Confucianism in Pre-Modern China: Philosophy and Legacy

Introduction: Confucianism and Pre-Modern China

Confucianism takes its name from the Chinese philosopher Confucius, who lived from the middle of the 6th century BC to the first part of the 5th century BC. He was a teacher of the values upheld by those who lived in the days of Chinese antiquity. For Confucius, the greatest years of the Zhou dynasty had come in the three centuries prior to his birth. The dynasty itself lasted for centuries following Confucius's life, though in a much different form from what came before. Confucius viewed the lessons of the early Zhou dynasty as containing valuable nuggets of wisdom.

Confucius's teachings carried on well after his own day, as did many other schools of thought in China, where philosophy and wisdom were highly prized and sought after by many Chinese leaders from Confucius's time until the end of the 3rd century BC. Philosophy was so highly regarded for so many years because China itself was plagued by disputes and wars, and leaders wanted to know how best to govern their realms and lead their people. For this reason, the Hundred Schools of Thought emerged in the years between Confucius's day and the end of the Zhou dynasty in the 3rd century BC. This paper discusses how Confucianism impacted China in the pre-modern age, from its first days during the Zhou dynasty through the subsequent centuries.

Confucius: Life, Education, and Legacy

Confucius wore many hats during his lifetime: he taught, wrote, edited, and even acted politically. He authored a history of China — but his greatest contribution was the philosophy he articulated, which became his enduring legacy.

The essence of the philosophy taught by Confucius was that morality should be the basis of conduct between persons, whether on a social or governmental level. The principles he asserted were not novel; he did not create them himself. Rather, they stemmed from traditional teachings that had for many years served as the bedrock of Chinese culture. Confucius supported these traditional concepts — such as devotion to family, respect for ancestors and elders, and what has been called the Golden Rule, namely that one should treat others the way one wishes to be treated.

Confucius himself was neither a commoner nor an aristocrat. His family occupied a station between the two, which afforded him the opportunity to observe how both classes lived. He developed an objective manner that enabled him to see things clearly and for what they were. He was educated in the Six Arts, which formed the basis of all education during the Zhou dynasty. These arts included music, archery, calligraphy, mathematics, rites, and horseback riding. Confucius taught these arts to his own disciples, according to the works of Chinese historians like Kong Zonghan and the artists who depicted Confucius with his 72 disciples who learned the Six Arts (Lagerwey and Marsone 815). From the beginning, therefore, Confucianism was about passing on the traditional elements of learning that Confucius himself received as a young man. The Six Arts were, in a sense, the cornerstones of the well-rounded person in China — and that is precisely what Confucius promoted.

Confucius became a governor around 500 BC, though this was just one of the many roles he played (Schuman 191). He also served as an advisor to leaders who sought his counsel. When it came time to retire, he set off for home at nearly 70 years of age — yet he continued teaching. According to the Analects — a body of work containing sayings and thoughts attributed to Confucius — the philosopher gave his 72 disciples the books that later became known as the Five Classics. These books include the Classic of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Rites, the Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals (Nylan 4).

Essentially, Confucius worked to codify a system of beliefs already present in Chinese culture. He absorbed these beliefs, taught them to his students, and exemplified them in his own life. The logical basis upon which these beliefs rested served as the entry point for later generations who sought a teaching framework guided by moral and ethical principles. Over time, the philosophy attributed to Confucius grew as more ideas were added to the body of work that became known as Confucianism. This body of work resulted from the logical extrapolation of ideas from the foundation laid both by traditional Chinese culture during the Zhou dynasty and by Confucius himself, who emphasized and promoted the traditional education and philosophy he had received. The ideal that Confucius promoted — the exemplary figure toward which people should strive — was the junzi (Ames 39).

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