Ancient China for Kids

Confucius & Confucianism

Confucius was born around 551 BCE in Lu province in Chou(Zhou) times. His parents were nobility, but had become poor when the empire disintegrated into feudal states.
When Confucius was about 15 years old, he became quite interested in learning. In those days, only the nobility and royals were allowed education. All the teachers were government officials. It was hard for Confucius to find a way to learn. He couldn't go to the public library or go to public school. These things did not yet exist in ancient China. To solve this, he went to work for a nobleman. This gave him the opportunity to learn and to travel to the imperial capital.

Confucius studied and learned until he probably was the most learned man of his day. People heard of his knowledge and sent their sons to study with him. He was the first private teacher in China. Confucius taught anyone who was eager to learn. His ideas, called Confucianism, stress the need to develop responsibility and moral character through rigid rules of behavior.

Confucianism is not, properly speaking, a religion; it's a way of behaving, so you'll do the right things.

Excerpt from The Analects of Confucius, c.400 BCE

Do not do unto others,
what you would not want others to do to you

If you make a mistake and do not correct it,
this is called a mistake

Confucianism, in T'ang times, was a social code of behavior, a very set and rigid code of behavior, that honored ancestors and ancient rituals.
Everything had to be done a certain way. One of his rules, for example, was that gentlemen could only display their skill as archers on three hunts a year, in the spring, autumn, and winter.

There's a saying about Confucius: "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit." You might think to yourself: "Wow. What a fussy." But think about it. In English, if you write a sentence, the first word must start with a capital letter and the last word must end with a period, an exclamation point, or a question mark. Otherwise, it's not a sentence. "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit."

Today, the Chinese celebrate Confucius Birthday (Teacher's Day), in honor of their ancestor, the teacher, Confucius.