Confucius: the teacher of ritual who was also trained for war
Confucius lived from 551 to 479 BCE in the state of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period, served in office, and travelled through many states looking for a ruler who would use his ideas. The popular image of a teacher who only taught ritual and morality hides something important: the elite education he belonged to included archery and chariot driving.
Read in Vietnamese →Confucius lived from 551 to 479 BCE in the state of Lu, in modern Shandong, during the Spring and Autumn period. Rival states fought over land and influence, and rulers depended on armies to hold their positions. Confucius served in Lu, then travelled from court to court looking for a ruler who would use his ideas about government. Sima Qian's *Records of the Grand Historian*, written centuries later, describes him as nine feet six inches tall. Ancient units varied, so that figure cannot be turned into a precise modern height. The description still leaves a clear picture: the tradition remembered a tall man who moved between courts competing for power.
Sign in to read this classified document.
LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING