Confucianism,also known as Ruism or Ru classicism,is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China,and is variously described as a tradition,philosophy,religion,theory of government,or way of life. Confucianism developed from what was later called the Hundred Schools of Thought from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (551–479 BCE). Confucius considered himself a transmitter of cultural values inherited from the Xia (c. 2070–1600 BCE),Shang (c. 1600–1046 BCE) and Western Zhou dynasties (c. 1046–771 BCE). Confucianism was suppressed during the Legalist and autocratic Qin dynasty (221–206 BCE),but survived. During the Han dynasty,Confucian approaches edged out the "proto-Taoist" Huang–Lao as the official ideology,while the emperors mixed both with the realist techniques of Legalism.
Kong Fuzi,more usually Kongzi,commonly Latinized as Confucius,was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Confucius's teachings and philosophy underpin East Asian culture and society,and remain influential across China and East Asia to this day. His philosophical teachings,called Confucianism,emphasized personal and governmental morality,correctness of social relationships,justice,kindness,and sincerity,as well as an emphasis on a ruler's duty to their subjects.
Chinese classic texts or canonical texts or simply dianji (典籍) refers to the Chinese texts which originated before the imperial unification by the Qin dynasty in 221 BC,particularly the "Four Books and Five Classics" of the Neo-Confucian tradition,themselves a customary abridgment of the "Thirteen Classics". All of these pre-Qin texts were written in either Old or Classical Chinese. All three canons are collectively known as the Classics.
Mencius;born Meng Ke;or Mengzi was a Chinese Confucian philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage" (亞聖),that is,second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confucius' fourth generation of disciples. Mencius inherited Confucius' ideology and developed it further. Living during the Warring States period,he is said to have spent much of his life travelling around the states offering counsel to different rulers. Conversations with these rulers form the basis of the Mencius,which would later be canonised as a Confucian classic.
Zhu Xi,formerly romanized Chu Hsi,was a Chinese calligrapher,historian,philosopher,poet,and politician during the Song dynasty. Zhu was influential in the development of Neo-Confucianism. He contributed greatly to Chinese philosophy and fundamentally reshaped the Chinese worldview. His works include his editing of and commentaries to the Four Books,his writings on the process of the "investigation of things",and his development of meditation as a method for self-cultivation.
The Analects,also known as the Sayings of Confucius,is an ancient Chinese philosophical text composed of sayings and ideas attributed to Confucius and his contemporaries,traditionally believed to have been compiled by his followers. There is consensus among scholars that large parts of it were written during the Warring States period,and that it achieved its final form during the mid-Han dynasty. By the early Han dynasty the Analects was considered merely a "commentary" on the Five Classics,but the status of the Analects grew to be one of the central texts of Confucianism by the end of that dynasty.
Neo-Confucianism is a moral,ethical,and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism,which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) in the Tang dynasty,and became prominent during the Song and Ming dynasties under the formulations of Zhu Xi (1130–1200). After the Mongol conquest of China in the thirteenth century,Chinese scholars and officials restored and preserved neo-Confucianism as a way to safeguard the cultural heritage of China.
The Doctrine of the Mean or Zhongyong is one of the Four Books of classical Chinese philosophy and a central doctrine of Confucianism. The text is attributed to Zisi,the only grandson of Confucius. It was originally a chapter in the Classic of Rites.
Yamazaki Ansai was a Japanese philosopher and scholar. He began his career as a Buddhist monk,but eventually came to follow the teachings of Neo-Confucian Zhu Xi. He combined Neo-Confucian ideas with Shinto to create Suika Shinto.
Zeng Shen,better known as Zengzi,courtesy name Ziyu,was a Chinese philosopher and disciple of Confucius. He later taught Zisi,the grandson of Confucius,who was in turn the teacher of Mencius,thus beginning a line of transmitters of orthodox Confucian traditions. He is revered as one of the Four Sages of Confucianism.
The Four Books and the Five Classics are authoritative and important books associated with Confucianism,written before 300 BC. They are traditionally believed to have been either written,edited or commented by Confucius or one of his disciples. Starting in the Han dynasty,they became the core of the Chinese classics on which students were tested in the Imperial examination system.
The Classic of Filial Piety,also known by its Chinese name as the Xiaojing,is a Confucian classic treatise giving advice on filial piety:that is,how to behave towards a senior such as a father,an elder brother,or a ruler.
ItōJinsai,who also went by the pen name Keisai,was a Japanese Confucian philosopher. He is considered to be one of the most influential Confucian scholars of seventeenth century Japan,and the Tokugawa period (1600–1868) generally,his teachings flourishing especially in Kyoto and the Kansai area through the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Jing zuo refers to the Neo-Confucian meditation practice advocated by Zhu Xi and Wang Yang-ming. Jing zuo can also be described as a form of spiritual self-cultivation that helps a person achieve a more fulfilling life.
The Four Sages,Assessors,or Correlates,are four eminent Chinese philosophers in the Confucian tradition. They are traditionally accorded a kind of sainthood and their spirit tablets are prominently placed in Confucian temples,two upon the east and two upon the west side of the Hall of the Great Completion.
Bu Shang,commonly known by his courtesy name Zixia or as Buzi,was an ancient Chinese philosopher and a prominent disciple of Confucius who was considered one of the most accomplished in cultural learning. He was one of the five disciples who took chief responsibility for the transmission of Confucius' teachings. He played a significant role in the transmission of such classics as the Book of Poetry and the I Ching. He established his own school,and taught Marquess Wen of Wei,ruler of Wei,the most powerful state of the early Warring States period.
Zeng Dian,courtesy name Zixi,also known as Zeng Xi,was one of the earliest disciples of Confucius. He is known for a passage in the Analects in which he expressed his ambition as no more than being content with daily life. He was the father of Zeng Shen,or Master Zeng,one of the most prominent disciples of Confucius.
XuéÉr (學而) is the first book of the Analects of Confucius. According to Zhu Xi,a Confucian philosopher in the 12th century,the book Xue Er is the base of moral improvement because it touches upon the basic principles of being a "gentleman".
Self-cultivation or personal cultivation is the development of one's mind or capacities through one's own efforts. Self-cultivation is the cultivation,integration,and coordination of mind and body. Although self-cultivation may be practiced as a form of psychotherapy,it goes beyond healing and self-help to also encompass self-development and self-improvement. It is associated with attempts to go beyond normal states of being,enhancing and polishing one's capacities and developing innate human potential.
Religion in the Song dynasty (960–1279) was primarily composed of three institutional religions:Confucianism,Taoism,and Buddhism,in addition to Chinese folk religion. The Song period saw the rise of Zhengyi Taoism as a state sponsored religion and a Confucian response to Taoism and Buddhism in the form of Neo-Confucianism. While Neo-Confucianism was initially treated as a heterodox teaching and proscribed,it later became the mainstream elite philosophy and the state orthodoxy in 1241.
