Confucius
Ancient Chinese thinker
Confucius was a Chinese philosopher of the 5th century BCE whose teachings shaped East Asian thought for millennia.
His philosophy emphasized moral cultivation, social harmony, filial piety, and proper conduct in relationships.
Confucianism became the dominant intellectual tradition in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
To invoke Confucius is often to cite ancient wisdom: Confucius say...
Classical Chinese wisdom text
- filial pietyRespect owed to parents
- LiBattery metal symbol
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- humanenessBenevolent, merciful disposition
mandate of heaven · self-cultivation · propriety · benevolence · righteousness · sincerity · gentleman · harmony
Classical Confucian thinker
- scholar-officialsExam-selected Chinese administrators
- civil service examinationsTests selecting government workers
- Four BooksCanonical Confucian text collection
- meritocracyAdvancement through demonstrated ability
Moral goodness or merit
- moralityRight and wrong principles
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
- benevolenceDisposition toward doing good
- proprietyCorrectness of conduct
integrity · honor · duty · rectitude · conscience · decency · fidelity · respect
Wisdom keeper or seasoning
- teacherOne who instructs others
- scholarLearned, studious person
- aphorismsConcise memorable truths
- proverbsTraditional wisdom capsules
sayings · insight · enlightenment · discernment · prudence · learning · reflection · contemplation
Taoism's legendary founder
- Sun TzuAncient Chinese strategist
- SocratesAncient Athenian questioning philosopher
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
- AristotleGreek founder of formal logic
Buddha · Pythagoras · Heraclitus · Thales · Zoroaster
Analects
Classical Chinese wisdom text
- filial pietyRespect owed to parents
- LiBattery metal symbol
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
humaneness · mandate of heaven · self-cultivation · propriety · benevolence · righteousness · sincerity · gentleman · harmony · loyalty
Mencius
Classical Confucian thinker
- scholar-officialsExam-selected Chinese administrators
- civil service examinationsTests selecting government workers
- Four BooksCanonical Confucian text collection
virtue
Moral goodness or merit
- moralityRight and wrong principles
- righteousnessMoral correctness or virtue
- benevolenceDisposition toward doing good
propriety · integrity · honor · duty · rectitude · conscience · decency · fidelity · respect · obedience
sage
Wisdom keeper or seasoning
proverbs · sayings · insight · enlightenment · discernment · prudence · learning · reflection · contemplation
Laozi
Taoism's legendary founder
- Sun TzuAncient Chinese strategist
- SocratesAncient Athenian questioning philosopher
- PlatoGreek philosopher, academy founder
Aristotle · Buddha · Pythagoras · Heraclitus · Thales · Zoroaster
- Ancient Chinese FiguresLaozi, Mencius, Sun Tzu
- Ancient PhilosophersSocrates, Aristotle, Plato, Pythagoras, Epicurus
- Ancient ThinkersAristotle, Plato, Socrates, Thales, Pythagoras
- AphoristsLa Rochefoucauld, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Lao Tzu, Pascal
- Asian educationcivil service exams, private academies, Peking University, examination halls, scholar-officials
- Asian FiguresLao Tzu, Sun Tzu, Mencius, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping
ConfuciusEpicurus
Athenian pleasure-seeking sage
hedonism · Marquis de Sade · Diogenes · Aleister Crowley · libertinism
- Confucian academiesSchools teaching ancient Chinese philosophy
- Confucian valuesPhilosophy emphasizing respect, hierarchy