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Confucius

Confucius

551 BCE479 BCE · Philosopher · Zou (Zouyi), state of Lu — near Qufu

Confucius (Kong Qiu; the Latinized name derives from the honorific Kongfuzi, "Master Kong") was a teacher and political adviser of the Spring and Autumn period in the state of Lu, in present-day Shandong, China. He taught an ethics centered on ren (humaneness), li (ritual propriety), filial devotion, and cultivation of the junzi, or exemplary person. Holding minor office in Lu, he later traveled among rival states seeking a ruler who would apply his ideas, then returned home to teach. He wrote no systematic treatise; his sayings were gathered by disciples after his death in the Lunyu (Analects). His thought became foundational to East Asian statecraft, education, and social life.

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Zou (Zouyi), state of Lu — near Qufu

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