Life & People: Confucius (孔子, 551BC

Confucius (孔子, 551BC–479BC)

Confucius (孔子, 551BC–479BC)

Confucius (Chinese: 孔子; pinyin: Kǒng Zǐ; Wade–Giles: K'ung-tzu, or Chinese: 孔夫子; pinyin: Kǒng Fūzǐ; Wade–Giles: K'ung-fu-tzu), literally "Master Kong", (traditionally 28 September 551 BC – 479 BC) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period.

The philosophy of Confucius emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. These values gained prominence in China over other doctrines, such as Legalism (法家) or Taoism (道家) during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220). Confucius' thoughts have been developed into a system of philosophy known as Confucianism (儒家).

Because no texts are demonstrably authored by Confucius, and the ideas most closely associated with him were elaborated in writings that accumulated over the period between his death and the foundation of the first Chinese empire in 221 BC, many scholars are very cautious about attributing specific assertions to Confucius himself. His teachings may be found in the Analects of Confucius (論語), a collection of aphorisms, which was compiled many years after his death. For nearly 2,000 years he was thought to be the editor or author of all the Five Classics (五經) such as the Classic of Rites (禮記) (editor), and the Spring and Autumn Annals (春秋) (author).

Confucius' principles had a basis in common Chinese tradition and belief. He championed strong familial loyalty, ancestor worship, respect of elders by their children (and, according to later interpreters, of husbands by their wives), and the family as a basis for an ideal government. He expressed the well-known principle, "Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself", one of the earlier versions of the Ethic of reciprocity.

Quotes·Quotation by Confucius(孔子)

Advice

¶ 己所不欲，勿施於人。[論語衛靈公]
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others. [Wei Ling Gong (衛靈公), The Analects (論語)]

Attitude

¶ 放於而利行多怨。 [論語]
Carrying out anything for personal profit will mostly bring about hatred and bitterness. [the Analects of Confucius]

¶ 成事不說, 遂事不諫, 旣往不咎。 [論語八佾]
That which has been done should not need to be explained again; that which has its course fixed need not be remonstrated against; that which has passed need not be blamed on anyone. [the Analects of Confucius: Ba Yi]

¶ 民可使由之不可使知之。
The people may be made to follow a path of action, but they may not be made to understand it.

¶ 先行其言而後從之。
The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his action.

¶ 知之者不如好之者，好之者不如乐之者。
They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.

¶ 成事不說, 遂事不諫, 旣往不咎。
Things that are done, it is needless to speak about...things that are past, it is needless to blame.

¶ 見賢思齊焉，見不賢而內自省也。
When you see a good man, try to emulate his example, and when you see a bad man, search yourself for his faults.

Beauty, 美

¶ 万物皆有其美,唯慧眼能识之。
Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Belief

¶ 主忠信。
Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.

Benevolence, 仁

¶ 仁者先難而後獲，可謂仁矣。
Benevolence involves being the first to volunteer for a difficult job and the last to think about rewards and recognition.

¶ 富與貴是人之所欲也不以其道得之不處也。貧與賤是人之小惡也不以其道得之不去也君子去仁惡乎成名君子無終食之閒違仁造次必於是顚沛必於是。 [論語里仁]
Wealth and position are the desires of everyone. But one would rather not have it if to attain it requires the use of unscrupulous means. No one wants to be poor and obscure but the gentleman does not employ dishonest means to escape from it. How can a gentleman who has abandoned morality be known as a gentleman? A gentleman will under no circumstances forget to practice benevolence and morality. [the Analects of Confucius: Li Ren]

Challenge

¶ Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.

Confidence

¶ 後生可畏焉知來者之不如今也。
A youth is to be regarded with respect. How do you know that his future will not be equal to our present?

¶ Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.

¶ Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.

¶ Respect yourself and others will respect you.

Endeavor

¶ Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

¶ 人心齊泰山移
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

Endurance, Patience

¶ It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.

Failure

¶ 不而不改是謂過矣。
A man who has committed a mistake and doesn't correct it, is committing another mistake.

¶ Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes.

¶ 知之者不如好之者。
He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.

Forgiveness

¶ 在开始你的复仇之旅前，先挖两个坟墓。
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.

¶ Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.

Friend·Friendship, Friend, Friendship

¶ 無友不如己者
Have no friends not equal to yourself.

¶ 有朋自遠方來不亦樂乎。
Isn't it great when friends visit from afar?

Happiness

¶ 君子坦蕩湯小人長戚戚。 [論語述而]
¶ The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress.

Honor

¶ 為政以德譬如北辰居其所而眾星共之。
¶ He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it.

¶ 士而懷居不足以爲士矣。
¶ The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar.

Justice

¶ 以直報怨, 以德報德。
¶ Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness.

Knowledge·Wisdom, Knowledge

¶ 巧言令色鮮矣仁。
¶ Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue.

¶ 人無遠慮, 必有近憂。
¶ If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand.

¶ 唯上知與下愚不移。
¶ It is only the wisest and the stupidest that cannot change.

¶ The essence of knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance.

¶ 過猶不及。
¶ To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.

¶ 知之爲知之不知爲不知是知也。
¶ When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it - this is knowledge.

Life

¶ 性相近也習相遠也。
¶ By nature, men are nearly alike; by practice, they get to be wide apart.

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

¶ 見賢思齊焉，見不賢而內自省也。
¶ When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves.

¶ When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.

¶ 未能事人焉能事鬼未知生, 焉知死。
¶ While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve spirits? While you do not know life, how can you know about death?

Modesty

¶ He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good.

¶ Humankind differs from the animals only by a little, and most people throw that away.

¶ 君子欲訥於言而敏於行。
¶ The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.

¶ Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established.

Money

¶ He who will not economize will have to agonize.

Self-discipline

¶ When anger rises, think of the consequences.

Solitude·Self-reliance, Solitude

¶ 善人吾不得而見之矣. 得見有恒者斯可矣. 亡而爲有虛爲盈, 約而爲泰難乎有恒矣。 [論語述而]
¶ A faultless man I cannot hope to meet. The most I can hope for is to meet a man of principles. I see the shallow pretending to be man of substance, the improvident pretending to be affluent, even a man of principles will not be easy to find. [the Analects of Confucius: Shu Er]

¶ 德不孤必有鄰。
¶ Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors.

Study

¶ 學而不思則罔思而不學則殆。
¶ He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.

¶ I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

¶ 學而時習之不亦說乎。
¶ Isn't it a pleasure to study, and to practice what you have learned?

¶ 其家不可教，而能教人者，無之。 [大學]
¶ It is not possible for one to teach others who cannot teach his own family. [the Great Learning (大學)]

¶ 君子欲訥於言而敏於行。
The superior man is modest in his speech, but excels in his actions.

¶ Seek not every quality in one individual.

¶ Study the past if you would define the future.

Success

¶ 仁者先難而後獲。
¶ The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration.

¶ 君子求諸己小人求諸人。
¶ What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the mean man seeks is in others.

Virtue, 仁

¶ 我未見好仁者惡不仁者好仁者無以尙之。
¶ I have not seen a person who loved virtue, or one who hated what was not virtuous. He who loved virtue would esteem nothing above it.

¶ 仁遠乎哉我欲仁斯仁至矣。
¶ Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! Virtue is at hand.

¶ The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue.

Wisdom

¶ 我非生而知之者好古敏以求之者也。
¶ I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there.

¶ 君子之於天下也無適也無莫也義之與比。
¶ The superior man does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow.

Work

¶ Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

Writing·Reading

¶ 詩三百一言而蔽之曰思無邪。 [論語爲政]
¶ The book of Poetry contains three hundred entries, if I had to summarize the teachings of the book in one sentence, it would read: 'A pure and untainted mind. [the Analects of Confucius]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius