The most influential figure in the history of philosophical thought is known by the Chinese as K’ung fu-tzu or Master of K’ung. His name was latinized by Beijin Jesuits and became Confucius, funder of Confucianism K’ung Chung-ni or K’ung Chiu who was born, according to tradition, in Kuo Li (near Tsou) in the state of Lu, on the 21st of the 10th month of the 551 b.C and who would have lived until the year 419.

Among his ancestors was a Nobleman from the state of Song, descendant from the Imperial Court of Yin. Confucius’ father’s death, when he was only a child, lead family to decadence.

At beginning, Confucius started as an entry-level employee in public administration, working as a granary and cattle inspector under the charge of the Noble family of Ki. However, he showed great interest for studies since he was young, fact which lead him to teach classes. He had over three thousand disciples, many of which came from native families, as he broke the tradition which stated that only children from rich families had the right to attend school.

He studied in traditional schools, where mainly the sons of nobility learned to write and calculate, archery, carriage driving, music and ceremonial, developing an education activity which he maintained in the different cycles of his life until he funded his own school.

He maintained a great interest for music throughout his life, assiduously culturing the Schao style. He also enjoyed popular music, which he collected in the song book Schi King It is said that he used music to get away from the enclose of Kuang people along with his disciple Tsi Lu, who joined him in many of his trips.

The head of the Noble family of Mong, Hi Tsi, saw himself close to death, so he entrusted his son Mong Hi Tsi’s and his nephew’s education to Confucius. He made them a proposition to travel to the city of Lu, capital of the Duke of Tsou’s State to hold an interview with Lao Tan, or Lao Tsé, librarian of the court   at the time and whom Confucius venerated as a master. The meeting between these two masters constitutes one of the peak scenes of the Chinese philosophical tradition. Confucius's enigmatic comment has been the object of all kinds of interpretations: ‘The bird flies, the ram runs along the ground, but no one knows where is the abode of the dragon. I have seen Lao Tzu, he is like the dragon’.

His role as adviser to the weak and indecisive Duke Ting enabled him to get to know the peculiarities of government at first hand and at the same time increased his prestige as a statesman. As a result, he obtained a public position in the State of Lu, as the governor of the province of Shung Tu, and later as Minister of Public Works. In the following year he became Minister of Justice, a position similar to that of a vizier Such was the efficiency of his methods that within three months he had reorganised the administration. He was fifty years old and by then some of his disciples also held positions of responsibility.

His star began to decline, however, due to the stratagems of the neighbouring state of Tsi, which conspired to cause a rift between the prince and his minister. As a result, he was obliged to leave the State of Lu He went first to the State of Wei, then on to Pu, where he had to promise not to return to Wei, a promise which he did not fulfil on the grounds that it had been made “under duress”. This gives us an idea of the extent to which he was persecuted. Later on, King Tschao of Tschu wanted to grant him a territory, but his dignitaries prevented it, since they knew the efficiency of the disciples of Kung Tsé. The young prince Tsé Tscho of We also asked him to be his adviser. It was his last opportunity to gain access to political life. All these setbacks, which showed him the dark side of politics, finally caused him to retire from public life and devote the last phase of his life to his school and to compiling documents from antiquity. He died at the age of seventy-three

Among his disciples were: Yan Hui, his favourite, who died before the Master, even though he had told him: “while you are alive, master, I would not dare to die”; Jang Keng, one of the first; Tsung Yu, a warrior who loved his sword; Tsi Tiao Kai, who rejected an official post in order to continue studying; Yu Jo, who became the leader of the school on the Master's death; and almost two centuries later, Meng-Tsé (Mencius), to whom we owe the compilation of the Master's teachings in "The Five Classics". He had a second generation of disciples, who were the most brilliant of them all and accompanied him on his travels. Although he lived in a feudal society, the sage made no distinctions about the background of his pupils and admitted both rich and poor alike, as long as they had the desire to learn.

In his old age, Confucius edited antique books such as The Classic of poetry, the Book of History or Changes in the Zhou Dynasty and preserved several documments.

Source: UST Confucius Institute