The Analects of Confucius
James Legge
The collected sayings and ideas of Confucius and his disciples.
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Religion5th century BCE~6 million (est.) adherents
Confucianism
- Founder
- Confucius (Kong Fuzi)
- Origin
- Ancient China
The ethical and social philosophy of Confucius, centred on virtue, family, and harmonious society.
Overview
Confucianism
Confucianism is the ethical and social tradition founded on the teachings of Confucius (Kong Fuzi, 551–479 BCE) in ancient China. More a moral philosophy than a theology, it has shaped East Asian civilisation for over two millennia.
Its foundational text, the Analects, records Confucius's sayings on virtue and conduct. Core values include ren (humaneness), li (ritual propriety), xiao (filial piety), and junzi (the exemplary person). Right relationships — within the family, society, and state — are the path to harmony.
Confucian thought became the backbone of Chinese education, governance, and culture.
Sacred Scriptures
Read in full on John Shaqi, in our reader.
Critics, Defenders & Scholars
Defenders
Zhu Xi
Neo-Confucian Philosopher · 1130–1200 · Chinese
The synthesiser of Neo-Confucianism, whose commentaries became state orthodoxy for centuries.
Commentaries on the Four Books
Scholars
Mencius
Philosopher · 372–289 BCE · Chinese
The most famous Confucian after Confucius, who argued that human nature is innately good.
The Mencius
Sacred & Scholarly Books
Well-known works on Confucianism — readable in full, right here in the Library.
1921 · Read on site →
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1966 · Read on site →
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1914 · Read on site →
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1870 · Read on site →