserviceexaminations.TheYidynastyofKoreawasprobablythemostthoroughlyConfuciangovernmentin
history.TheJapanesealsoadoptedConfucianprinciplesintheirgovernment,beginningwiththe"constitution"ofPrinceShotokuin604.
Confuciusteachesdisciples
SowhatisConfucianismabout?Attheriskofoversimplifyingaprofoundandwiderangingphilosophicalsystem,Confucius
taughtthataharmonioussocietybeginsathome.ThecentralvalueinConfucianismisfilialpietythehonor,respect,love,and
dutyowedbetweenaparentandchild.Ifapersoncanfulfillhisdutiesinthisrelationshipbycaringforhisparentsandworkinghardtomeettheirexpectation
hewillthenbeabletomeethisobligationstohisspouseandlargerfamily.Ifhehasmettheobligationsofhisfamily,hewillbeabletocoexistharmoniously
withhisemployer,hiscommunity,hisruler,andsoon.Confucianismhasagreatdealtosayaboutawiderangeofhumaninteractionsbetweenarulerand
hissubjects,ateacherandhisstudents,etc.butthebasisforallharmoniousinteractionsbeginswithfilialpiety.
AnothercentralvalueofConfucianismiseducation.Apersoncannotfullyunderstandtheconceptsofmoralityandfilialpietyunlesshehasknowledge.He
cannothaveknowledgeunlesshestudies.Inordertobeamoralperson,therefore,apersonmuststudysuchtextsastheFiveClassicssohecanunderstand
hisroleinaharmoniousworld.TheimpactofthisbeliefcanbeseenintherespectChineseculturehastraditionallyheldforteachers.Indeed,itisdifficultto
separate"traditional"ChinesevaluesfromConfucianvalues.ConfuciusandhisfollowersundoubtedlyhadanenormouslyinfluentialroleinshapingChinese

hewillthenbeabletomeethisobligationstohisspouseandlargerfamily.Ifhehasmettheobligationsofhisfamily,hewillbeabletocoexistharmoniously
withhisemployer,hiscommunity,hisruler,andsoon.Confucianismhasagreatdealtosayaboutawiderangeofhumaninteractionsbetweenarulerand
hissubjects,ateacherandhisstudents,etc.butthebasisforallharmoniousinteractionsbeginswithfilialpiety.
AnothercentralvalueofConfucianismiseducation.Apersoncannotfullyunderstandtheconceptsofmoralityandfilialpietyunlesshehasknowledge.He
cannothaveknowledgeunlesshestudies.Inordertobeamoralperson,therefore,apersonmuststudysuchtextsastheFiveClassicssohecanunderstand
hisroleinaharmoniousworld.TheimpactofthisbeliefcanbeseenintherespectChineseculturehastraditionallyheldforteachers.Indeed,itisdifficultto
separate"traditional"ChinesevaluesfromConfucianvalues.ConfuciusandhisfollowersundoubtedlyhadanenormouslyinfluentialroleinshapingChinese
viewsonethics,education,andgovernment,butitisalsotruethatConfuciusbasedhisteachingsonpreexistingChinesevalues.Itcouldbesaidthat
ConfuciusarticulatedandrefinedtraditionalChinesevaluesintoacomprehensiveethicalsystem.
StudentsofConfucianismhavetraditionallyheldupninetextstheFourBooksandtheFiveClassicsasthecentralstatementsoftheirphilosophy.These
worksheldastatusinChinesesocietythatcouldbeseenasequaltothatoftheBibleinChristiancultureortheKoraninIslamiccultures,althoughthe
Confuciantextswereneverconsideredtobedivinelyrevealed.Rather,theConfuciantextswereallcreditedtohumanauthors.
TheFiveClassicsprecededConfuciusandwerealreadyreveredinhisdayasgreatsourcesofwisdom.TheFiveClassicsare:theClassicofChanges
(commonlycalledtheIChing),theClassicofDocuments,theClassicofPoetry,theRecordofRites,andtheSpringandAutumnAnnals.Asixthtext,the
ClassicofMusic,seemstohavebeenincludedamongthisgroupatthetimeofConfucius,althoughitwaslostpriortothethirdcenturyBCE.
Accordingtotradition,Confuciuscomposedsomeofthesetextshimself,andheeditedtheFiveClassicsintotheirfinalform.Modernscholarsthinkthesetexts
werecompletedpriortothetimeofConfuciusandthattheeditingprocesswasanongoingconcernthatcontinuedintotheHandynasty.Thevaluethat
Confuciusplacedonthesetexts,however,wascrucialfortheirinclusionintheConfuciancanon.TheFiveClassicsformedthebasisfortheeducationalsystem
andtheChinesecivilserviceexaminationsduringtheHandynastyandlatereras.
TheFourBooks,whichwerecomposedduringandafterConfucius'lifetime,hadenteredtheConfuciancanonbythetimeoftheSongdynasty.TheFour
Booksinclude:theAnalects,theMencius,theGreatLearning,andtheDoctrineoftheMean.AswiththeFiveClassics,adeepknowledgeoftheFourBooks
becameanessentialpartofaclassicalChineseeducation.TheAnalects,inparticular,achievedthestatusofanalmostsacredtextduringtheHandynasty.
ManyviewitasthemostinfluentialbookinthehistoryofChina.
RyanHackney

FurtherReading
Cleary,Thomas,TheEssentialConfucius,1992Hall,DavidL.,andRogerT.Ames,ThinkingThroughConfucius,1987Leys,Simon,TheAnalectsof
Confucius,1997OldstoneMoore,Jennifer,Confucianism,2002Thompson,LaurenceG.,ChineseReligion:AnIntroduction,1996.
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ImageCredits
Confuciusteachesdisciples:HowardSochurek/Time&LifePictures/GettyImages
Mencius:InstructionalResourcesCorporation
Confucius:HultonArchive/GettyImages
MLACitation
"Confucianism."WorldHistory:AncientandMedievalEras,ABCCLIO,2016,ancienthistory.abcclio.com/Search/Display/596631.Accessed12Sept.2016.

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