How did Confucianism start ?
Social Studies · Middle School · Mon Jan 18 2021
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Answered on
- Confucianism started with the teachings of Confucius, whose Latinized name is derived from the Chinese Kong Fuzi (K'ung-fu-tzu), which means "Master Kong." Confucius lived from 551 to 479 BCE in the Zhou Dynasty.
- He was a philosopher, teacher, and political figure whose ideas have had a profound influence on the culture and history of East Asia.
- Confucianism began as a set of moral and ethical principles intended to improve society and the individual's role within it. Confucius believed that the welfare of a country depended on the moral virtues of its people, beginning from the nation's leadership. He emphasized the importance of good governance, ethical leadership, and social relationships.
- Confucius's teachings were not immediately popular or widely accepted during his lifetime, but over the centuries, they gained traction and became central to Chinese state ideology during the Han Dynasty, roughly from 206 BCE to 220 CE. His ideas were recorded by his disciples in a set of books known as the "Four Books and Five Classics," which form the core texts of Confucianism.
- Over time, Confucianism became a system of philosophical thought as well as a state religio-ethical system that influenced not only China but also other countries in the East Asian cultural sphere, such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.