Kong Qiu was born on September 28, 551 BC in Zouyi in the State of Lu, near Qufu city of Shandong Province. [1] He was also known by his courtesy name—a formal name one would use after reaching adulthood—Zhòngni. His ancestors were descendants of the Shang aristocracy, granted the State of Song. Fleeing political upheaval, the later generations emigrated to Lu.
His father Kong He [hə] was a consultant of the Lu court, leader in the military, who passed away when Qiu was three years old. From fragmented historical sources, we learned that his mother Yan Zhengzai married seventy-year-old Kong He when she was sixteen. Her father, an intellectual, provided his three daughters with solid education. After the death of her husband, Zhengzai raised Qiu and He’s elder son from a previous marriage by herself. Despite financial hardship, she was able to homeschool her son, who later recounted, “I was poor in my youth. Therefore, I was capable of many humble tasks.”[2]
For Kong Qiu, life was a continuous learning experience. He once said, “I aspired to learning at the age of fifteen; began to establish myself at the age of thirty; no longer felt perplexed at the age of forty; appreciated my destiny at the age of fifty; was able to validate the integrity of people’s words upon hearing them at the age of sixty; was able to follow my inclination without breaking ethical boundary at the age of seventy.” Furthering his all-encompassing knowledge, he sought guidance in ethics from Laozi, the founder of Taoism; learned to play the qin from Xiangzi; studied music aesthetics with Chang Hong.[3]
The Zhou Dynasty was an initiative period for various school of philosophies. Kong Qiu’s principle–Ruism, centered in humanity, was influenced by teachings in ancient texts as well as by other philosophers. Believing in the potential of individuals, he encouraged analytical learning. He said: “Once I explained one corner of an object, if a student could not apply it to the other three corners, I would not repeat my teaching.” He warned that: “Learning without thinking is a waste, thinking without knowing is dangerous.” He advocated the implementation of knowledge: “Isn’t it a joy to learn something and practice what we have learned?” He emphasized that one must first secure a core value, rooted in filial piety and fraternal love, as a guidance in life. Harmonious familial relation, and hierarchy, in turn, are essential for maintaining societal order. [4] His words were compiled by his disciples in Analects.[5]
Kong Qiu acknowledged that he was not an author. Instead, his calling, because of his love for the ancient culture, was to authenticate and transmit the information. He was accredited for the editorial work of the “Five Classics”: Classic of Poetry—the earliest anthology of Chinese poetry, Book of Documents—compilations of documents from earlier periods, Classic of Rites—descriptions and discussions of ceremonies and decorum, Classic of Changes—also called Yijing, an ancient divination text, and Spring and Autumn Annals—chronicle of the State of Lu. These books, along with the “Four Books”— Great Learning, Doctrine of the Mean, Analects, Mencius, make up the core literature of Ruism. [6] They became the foundation of over two thousand years of Chinese culture.
Kong Qiu was doubtlessly a charismatic figure. He was said to have three thousand followers and seventy-two disciples. Ten of them were instrumental in furthering his philosophy. In a pre-social-media age, these were very impressive numbers. During his lifetime, he traveled to various states to raise awareness of his principle with various degrees of success. With the efforts of his disciples, his teaching gradually gained ground throughout the later periods.
According to Records of the Grand Historian,two and half centuries after the death of Kong Qiu, fearing of the influence of his teaching, Qin Shi Huang ordered burning of classic books and burying of scholars.[7] The Qin Dynasty lasted only for fifteen years. Many believed that the oppressive ruling style was one of the main causes for its demise.
From the second half of the nineteenth century to the end of the cultural revolution, Ruism faced its strongest challenges: First from the elites, wishing to replace it with Western culture; and later, by the Chinese Communism, wanting to uproot the “tradition.” Yet, the strength of humanism withstands.
Du Fu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote: “If heaven didn’t grant the birth of Zhòngni, there would have been eternal darkness of night.”[8] Because of the significance of his impact on Chinese culture, Kong Qiu was respected as “Master Kong”—Kǒngfūzǐ. It was Latinized by Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century and became Confucius. With this honorific, he was known to most of the world today.
[1] Kong Qiu was born on the twenty-seventh day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. It falls on September 28 of the Western calendar. It is “Teacher’s Day” in Taiwan. Ceremonies of court dance and music of the Zhou Dynasty are held at Confucius Temples. Confucian_Ritual_Dance_&_Music_YouTube
Qufu_Wiki
[2] 《論語．子罕》：「吾少也賤 故多能鄙事。」
[3] 《論語．為政篇》：「吾十有五而志於學, 三十而立, 四十而不惑, 五十而知天命, 六十而耳順, 七十而從心所欲, 不踰矩.」; 《史記 · 老子韓非列傳》：「孔子適周, 將問禮於老子. . . 」; 《孔子家語》：「問禮於老聃, 學鼓琴於師襄子, 訪樂於萇弘. 」
[4] 《論語．述而》：「舉一隅，不以三隅反，則不復也。」; 《論語．為政篇》：「學而不思則罔，思而不學則殆。」; 《論語．學而》：「學而時習之、不亦說乎。」; 《論語．學而》：「君子務本，本立而道生；孝弟也者，其為仁之本與。」
[5] Analects_Wiki
[6] 《論語．述而》：「述而不作，信而好古，竊比於我老、彭。」; 《孟子》「年六十八，刪詩書，定禮樂，贊周易，作春秋。」
Four_Books_and_Five_Classics_Wiki
[7] Burning_of_books_and_burying_of_scholars_Wiki
[8] 杜甫：「天不生仲尼，萬古如長夜。」