5.2 Confucius and
His Teachings
Mrs. Wheeler
Bellringer
• Copy the objective: I will be able to explain the life, teachings
and ideas of Confucius
• How did the Huang River affect ancient Chinese civilization?
• What was the first known civilization in China?
• Describe the importance of family in early China.
5.2 Confucius and His
Teachings
• Read & take Cornell Notes on the following cues:
• The Life of Confucius
• The Teachings of Confucius
• The Influence of Confucius
Review Questions
• How did Confucius become a teacher?
• Confucius would teach only those students who wanted to learn.
How does his rule apply to your experience as a student?
• What were the basic teachings of Confucius?
• Why did Confucius think it was important to teach rulers how to
behave?
• How did the ideas of Confucius change the way civil servants were
chosen in ancient China?
• Confucius hoped to become a government worker, but he became a
teacher instead. Do you think his influence on Chinese society
would have been different if he had gotten his wish? Explain your
answer.
• Suppose that you are a government official in a small state in
northern China. One day, a wandering teacher named Confucius
arrives. Write a journal entry that describes what Confucius says
and how your ruler reacts to him.
Quiz
• Which statement best describes Confucius’s education?
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A. He had no formal education
B. He was taught by a great philosopher
C. He was self-taught
D. He went to an ancient University
• According to Confucius, what brings order to society?
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A. wealth and power
B. fighting and ruling
C. physical fitness and intelligence
D. people behaving properly
• The idea that life should be lived in harmony with nature is
supported
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A. by Confucianism
B. by Buddhism
C. by Taoism
D. by Hinduism
Quiz
• Before Confucius’s teachings, who could hold government
offices?
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A. anyone who was qualified
B. anyone who could read
C. the oldest male of every family
D. mostly the sons of important people
• In what way did the examination system exclude some men?
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A. It excluded those who had not been taught by Confucius
B. It excluded men under the age of 50
C. It excluded those who could not read or write
D. It excluded the followers of Taoism
Life of Confucius
• Kong Fu Zi – Master Kong
• Confucius in Western name
• born to poor family; self-taught
• believed that everyone had right to education
• some believe he was China’s 1st professional teacher
Teachings of Confucius
• did not claim to be original teacher
• his role was to pass on forgotten teachings
• focused on persuading rulers to change
• in order to bring peace, stability & prosperity
• never wrote teachings down
• after his death his students did
• taught that ppl should know their place in society, respect
elders, treat everyone justly, authority figures must set a good
example
The Influence of Confucius
• teachings had major impact on government
• civil service exams – based on Confucius teachings
• prevented family members of rulers from getting jobs they
weren’t qualified for
• did improve quality of workers in government, didn’t open jobs to
everyone