Confucianism and the Chinese View of Life Essay - 3835 Words

The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.† – Confucius -- Confucianism created the Chinese view of life. The Confucian view is based on the ancient Chinese tradition. It can be stated that the view of Confucius and that of the Chinese began in the same place ( Bush, 15). In subsequent centuries Confucius’ teachings exerted a powerful influence on the Chinese nation. Therefore, the history that surrounds both Confucius as well as Confucianism is relevant to how many eastern†¦show more content†¦During the four years immediately after his marriage, poverty forced him to perform unskilled labors for the chief of the district in which he lived (Mungello 78). Then in 527 B.C., Confucius’ mother died. After a period of mourning he began his career as a teacher. He usually traveled and instructed the small body of disciples that gathered around him. His reputation as a man of learning and character and his reverence for Chinese ideals and customs soon spread through the principality of Lu ( Bush, 23). Confucius was a master teacher, who was concerned with thought and action that could be potentially bring order and harmony. Confucius was said to have attracted three thousand students, of who seventy-two of which were his closest disciples. Together they mastered the six rituals including music, archery, charioteering, literature, and mathematics (DeVous and Slote, 9). Living as he did in the second half of the Chou dynasty, Confucius deplored the contemporary disorder and lack of moral standards. He came to believe that the only remedy was to convert people once more to the principles and precepts of the sages of ancient times ( Bush, 18). Therefore, he lectured to his students on the ancient classics. He taught the great value of power of example. Confucius said that rulers could only be great if they themselves lead perfect lives. If they willing to be guided by moral principles, their states would inevitablyShow MoreRelatedConfucianism : A Great Chinese Thinker And Philosopher Who Lived During The Warring States1206 Words   |  5 PagesRainey 18 June 2015 Ancient China Confucianism Who was Confucius? Confucius was a great Chinese thinker and philosopher who lived during the Warring States Period from 551-479 BCE. He was born in 551 BC, in Zou, Lu state in a family that was in between common people and aristocrats. He never held a high-class job, only working as a shepherd, cowherd, clerk, and a book-keeper. His mother died when he was 23 and he then mourned for three years, an Ancient Chinese tradition. 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