Confucius: A Life From Beginning to End

by Hourly History

When Confucius spoke, people listened, and they still listen today. The wisdom of this Chinese philosopher, teacher, politician, and writer still rings as true today as it did over 2,000 years ago. Who was the legend who has become revered as a sage throughout the ages? To put it shortly, he was a simple man. Confucius was born into poverty, but at an early age he came to value education, integrity, and moral behavior. He developed the knowledge to become a teacher by his early 30s. He also developed an ethical code that valued, above all else, personal integrity, ethical behavior, ritual propriety, and compassion. Throughout his brief political career and his long journey afterward, he sought to spread his philosophy in the hopes that it would be adopted as political policy. While his political goals were not realized in his lifetime, his philosophy would live long after he died. This book tells the story of the life of the world-renowned philosopher and scholar, and it describes the tenets of his philosophy in a succinct manner which is packed with information.

Genres: Biography, Philosophy, History, Nonfiction

43 pages, Paperback

Published August 30, 2017

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Nihal · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop” - Confucius

Many people think that almost all the early philosophers come from Greece or Rome. However, this belief isn’t completely true. Many eastern philosophies had also originated around the same area as the Greek philosophies. One of those philosophies was Confucianism, which gave knowledge related to social behaviour, self-realization, and human perspectives. Confucianism started around 500 BCE and started gaining many followers as time passed. With the emergence of Buddhism and Taoism, Confucianism grew into neo-Confucianism and Modern neo-Confucianism. And all these events had started because of one man - Confucius.

Much about Confucius’ life isn’t given in this book. Confucius was born to a family which had connections to the Royal Family. These connections helped Confucius get closer to the king and spread his thoughts throughout the court. At one point, however, Confucius had to leave for exile, and the reasons for this event aren’t entirely known. This book only gave information about his early life, philosophy, and death. The book goes deep into the theories of Confucianism rather than the life of Confucius itself

These are some of my favourite quotes from Confucius -

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.”

“If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.”

“Respect yourself and others will respect you.”

“What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others.”

“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.”

[Young Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d say it was a “meaningful” read, and I do recommend readers to pick up and open this opportunity for some quality time of "Human-pondering."

(Kindle Edition, locations 244-246)
“By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” —Confucius

(Kindle Ed., locs. 247-249)
...Confucius essentially believed in the perfectibility of humans. He felt that humans were subject to a destiny preordained by a supreme being and the fixed cycles of nature, but he also firmly believed that people are responsible for their behavior and their treatment of others...

(Kindle Ed., locs. 249-250)
...While they might not be able to change the fate that Heaven has for them, they could affect what they are able to accomplish with their lives, and therefore, how they are remembered.

It was the same as the Protestant Christianity.

(Kindle Ed., locs. 255-260)
Confucius also claimed that he had a special, privileged relationship with Heaven and that by the age of 50, he understood what it was that Heaven had preordained for his life as well as for mankind. For this reason, Confucius carefully instructed his followers that they should never neglect the offerings they were required to give to Heaven. The Analects reveal that Confucius had a deep reverence and respect for the spirits that resided in Heaven. For this reason, he believed they should be worshipped with sincerity. He taught his disciples that serving these spirits was far more complicated than serving mortals. His philosophy, therefore, stressed the importance of paying homage to the supreme being.

Just like the early figures of Judaism and Christianity did.

(Kindle Ed., locs. 306-310)
According to the Mandate of Heaven, the ruler received a mandate to rule from Heaven, which encompassed the natural order and will of the universe. Given this, if a ruler was ousted, it meant that the ruler had somehow become unworthy, thereby losing the mandate. Additionally, natural disasters that occurred during the ruler’s reign signaled Heaven’s displeasure. In Chinese history, there were often revolts following a major disaster since the citizens believed that the ruler had lost Heaven’s mandate to rule.

No matter how wise the man must have been for his time, he was still one of the “innocent” ancient figures with lack of knowledge in our modern natural science, duh.

(Kindle Ed., locs. 221-223)
While the Qin Dynasty abandoned Confucianism, the succeeding Han and Tang Dynasties not only adopted the philosophy but under the rule of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (141-87 BCE), Confucianism was made the official imperial philosophy. The texts were required reading for civil service applicants in 140 BCE, and this requirement continued until the nineteenth century...

Not only in China, but also in the whole "Confvci'vs World" including my homeland Korea. Later in the early-4th century CE, Constantin'vs the Great would become like Han Wu-dæ (Wu-emeperor) of the West.

(Kindle Ed., loc. 139)
It was this familial model that Confucius applied to his political philosophy. Confucius conceived of the ruler as the son of heaven and the father of the people.

Confucius was the man whose idea became the very base of the societies in “so-called” the East Asia, just like the author[ity]s of Bible (Baeb-ur: Words-collection) in the West.

The man and his philosophy, despite his many flaws as he was one of us, an "imperfect" Human Being after all, at least had good intentions for all "mankind under the Heaven (Tianxia)," which was in his world (mind'/ ment'ality) all the warring states of the "whole kingdom" of Zhou.

This is a fine read with a lot of lessons to learn, and I can see that the author did his research homework, but unfortunately the work still exhibits many flaws.

Location 10 on Kindle edition is like the 1st page of a paperback, and that’s where the first error’s found. The book starts with an error, but all-in-all NOT that many errors are found throughout the pages compared to other books of the same author I’ve recently read, and so I will quickly share them here first.

(Kindle Ed., locs. 10-11)
...how did he come to be viewed the world over as a sage whose maxims are still commonly quoted over 2,000 years after his death?

Correction: ...how did he come to be viewed by the world as a sage whose maxims are still commonly quoted over 2,000 years after his death?

(Kindle Ed., loc. 262)
...He also felt that to cultivate compassion for others; one had to be self-deprecating...

Why a semi-colon there?

(Kindle Ed., locs. 18-19)
...These include the Classic of Poetry, theBook of Documents, the Book of Rites, theI Ching or Book of Changes, and the Spring and Autumn Annals mentioned before.

A space please, each one required between the definite article “the” and the following book titles “Book of Documents” and “I Ching.”

And why only the Book of Changes got its title “I Ching” (also spelled “Yi Jing”) in Chinese mentioned in the list? One last editing work would have caught this issue.

(Kindle Ed., locs. 22-23)
...He advocated for a government that rules by rites and the natural morality of humans, rather than bribery and coercion...

Correction: ...He was an advocate for a government...

(or)

...He advocated a government...

(Kindle Ed., locs. 23-28)
...Because of his growing reputation due to his role in teaching these philosophies, Confucius was appointed to a minor position of governor of a town, where he sought to restore the legitimate rule of the state to the duke of Lu, from whom power had been seized in 505 BCE. He was ultimately unsuccessful in these efforts, and after the duke had misbehaved, he made the decision to leave his homeland. Confucius’ philosophy, however, would not allow him to bring public humiliation to the duke, and so he waited for the ruler to make a lesser mistake which he then used as an excuse for his self-exile.

Wait, what? So, the Duke of Lu was a victim of a political conflict or a civil war? And Confucius was ultimately “unsuccessful” in reinstituting his legitimate rule, c’est ça? And then Confucius decided to leave his homeland, the Dukedom of Lu, when the Duke (reinstituted?) had misbehaved? Pretty con-fus’ing, isn’t it?

(Kindle Ed., locs. 69-71)
...Confucius was raised in poverty despite being the descendant of Shang dynasty kings. Those kings, however, like Confucius and his family, were also poverty stricken by that time.

Why does the writer think the Dukes, while practically independent with total autonomy in their hands, couldn't dethrone the Zhou Ro'y-al Family? What "Shang" Kings under Zhou Dynasty with the Mandate of Heaven in the hands of the King of Zhou (the Son of Heaven (Tian-zi))? I don't think the writer really knows what Shang Dynasty was.

(Kindle Ed., locs. 218-221)
...The disagreement between the two philosophies came to a head when the Qin state conquered China in 223 BCE. Qin Shi Huang decided to abandon Confucian philosophy in favor of Legalism, and when Confucian advisors argued their point, Li Si, the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty, had many of them killed and their books burned. This marked a major setback for Confucianism.

The country's known as China or Qina because of Chin (Qin) Empire of China's-first-emperor (Chin-xi-ho'ang[jae] or Qin-shi-huang[di]).

(Kindle Ed., locs. 226-227)
During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), ideas from Daoism and Buddhism were added to Confucianism by the scholar Zhu Xi who lived during the twelfth century CE...

Yeah, this guy reiterated the philosophy of the world order to fight the humiliation under Jin invasion of Song. It was a shame that a Chinese nation (Song Empire at the time) lost its capital and two Emperors to the "barb'aric" riders from the Steppes, who founded the Jin Empire, known as the Northen Chinese Empire; the writer calls and spells the country "Chin" and claims in his “books (not one book)” that it was the source of the modern national title "China."

Ask the “Han-majority” Chinese who General YUE Fei of Song Empire was. He was a Chinese hero who fought against the people the Han-Chinese did NOT consider as one of them until the Boxer Rebellion in 1899.

(Kindle Ed., locs. 227-228)
...During his life, his writings were largely ignored, but after his death, they were adopted as valid interpretations of what the Confucian texts meant...

ZHU Xi's Neo-confucianism: Yeah, because in the 13th century South Song needed that philosophy of the "proud" Chinese nation as the center of the world order more than ever before under the Mongol invasion (so embarrassing "after" the Jin (Kim) invasion) and a total collapse of the empire, while having promised the people that the ruling Song dyansty would restore its lost territory around the significant Yellow Riverbank.

It was just like the very first Old Testament written under the humiliating Neo-babylonian invasion of Israel.

You can read the full review here.

[Mark Laufenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that the only thing I knew about Confucius was that he was considered a very wise man in ancient China. Other than that, about the only time that I heard of him was, “Confucius say…” followed by a joke of some kind.

This is a fairly short biography, but since Confucius was born in 551 BCE, there is obviously only his legacy passed down through history to go on. His main belief was that people generally weren’t able to govern themselves very well, so the concept that he tried to convey to the rulers of his day was that if they acted virtuously, their subjects would follow their example and act in that manner themselves.

Confucius also authored and edited many texts including the Five Classics which advocated the fact that a virtuous society should function much like a virtuous family. The principles espoused in these Five Classics had a basis in Chinese tradition, which championed loyalty, ancestor veneration, respect of elders by their children, and respect of husbands by their wives. Public service was also another one of his strong beliefs.

When threatened by those who disagreed with him, he exiled himself and spread his teachings throughout northeast and central China. The teachings evolved over the years, but much to the disappointment of Confucius, they were never seriously adopted by the leaders of the day during his lifetime. During the Song Dynasty, ideas from Daoism and Buddhism were added to Confucianism and the result was what scholars refer to as Neo-Confucianism.

Following his death, the disciples of Confucius turned his teachings into a set of rules and practices. They organized them into Analects, and his only grandson, Zisi, ran a philosophical school using these teachings. Students of this school of thought later became officials in many of the royal courts in China, thus continuing the legacy of Confucius throughout the centuries, something that he probably never would’ve imagined.

Of course in the modern day, with Communism ruling China the teachings of Confucius are not practiced at all, with rulership being by martial law instead. There is a lot more about his teachings and the history of them expanded upon in the book, and the concluding chapter contains a number of his actual sayings, which may have been my favorite part of the biography. The main content of the book may not have been one of the most interesting topics that I’ve read in the Hourly History series, but it was quite informative and well written. I’d recommend it to anyone who has any interest in learning about Confucius.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
The Golden Rule (Confucius)
I have grown up hearing multitudes of aphorisms, idioms, sayings, and words of wisdom attributed to Confucius. His profound teachings have had a marked effect on my (and I can only assume many other’s) life. This is a strange and profound statement when you consider that I have a very vague knowledge of the man’s life. I suppose I simply accepted his words of wisdom, without questioning their source. This is something I haven’t done with anybody (with the possible exception of Jesus Christ) else.
He is believed to have been born on September 28, 551 BC in the district of Zou, on the eastern coast of China, and was a renowned as a teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher. The China described in this book is a far cry from what it or many other places are, today. His revolutionary and reactionary beliefs, such as education for the masses, would have faced stronger opposition, later in history. According to what I’ve gleaned from this book (I must admit that this is the first book I’ve ever read about him) is that his life, work, and influence on contemporaries and those of following generations, share many parallels with that of Jesus Christ.
I think, however, that Confucius had a too high opinion of human morality and underestimated human nature. Jealousy, greed, and distrust were completely overlooked in his Utopian philosophy. Nevertheless, the purity and goodness of his quotes still form a cornerstone in modern society. Because relatively little is known about the daily life of Confucius, more than half of this book is dedicated to his teachings after his death. Because these were so profound, they have influenced the lives of billions. He is the quintessential example of a teacher.
A copious number of quotes are attributed to Confucius. I see the wisdom in some and the simple beauty in all. One of my favorites is: “Chose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

[Jerry Jares · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be blunt, this summary wasn't all that interesting.  Probably it isn't Hourly History's fault, after all, Confucius lived BCE.  I'm sure there was more written about Confucius' theories than about his life.  The book really didn't mention much about the great man's personal life.  We know more about his popular aphorisms and his efforts to encourage morality in life and governance.

We could certainly use some Confucianism today because he told rulers that if they acted virtuously, their subjects would imitate their behaviors and create a better world. This book is heavy on Confucian theory and light on implementation.  Again, probably this is because he lived so long ago.  Neo-Confucianism and Modern Neo-Confucianism are iterations of the original ideas.  However, these show that Confucian thought was profound enough to be reapplied to changing norms for a whole new group of people.

It is good that Confucian thought spread throughout the East and even to Europe (and the West) because the Communist Chinese have tried to eradicate all Confucian thought through China.  They are ruling through martial law -- something Confucius was against.

[Goddess of Chaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice intro to Confucius

I picked this up because I had never looked into Confucius or Confucianism and wanted a basic introduction to who and from when. This is not a deep dive, or an investigation in search of never before published details... instead for a reader like me it does a nice job of hitting the highlights, and pairing some of Confucius sayings with passages about a relevant time in his life or career.

It ends with a couple last quotes that had not naturally fit elsewhere, but were in their own way reminders that I sought out a work in Confucius because he is know for wit, wisdom, and clever, thought provoking phrases.

On the subject of the things that are worthwhile in life, he said, “It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.”

[Gian Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a philosopher, no sentence is more valuable than “The object of the superior man is truth.”
The whole life of Confucius was after all nothing but an expression of his moral beliefs, that our existence is a life long learning process and true knowledge comes from the acknowledgement of our ignorance and mistakes. Only discipline and hard work on ourselves can elevate us.
In times were triviality and mere sensationalism are rewarded, his message of “Instead of being concerned that you are not known, seek to be worthy of being known” reaches a whole new level of relevance, inviting us once again to follow the real life's values.

[Julian Orozco, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Mind Of Wisdom

I went into this book with doubt and came out wanting to read more on Confucianism. One can learn from this subject for guidance, priorities, family, relationships and life itself. I highly recommend this little book as an introduction to the Eastern Teachings.
I also thing some of our administrators, governors, and lawmakers should read into the Analect, if you get my meaning.

[Bettye McKee]

Confucius had much to say

“The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell.”

Confucius was born in 551 BC. His main occupation was teaching. His goal was to create better citizens through his teaching.

His philosophy was based on morality, compassion, learning, self-discipline and service to others.

“Instead of being concerned that you are not known, seek to be worthy of being known.”

[Randolph Rossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Primer on Confucius: The Man and His Philosophy

An excellent concise thumb sketch of Confucius and his philosophy. In his lifetime, he wasn’t able to get the government of his hometown to embrace his philosophy but it has survived his passing and has had acceptance by people through out the world. I had very little knowledge of Confucius and his philosophy before read this book and I will explore the subject in greater detail in the future.

[Ashwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another classic piece on a historical figure confucius by hourly history.

Confucius' teachings were based on propriety and moral ethics of the good citizens. They were based on the five classic models. Later his disciples developed neo-confucianism and fused it with Buddhism doctrines. Interesting to read.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to the man and his philosophy that influenced millions for thousands of years. It also is a good reference to the different philosophies that formed after his death and that claimed him as the source of there ideas.

[David Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not Reality TV

“Instead of being concerned that you are not known, seek to be worthy of being known.” ~ Modern Neo Confucian

[Guru]

Good Quick read

Gives a good over view of his teachings and highlights his life, political scene, growth of popularity and it's influence in modern times

[Richelle Moral Government · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, but informative.