Confucianism
The teaching Confucius. Portrait by Wu Daozi, 685-758 CE, Tang Dynasty. Public domain.
Introduction
For someone who left no writings behind, Confucius sure is quoted a lot. Confucius is credited with hundreds of wise sayings and philosophical ideas. Historians do not know which ideas are really his. After Confucius’ death, his followers put his teachings into work called The Analects, which means “Selected Sayings.”
According to The Analects, Confucius did not believe he was creating new ideas. He claimed he was only a “transmitter” who was repeating ancient Chinese wisdom. History is a big part of Confucian beliefs. For Confucius, the key to an ideal society was in the past.
Confucius (551-479 BCE) was an educated man born to a wealthy family. He lived during a time of frequent wars. He hoped to calm these problems through his morals. His teachings would make a huge impact on Chinese culture and government.
The Confucian solution
Confucius believed that there were certain virtues that could restore order. He encouraged people to be loyal, trustworthy, and respectful of their elders. He created rules and rituals for practicing these virtues. He taught that people had to constantly reflect upon their behavior. His followers believed they could become “superior” people by living respectful lives.
Initially, Confucian ideas appealed mostly to everyday folks. Over time, his philosophy became popular among politicians. It became the official belief system of the Chinese state. Confucian ideas influenced Chinese government for centuries.
Confucianism did not call for the government to have harsh laws or punishments. It was more about making people want to be good1.
A Confucian ritual ceremony in Autumn in Jeju, South Korea. After the ritual ceremony, they burn ancestral tablets made of paper. By joonghijung, CC BY 2.0.
Confucianism and social order
The Confucian social order was centered on relationships. There were “five key relationships.” Four of these relationships were unequal. Fathers were above sons, husbands above wives, older siblings above younger ones, and rulers above their subjects. The last relationship, friend to friend, was equal.
These relationships were meant to work in harmony.2 The side with more power had to behave morally, with concern for the other side. This would then help the inferior person in the relationship obey and respect the superior.
The family was at the center of the Confucian social order. The family was an example for the government. One of the most important virtues was filial piety. This means great respect and honor for elder family members. Similarly, it was important to show great admiration for ancestors. The Analects expresses these ideals. It says that a young man should be “respectful of elders when outside, should be careful and trustworthy, broadly caring of people at large.”
Confucian ideas were very hierarchical. This meant that certain people or groups were placed about others. In the Confucian family structure, men came first ahead of women. A woman’s role was to take care of the family and the home. Women were seen as passive, soft, and inferior compared to men.
Fourteenth of The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, a sculpture depicting a figure from a classic text of Confucian filial piety written by Guo Jujing during the Yuan dynasty (1260–1368 CE). By Dingar, public domain.
Confucian ideas placed an emphasis on compassion between the hierarchies. The most superior person in society was the emperor. Under Confucianism, he had to provide for his subjects and make sure that there was justice. Similarly, men had to care for their wives and children and treat them with kindness.
People could still move up in society. Common people could improve themselves and gain important positions through education and proper behavior.
Confucianism was therefore a very political belief system. It was focused on maintaining order in relationships at many levels. It focused less on spiritual or divine issues. Confucius claimed that because humans have yet to understand this life, they can’t really know what is beyond it. Little thought was given to concepts like heaven, hell, and reincarnation. Instead, Confucius and his followers focused on practical matters. Their goal was to maintain harmony in family, government, and the community.
1 Legalism is a Chinese philosophy that also sought to maintain order in society. Legalists taught that in order to achieve stability people must obey a set of strict laws that were enforced by rulers and government officials they also had to obey. The last article in this jigsaw discusses this philosophy in more depth.
2 Confucianism stressed the importance of complementary relationships. Complementary meaning harmonious or each side contributes to the overall balance of the whole. This idea of balance can also be seen in the concept of the yin and yang, where two, sometimes opposing, forces can come together in harmony.
Sources
Bulliet, Richard W. The Earth and Its Peoples : A Global History. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011.
Strayer, Robert W. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources; Volume 2: Since the Fifteenth Century. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019.
Tignor, Robert L. Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: [A History of the World]. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2011.
Eman M. Elshaikh
The author of this article is Eman M. Elshaikh. She is a writer, researcher, and teacher who has taught K-12 and undergraduates in the United States and in the Middle East. She teaches writing at the University of Chicago, where she also completed her master’s in social sciences and is currently pursuing her PhD. She was previously a World History Fellow at Khan Academy, where she worked closely with the College Board to develop curriculum for AP World History.
Image credits
This work is licensed under CC BY 4.0 except for the following:
Cover: Silk painting (probably Sung Dynasty) showing Chinese philosopher & teacher Confucius lecturing students in the Classics of Filial Piety around 500 BC. © Photo by Howard Sochurek/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images.
The teaching Confucius. Portrait by Wu Daozi, 685-758 CE, Tang Dynasty. Public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius#/media/File:Confucius_Tang_Dynasty.jpg
A Confucian ritual ceremony in Autumn in Jeju, South Korea. After the ritual ceremony, they burn ancestral tablets made of paper. By joonghijung, CC BY 2.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism#/media/File:Korean_Confucianism-Chugyedaeje-02.jpg
Fourteenth of The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, a sculpture depicting a figure from a classic text of Confucian filial piety written by Guo Jujing during the Yuan dynasty (1260–1368 CE). By Dingar, public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism#/media/File:%E5%B0%9D%E7%B2%AA%E5%BF%83%E5%BF%A7.JPG
Articles leveled by Newsela have been adjusted along several dimensions of text complexity including sentence structure, vocabulary and organization. The number followed by L indicates the Lexile measure of the article. For more information on Lexile measures and how they correspond to grade levels: www.lexile.com/educators/understanding-lexile-measures/
To learn more about Newsela, visit www.newsela.com/about.
The Lexile® Framework for Reading evaluates reading ability and text complexity on the same developmental scale. Unlike other measurement systems, the Lexile Framework determines reading ability based on actual assessments, rather than generalized age or grade levels. Recognized as the standard for matching readers with texts, tens of millions of students worldwide receive a Lexile measure that helps them find targeted readings from the more than 100 million articles, books and websites that have been measured. Lexile measures connect learners of all ages with resources at the right level of challenge and monitors their progress toward state and national proficiency standards. More information about the Lexile® Framework can be found at www.Lexile.com.