Confucius' life and thought
Confucius(551—479 BC)was a great thinker and teacher in the Spring and Autumn Period of China. He was born in Qufu, capital of the state of Lu (part of Shandong). He acted as an official (官员）there. But he was perhaps a better thinker than he was an official and he ended up having to leave the state of Lu. He spent 13 years travelling around the other states, spreading his ideas. And he tried to teach people that peace was very important for a healthy society. However, it was not until the rule of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty (156-87 BC)that his ideas were finally put into practice. In his last few years, he returned to Qufu where he spent the rest of his life teaching. His teachings were recorded by his followers in a book calledLunyu.
Confucius' teachings formed the base of Chinese thought. Confucius thought everyone should develop virtues (美德) and always do the right thing. Confucius' thought is considered to have been the necessity of Eastern thought.
To help people understand how to behave towards others, he taught five virtues accepted by all Chinese. They areren(kindness, charity),yi(fairness),li(ceremony, tradition),zhi(knowledge), andxin(trust). Another virtue isxiao. Xiao is the duties a person has to their parents. It means loving, respecting, obeying (服从), and taking care of one's parents in their old age. Xiao forms the base of a peaceful society. And he is the final goal according to his thought. It means social peace.
Here's one of Confucius' famous sayings, "Do not do to others as you do not wish to be done to you." Another saying of his is" In the company of two others, I can always find one worthy of being my teacher. "
It is clear that Confucius' thought will continue to be a necessary part of Chinese culture. And it will continue to do something good to the development of China and even the whole world.
| ⑴ * working as an official * travelling around to spread his ideas * teaching in Qufu | Achievements * the book called Lunyu * the base of Chinese thought * a necessary part of ⑵ and ⑵ . * a help for the development of China and the world | Main thought * ⑶ * doing the right thing * building a peaceful society (he) |
| Virtues *ren: kindness, charity * yi: fairness *li: ceremony, tradition *zhi: knowledge * xin: trust *xiao: to love, respect, obey and take care of parents …………………………………………….. ⑷ is one of the virtues and people who believe in it will love everyone in the world. | Famous sayings A. Do not do to others as you do not wish to be done to you. B. In the company of two others, I can always find one worthy of being my teacher. …………………………………………. Saying A teaches us how to ⑸ while Saying B is to tell people we can always ⑸ . |
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