This chinese man was a well-known leader in philosophy and he also made many wise phrases and theories about the law, life, and the government. Philosophy is a kind of a system of ideas and thoughts that talk about the human's behavior, the rules that you should follow to make a successful life, and about the government. In other words, it's about thoughts and theories that teach other people lessons about principles, or rules, about life and it also teaches you a moral ( sort of like the morals that are at the end of a fable). Confucius is famous for his philosophy because he made many wise sayings in ancient China that helped many people learn about nature, the world, and the human behavior. He also helped the government and the emperor by teaching them lessons on how the emperor should rule his kingdom successfully.

Confucius was born in a poor family in the year 551 B.C., and he was born in the state of Lu. Confucius' life as a child was sad. His father died when he was four years old. His mom kept the family from becoming hungry by working very often, and he sometimes had to stay in his home all by himself. He had an unhappy life as a small child.

When Confucius got married at the age of 19, he worked as a keeper of a market. Then he was a farm worker who took care of parks and farm animals. When he was 20, he worked for the governor of his district. But when Confucius was 22, he became a very good teacher and started his own school. He taught any person who wanted to learn about philosophy. He taught his students about nature and the world. He also taught about government.

Confucius taught in his school for many years. His theories and principles were spread throughout China by his disciples, and soon many people learned from his wise sayings. One of his rules said," If you governed your province well and treat your people kindly, you kingdom shall not lose any war. If you govern selfishly to your people, you kingdom will not only lose a war, but your people will break away from your kingdom." He had also said a wise phrase called the golden rule that is still being used as a rule today. It said,"A man should practice what he preaches, but a man should also preach what he practices."

One day, his students and he passed a grave where they saw a women weeping at a gravestone. She told Confucius that her husband, her husband's father, and her son were killed by a tiger. When Confucius asked her why she didn't leave such a fated spot, she answered that in this place there was no oppressive government. Confucius said," Remember this my child. An oppressive government is fiercer and more feared than a tiger." That meant that the government in the woman's province did not rule the province well. So Confucius said that the government was more feared than a tiger. This was one of the many events he had to give a person a lesson.

Confucius had so many wise principles that he was awarded to be the governor of his province when he was 52. He was a governor so well that a neighboring governor got jealous of him. After Confucius was threaten by the neighboring province, Confucius was forced to be overthrown, or in other words, defeated.

Confucius was then abandoned from his province and he wandered about China for 13 years. When Confucius was 69 years old, he returned to Lu, his home state, and he died there 3 years after settling in Lu. After Confucius died, he was buried in a grave in the city of Kufow. Yet, when the philosopher died, many people honored all of Confucius' work by building temples in every city in China to honor Confucius. Since Confucius' teachings and philosophy was so advanced, it was the education for China for 2,000 years. It is called Confucianism.

Confucius himself had a simple moral and political teaching: to love others; to honor one's parents; to do what is right instead of what is of advantage; to practice "reciprocity," i.e. "don't do to others what you would not want yourself"; to rule by moral example (dé) instead of by force and violence; and so forth. Confucius thought that a ruler who had to resort to force had already failed as a ruler. "Your job is to govern, not to kill"

Confucius helped many people learn about many important things in life. He helped emperors and people solve problems with his stunning philosophy. The people of China would not have learned such important morals, or lessons, if it weren't for the famous philosopher that guided the people in the art of philosophy.

Confucius died in 479 BC and was buried in Ch'uFu. Today the site of his final resting place is the beautiful K'ung Forest.

FAMOUS SAYINGS

 Virtue is not left to stand alone.  He who practices it will have.

 They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom.

 It is not possible for one to teach others who cannot teach his own family.

 The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions.

 He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.

 To be able under all circumstances to practice five things 
        constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, 
        generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.

 We don't know yet about life, how can we know about death?

 Mankind differs from the animals only by a little, 
        and most people throwthat away.

 If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work another day in your life.

 The Master said, (the good man) does not grieve that other 
        people do not recognize his merits.  His only anxiety 
        is lest he should fail to recognize theirs.







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