ANALECTS OF

CONFUCIUS
WHO IS CONFUCIUS?
Confucius (551-479 B.C.) was a Chinese philosopher

and politician of the Spring and Autumn period.

Born on 551 BC at Zou, Lu, Zhou Kingdom (present-

day Nanxinzhen, Qufu, Shandong, China).

Died on 479 BC (aged 71-72) at Lu, Zhou Kingdom.
Confucios
 The philosophy of Confucius, also known as Confucianism, emphasized
personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice
and sincerity. His followers competed successfully with many other schools
during the Hundred Schools of Thought era only to be suppressed in favor of
the Legalists during the Qin Dynasty. Following the victory of Han over Chu
after the collapse of Qin, Confucius’s thoughts received official sanction and
were further developed into a system known in the West as Neo-
Confucianism, and later New Confucianism (Modern Neo-Confucianism).
THE GOLDEN RULE
“ Don not do unto others
what you do not want
done to yourself”
Confucius is also a
traditional deity in
Daoism.
 The name “Confucius” is a Latinized form of the Modern Chinese
“Kŏng Fūzĭ” meaning “Master Kong”, and was coined in the late 16th
century by the early Jesuit Missionaries to China. Confucius’s clan
name was “Kong” (Old Chinese), and his given name was “Qiū”. His
“capping name”, given upon reaching adulthood and by which he would
have been known to all his older family members, was “Zhòngnì”, the
“Zhòng” indicating that he was the second son in his family.
EARLY LIFE
 It was thought that Confucius was born on September 28, 551
BC, in the district of Zou near present-day Qufu, China. The area
was nationally controlled by kings of Zhou but effectively
independent under the local lords of Lu. His father Kong He (or
Shuliang He) was an elderly commandant of the local Lu garrison.
 Kong He died when Confucius was three years old, and
Confucius raised by his mother Yan Zhengzai in poverty. His
mother would later die at less than 40 years of age.

At age 19 he married Qiguan, and a year later the couple had

their first child, Kong Li. Qiguan and Confucius would later have
two daughters together, one of whom is thought to have died as a
child
 Confucius was educated at schools for commoners, where he
studied and learned the Six Arts. Confucius was born into the class
of Shi, between the aristocracy and the common people. He is said to
have worked in various government jobs during his early 20’s, and as
a bookkeeper and a caretaker of sheep and horses, using the
proceeds to give his mother a proper burial.
 When his mother died, Confucius (aged
23) is said to have mourned for three
years, as was the tradition.
CREATION OF
THE TEXT
 The analects was written and complied within a century after Confucius’

death (d. 473) by Confucius first and second generation pupils.

 During Warring state period (476 BC- 221 BC)the text was completed.

 Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) the book was widely known and

transmitted throughout China in a mostly complete form.

 Some scholars have proposed dates as late as 140 BC for the text’s

compilation.
 Liu Xiang (Han Dynasty Scholar) two versions of the Analects:

- Lu version contains 20 chapters

- Qi version contains 22 chapters, including chapters that are not

found in the Lu version

 Both versions had in common; the Lu version had more passages.

Each version had its own masters, scholars, and transmitters.

EMPEROR JING OF HAN (R.
157- 141 BC)
 Third version (the “old text version”) it was hidden in a

wall of the home then believed to be Confucius when the

home was in the process of being destroyed by King Gong
of Lu (r. 153- 128 BC) to expand the king’s palace.
 Huan Tan scholar of Han Dynasty, the old text version had four

hundred characters different from the Lu version (from which the

received of the Analects is mostly based), and it seriously differed
from the Lu version in twenty-seven places. Of these twenty-seven
differences, the received text only agrees with the old text version in
two places.
 Before the late twentieth century the oldest existing copy of the Analects

known to scholars was found in the “Stone Classics of the Xinping Era”, a
copy of the Confucian classics written in stone in the Old Eastern Han
Dynasty.

 Archaeologists have since discovered two handwritten copies of Analects that

were written around 50 BC, during the Western Han Dynasty.

They are known as the:

- Dingzhou Analects

- Pyongyang Analects
 DINGZHOU ANALECTS
It was discovered in 1973, but no transcription of its
contents was published until 1997.

It was damaged in a fire shortly after it was entombed in

the Han Dynasty. It was further damaged in an earthquake
shortly after it was recovered.
 PYONGYANG ANALECTS
It was discovered in 1992. Academic access to the Pyongyang
analects has been highly restricted, and no academic study on it was
published until 2009.

It is similar to the Dingzhou Analects, but, because of the secrecy

and isolationism of the North Korean Government, only a very
cursory study of it has been made available to international scholars.
ANALECTS OF
CONFUCIUS
 LÚN YŬ; LITERALLY
“SELECTED SAYINGS”
also known as the Analects of Confucius, is the
collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese
philosopher Confucius and his contemporaries
“Do not do unto others what you
don’t want others do to you”.
 “Men are born pretty much alike, but
through their habits they gradually grow
further and further apart from each other”.
“To know what you know and know
what you don’t know is the
characteristics of one who knows”.
“It is easy to be rich and haughty; it
is difficult to be poor and not
grumble”.
“Do not worry people about not
knowing you, but strive hard so
that you may be worth knowing”.