Michael Burgan - Who Was Confucius?

Some people in the city of Qufu might have been a little puzzled by the young boy named Kong Qiu. He lived there almost 2,600 years ago, and even then, children enjoyed playing with toys. Kong Qiu, though, was different. Starting at a very young age, he seemed to always consider the best way to behave. He also closely followed religious teachings and the traditions that went along with them. Kong Qiu was said to take dishes from his mothers kitchen and pretend they were the sacred bowls used in the religious ceremonies that he saw adults performing.

In Kong Qius time, Qufu was the capital of an independent state called Lu, one of many small states in what is now China. Across the country, people believed that they should honor their parents and the relatives who came before them. That belief was a main part of the religious traditions of the day.

Like many children at that time, Kong Qiu began to learn all he could about the religious practices. He also learned songs that taught him about the plants and animals that were native to his region. Other songs described historical events or shared moral lessons. They helped Kong Qiu learn how to tell right from wrong. The boy believed he should always try to do what was right and speak up when others did something wrong. He thought everyone should behave this way.

As he grew older, Kong Qiu wanted to learn even more about religion, history, and how to behave in the most respectable way. He then set out to teach others about the importance of knowing right from wrong. He especially wanted to explain his beliefs to the rulers of the states around Lu. But as he did so, Kong Qiu learned that dukes and government officials of the smaller regions within the empire did not always want to listen to what he had to say! They often chose to do what was best for themselves instead of what was good for all their citizens.

Still, Kong Qiu found students who were eager to learn. They started to call him Kong Fuzithats Chinese for Master Kong. His students later became teachers, too, and their students helped spread Kong Fuzis teachings across China. Over the centuries, his ideas reached other parts of Asia as well.

Today, Kong Fuzi is also known as Confucius. He is considered one of the greatest thinkers and teachers ever. His ideas are rooted in the history of ancient China, but millions of people still embrace them as wise words. His teachings explain how to treat others well and live a good life.

Shuliang He Kong was a great warrior. Stories about his life say he was more than six feet tall, which would have made him seem like a giant in ancient China. He was also very strong. Once, he saved the lives of fellow soldiers by holding up a heavy gate that was about to trap the men inside an enemy castle. He was well-known in the state of Lu.

Kong

Shuliang Hes family name was Kong, and his great-grandfather had come to Lu from the nearby state of Song. The Kongs had been a wealthy, well-respected family in Song, and some members held important positions in the government. But over time, they lost both their wealth and their power. For a time, Shuliang He held a minor government post in Lu, but his family did not have the privilege and respect the earlier Kongs did.

Shuliang He had one son and nine daughters by his first wife. But as he got older, he decided he wanted to try to have a second son because his first son couldnt become his heir due to a foot problem. He married a second wife, named Zhengzai, and in 551 BCE, she did have a son. The baby had a bump on his head, so his mother named him Qiu (say: CHEW), which means mound. In China, a persons family name comes first, so he was called Kong Qiu. His fathers full name was actually Kong Shuliang He.

The Mythical Birth of Confucius

Learning about Confuciuss life is not easy. Most of the stories about his life were written hundreds of years after he died. In China, people wanted to show what a great man he wasand they werent afraid to make up stories to prove it! Some stories about Confucius read like myths and legends. And some begin before he was even born!

One such story said that his mother, Zhengzai, dreamed of a unicorn while she was pregnanta sign that her child would grow up to be an important person. Another myth said that two dragons guarded the spot where Zhengzai gave birth to Confucius, and then water miraculously sprang up from the ground. After Zhengzai bathed her son in the water, it all magically disappeared.