CONFUCIUS
His life, sayings, and connection to the I Ching
THE STORY OF CONFUCIUS
Born 551 BC died 479 BC
 Named Qiu K’ung but was called K’ung-fu-tzu
(master K’ung) by disciples
 Father was a warlord – mother was a young
concubine.
 Father died a few years after Confucius’ birth
and mother was poor.
 Married at age 19 and had a boy and girl.
 Mother died when he was 23 – mourned for 3 yrs
 By age 30 he worked in the government of Lu as
a teacher, then granary manager, governer, chief
of justice.
 Left Lu to wander China in his 50’s and teach.

•Circle one quote of Confucius’
from the front of your sheet and
one from the back.
•Write the meaning and why
you like them in your notes.
•Star five sayings that can apply
to the choice book you are
reading (positive or negative
application of the sayings).
•In your notes, write your
opinion of whether the people of
China were pro or anti
Confucius during the Cultural
Revolution (or the era of your
book.)
CONFUCIUS’ SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY
Ren: compassion for others, charity, being
humane – the golden rule
 Respectfulness, magnanimity, truthfulness,
acuity, generosity, self-improvement
 The virtue of justice (duty, principle)
 Filial piety – the above traits reflected in
relationships and basis of social structure

Parent to child – parent provides protection,
necessities, guidance, education, moral up-bringing
while the child shows honor, respect, love, duty.
 Same relationship between older and younger sibling,
older and younger friend, husband and wife, teacher
and student, employer and employee, government
and people.

QUOTES ON SOCIETY FROM CONFUCIUS’
ANALECTS
 “When
things are investigated, knowledge
is extended; when knowledge is extended,
thoughts are made sincere; when thoughts
are made sincere, the heart and mind are
rectified; when the heart and mind are
rectified, one’s person is cultivated; when
one’s person is cultivated, the family is set
in order; when the family is set in order,
the state is governed; when the state is
governed, there is peace in all the world.”
CONFUCIUS’ POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
A
good ruler will learn self-discipline
 Will govern by example
 Will show Ren (compassion) to the
people
 Confucius also said that people who are
educated will participate in their
government, so he encouraged the
government to provide education.
 He encouraged rulers to emphasize ritual
and deference in their people – thus
making their ruling easier.
QUOTES FROM THE ANALECTS FOR RULERS
“If the people be led by laws, and uniformity among
them be sought by punishments, they will try to
escape punishment and have no sense of shame. If
they are led by virtue, and uniformity sought among
them through the practice of ritual propriety, they
will possess a sense of shame and come to you of their
own accord.”
 “If your desire is for good, the people will be good. The
moral character of the ruler is the wind; the moral
character of those beneath him is the grass. When the
wind blows, the grass bends.”
 " If you governed your province well and treat your
people kindly, you kingdom shall not lose any war. If
you govern selfishly to your people, you kingdom will
not only lose a war, but your people will break away
from your kingdom."

CONFUCIUS’ EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY
“Where there is education, there are no [social]
classes.”
 “Enliven the ancient and also know what is new;
then you can be a teacher.”
 “Even if you have fine abilities, if you are
arrogant and stingy, the rest is not worth
considering.”
 "Anyone learning without thought is lost; anyone
thinking but not learning is in peril."
 Taught like Socrates (vice versa) – people have to
think for themselves.

REFLECTION ON CONFUCIUS
 After
learning a bit more
about Confucius’
philosophies and thoughts, in
your notes, write your
opinion of whether the people
of China were pro or anti
Confucius during the
Cultural Revolution, and give
an explanation why you
think they would be pro or
anti Confucius based on what
you learned today.
 Share!
THE I CHING

Yi Jing (I Ching) – the
classic of changes
Credited to mythical
Emperor Fu Hsi (Fu Xi)
3,000 BC as a set of
principles for civilized
behavior/improvement
based on the concept of
Yin and Yang (balance
of opposites and change)
I CHING’S BASIC CONCEPTS
 Nothing
is certain. Expect the unexpected.
Progress goes hand in hand with caution.
 One's behavior should be appropriate to time
and place. Being flexible enables one to adapt
quickly.
 Things change, even if one just sits and waits.
THE OTHER ANCIENT CLASSICS
Shu Jing – the classic of documents
 Shi Jing – the classic of poetry
 Li Ji – the record of rites
 Chunqiu – Spring and Autumn Annals
 Each classic captures components of
wisdom, promotes harmony and order,
and the means to self-cultivation and
becoming fully human.

THE INFLUENCE OF THE I CHING ON CONFUCIUS
“I am not one who was born with knowledge; I
am one who loves antiquity and diligently seeks
knowledge there.”
 "In the tradition of the Book of Changes, it is a
mistake to think that it is something for
divination. Its essence is non-divination. This can
be seen by the fact that the Chinese character 'I'
is read as 'change.' Although one divines good
fortune, if he does evil it will become bad fortune.
And although he divines bad fortune, if he does
good it will become good fortune.”

I CHING
If
you could ask the oracle one
question, what would it be?

Try to avoid flat out “yes” or “no”
questions… it turns out better if you
ask “What can I expect if I asked
________ out today.” Instead of “Should
I ask _________ out today?”